The posting
Senior Director, Development & Philanthropy
Location: Remote (US-based)
Reports To: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Direct Reports: Development Coordinator (to be hired)
Application Submission Deadline: November 16, 2026
About Propel America
Propel America addresses a broken workforce system that fails both young adults and healthcare employers, sidelining talented individuals from entering healthcare careers and contributing to critical workforce shortages that threaten community health . Propel’s work centers on bridging this gap by creating alternative, debt-free career pathways into healthcare for young adults ages 18–26, particularly those from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds, while helping employers access the trained, diverse talent they urgently need. Today, over 13 million young adults in the U.S. are either not in school, not working, or stuck in low-wage jobs with little room for growth. Traditional college remains financially and logistically out of reach for many, especially young people from low-income communities, forcing them into a false choice: sacrifice income to pursue an expensive degree or remain in low-wage work without upward mobility.
Propel America aims to solve both sides of the equation by equipping young adults with the skills and support to launch healthcare careers and by helping employers build stronger, more diverse, and more stable workforces. To learn more, please visit www.propelamerica.org
The Opportunity
Propel America is seeking an entrepreneurial, results-driven Senior Director, Development & Philanthropy to lead our philanthropic revenue strategy and growth.
Reporting directly to the CEO, this leader will own Propel’s philanthropic strategy, pipeline, and portfolio across institutional foundations, corporations, family philanthropy, and individual major donors. They will be directly accountable for securing the significant, multi-year philanthropic revenue Propel needs to advance its mission and build a more sustainable organization.
This is a highly external, hands-on fundraising role. The Senior Director will personally cultivate, solicit, close, and steward high-value relationships while partnering closely with the CEO on Propel’s highest-priority funders and prospects. A key priority will be diversifying Propel’s philanthropic revenue base, particularly by growing individual and family philanthropy alongside our institutional foundation portfolio.
Key Responsibilities
The Senior Director, Development & Philanthropy leads four core areas:
Philanthropic Revenue & Major Gifts Own and grow a portfolio of high-value philanthropic relationships, personally securing significant and multi-year commitments.
Philanthropic Strategy & Pipeline Build and execute Propel’s annual and multi-year fundraising strategy, translating organizational priorities into a healthy, diversified, and predictable philanthropic pipeline.
CEO Partnership & Executive Fundraising Serve as the CEO’s strategic fundraising partner, ensuring executive time and relationships are focused on Propel’s highest-value philanthropic opportunities.
Development Team & Infrastructure Build the people, systems, data, and operating discipline required for an effective and scalable development function.
Role & Responsibilities
Philanthropic Revenue & Major Gifts | 55%
- Personally cultivate, solicit, close, and steward a portfolio of institutional foundations, corporations, family foundations, and individual major donors.
- Lead the full fundraising cycle, from prospect identification and cultivation through solicitation, negotiation, close, renewal, and stewardship.
- Secure six- and seven-figure gifts, with an emphasis on significant multi-year commitments.
- Build Propel’s individual and family philanthropy strategy, expanding and diversifying the major-donor base.
- Deepen existing funder relationships to drive renewals, increased investment, and long-term partnership.
- Provide strategic oversight and final approval of grant submissions.
Philanthropic Strategy & Pipeline | 30%
- Translate Propel’s annual and multi-year financial needs into fundraising targets, pipeline requirements, and portfolio strategies.
- Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of high-potential institutional, corporate and individual prospects.
- Monitor fundraising performance and adjust strategy when revenue or pipeline performance is off track.
- Partner with organizational leaders to translate Propel’s strategy, workforce solutions, employer partnerships, and Fellow outcomes into compelling investment opportunities.
- Partner with Workforce Partnerships and market leaders to identify regional philanthropic opportunities.
- Represent Propel externally with funders, philanthropic leaders, and other strategic audiences.
- Develop and execute strategies for Propel's highest-priority funders and prospects in partnership with the CEO and determine where CEO involvement can most advance a relationship or solicitation, and coordinate clear next steps and follow-through.
- Ensure the CEO's philanthropic portfolio is prioritized against organizational fundraising goals and opportunities.
Team & Development Infrastructure | 15%
- Hire, manage, and develop the Development Coordinator, establishing clear ownership of grant administration, donor tracking, reporting, and stewardship workflows.
- Maintain disciplined Salesforce data, pipeline forecasting, portfolio management, and revenue reporting.
- Leverage technology and AI to strengthen prospect research and fundraising productivity.
- Partner with the CEO and COO to align fundraising forecasts, grant budgets, and organizational financial needs.
- Collaborate across Workforce Partnerships, Solutions Design, Finance, and other teams to ensure philanthropic commitments align with Propel’s strategy and delivery capacity.
- Work closed with regional staff to set the regional fundraising target and review grant applications
Success Profile
Within the first 12–24 months, the Senior Director, Development & Philanthropy will have:
- Built a healthy and predictable philanthropic pipeline that supports Propel’s annual and multi-year revenue goals.
- Secured significant six- and seven-figure gifts and increased multi-year philanthropic commitments.
- Diversified Propel’s revenue base, with measurable growth in corporate, individual and family philanthropy.
- Increased retention and investment among Propel’s strongest existing funders.
- Established a clear portfolio strategy for Propel’s highest-priority prospects and funders.
- Built an effective CEO fundraising portfolio and strengthened the CEO’s ability to cultivate and close high-value relationships.
- Established disciplined fundraising systems, forecasting, stewardship, and development operations.
- Built a high-performing development function with clear roles, accountability, and strong cross-functional partnerships.
Performance Measures
Success in this role will be measured by:
- Achievement of annual and multi-year philanthropic revenue goals.
- Value and number of significant, multi-year philanthropic commitments secured.
- Growth and health of Propel’s qualified fundraising pipeline.
- Growth and diversification of individual, family, corporate, and institutional philanthropy.
- Funder renewal, retention, and expansion.
- Effectiveness of CEO-led fundraising and movement of priority prospects through the pipeline.
- Accuracy of revenue forecasting and quality of Salesforce and portfolio management.
- Timely and effective grant reporting, stewardship, and development operations.
- Performance and development of the Development Coordinator.
Qualifications & Experience
We are looking for a senior fundraising leader who combines exceptional relationship-building with strategic revenue leadership and strong execution. The strongest candidates will bring:
- 7–10+ years of progressive experience in nonprofit development, philanthropy, fundraising, external affairs, or a related field.
- A demonstrated track record of personally cultivating, soliciting, and closing six- and seven-figure gifts from institutional funders, corporations, family philanthropy, and/or individual major donors.
- Experience owning a significant fundraising portfolio, pipeline, and revenue target.
- Experience developing and executing strategies across both institutional and individual philanthropy.
- Strong executive presence and the ability to build trusted relationships with senior philanthropic decision-makers.
- Experience partnering closely with a CEO, founder, or senior executive on major-donor and fundraising strategy.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex organizational strategies and outcomes into compelling investment opportunities.
- Strong pipeline management, prospect qualification, forecasting, and CRM discipline, ideally using Salesforce or a similar platform.
- Experience managing and developing staff while building effective systems and operating practices.
- Comfort using technology and AI to improve prospect research, relationship management, and development workflows.
- Strong strategic judgment, initiative, and ability to operate effectively in a growing and evolving organization.
- Deep commitment to Propel America’s mission and the young adults and communities we serve.
Experience in healthcare, workforce development, or related sectors is a plus, but not required.
Compensation & Benefits
The annual target salary range for this role is $124K-168K, depending on candidate experience and geographic location. Propel America offers a comprehensive total rewards package, including:
- 90% employer-covered health, dental, and vision premiums .
- Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO) and paid holiday breaks .
- Fully remote and flexible work schedule .
- 401(k) retirement plan with employer matching options.
- Professional development stipend.
To Apply
Interested candidates should submit a resume and a concise cover letter outlining their track record in major gift fundraising and institutional pipeline development via our online career portal. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Propel America is an equal opportunity employer committed to building an inclusive and diverse team. Candidates from historically underrepresented backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
