Director, Principal Giving (East)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non‑governmental organizations (INGO), working in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities to help people survive, reclaim control of their future, and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions worldwide.

Job Overview / Summary

The External Relations (ER) department is composed of three complementary functional areas: Private fundraising, Communications, and Advocacy. The main objective of the department is to enable the IRC’s more than 15,000 staff to have the resources needed to continue serving 18 million people worldwide in places affected by war and disaster. Within the Philanthropy unit, the Principal Giving East team focuses on improving private individual support by engaging, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding significant, multi‑year commitments from ultra‑high‑net‑worth individual supporters based in the eastern United States. The Director of Principal Giving East will lead the IRC’s Principal Giving Program in the Eastern U.S., providing strategic leadership, direction, and management to a team of fundraisers who secure philanthropic support from high‑net‑worth individuals with capacities above $2.5 million. The Director is an entrepreneurial professional who mentors teams, builds donor relationships, and has a track record of closing 7‑ and 8‑figure gifts, while being accountable for revenue targets and overseeing their own portfolio of prospects and donors.

Major Responsibilities

• Supervise a team of front‑line fundraisers, inspiring, motivating, and challenging them to optimize gift size and impact through active mentorship and a culture of innovation in donor relationship management.
• Provide dynamic thought leadership for the Principal Giving East team’s efforts toward increased financial revenue and other private sector engagement modes that support IRC’s mission.
• Develop and support the team’s cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of a large, growing portfolio of major donors and prospects, ensuring personalized communication, face‑to‑face visits, and Salesforce tracking aligned with the broader Philanthropy team’s strategic goals.
• Build a strong fundraising structure, including a prospect pipeline and donor giving tracks, to support IRC organization‑wide.
• Collaborate with senior leadership, program staff, and relevant colleagues to create compelling cases for philanthropic investment and engagement opportunities.
• Partner with the Senior Director to develop a bold strategic plan, setting annual goals, key outcomes, standards, tools, and procedures for a best‑in‑class donor engagement and fundraising approach.
• Lead the direct and indirect management of the entire Principal Giving East team (up to 7 individuals).
• Manage a small portfolio of principal giving capacity donors, prospects, and suspects, retaining donors and realizing ever‑increasing gift sizes at the 7‑ and 8‑figure level.
• Undertake special projects as requested.

Candidate Requirements

• 10+ years of non‑profit fundraising experience with demonstrated expertise in ultra‑high net‑worth individual fundraising.
• History of being an empowering and supportive manager for front‑line fundraisers.

Preferred Experience & Skills

• Consistent record of securing 7‑ and 8‑figure gifts from a multifaceted portfolio of donors and prospects, including qualifying prospects and upgrading donors.
• Experience leading and directly supervising frontline fundraisers.
• Ability to lead, motivate, and develop a strong and complex team.
• Consistent record of developing blended and multi‑year funding opportunities.
• Outstanding communication skills (writing, listening, verbal presentation, and speaking).
• Creative donor strategy development in partnership with program staff or senior leadership.
• Adaptability to change in a fast‑paced work environment, maintaining donor priorities at the center of strategy and relationship building.
• Respectful and sensitive collaboration across internal teams, regardless of distance, to garner support and implement initiatives.
• Ability to identify, build, and implement processes vital to supporting effective donor relationships.
• Analytical and interpretive financial data skills.
• Proficiency in navigating CRM systems.
• Dedication to fundraising for international development, humanitarian, human rights, gender and racial equality, social justice, and U.S. immigrant communities.

Working Environment

Requires remote/flex‑time work.

Compensation

Pay Range: $135,000 – $160,000 for U.S.‑based candidates. Ranges are based on market, job type, internal equity, and budget; exact offers are calibrated by location, candidate experience, and skills relative to the requirements.

Professional Standards

All IRC workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. IRC upholds integrity, service, equality, and accountability, enforcing policies on safeguarding, conflicts of interest, fiscal integrity, and reporting wrongdoing and retaliation protection.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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