Welcome to The Foundation's employment opportunities page.
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is the region's largest grantmaker and permanent charitable endowment.
The Community Foundation’s mission is to inspire, support, inform, listen to and collaborate with the people and organizations in Greater New Haven to build an ever more connected, inclusive, equitable and philanthropic community.
As an organization committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, The Community Foundation seeks applicants from all backgrounds to ensure we get the best, most creative talent on our team.
When employment opportunities are available at The Community Foundation and/or the Valley Community Foundation, they will be listed below.
Title: Director of Charitable Planning
Department: Development and Foundation Communications
Reports to: Senior Director of Development & Donor Services
FLSA Status: Exempt
Salary Range: $120,000 - $135,000
Applications due by November 20, 2026
POSITION:
The Director of Charitable Planning is responsible for major fundraising as well as designing and implementing aspects of a comprehensive and ongoing development program. The emphasis is on relationship building with donors, prospects, volunteers and professional advisors in the areas of major gifts, endowment and planned giving. This position provides high-touch, strategic philanthropic advising to individuals and families, manages a portfolio of major gift and planned giving relationships, and identifies opportunities to establish new funds and secure current use and legacy gifts.
The Director will also lead the development of compelling messaging and marketing strategies to promote giving opportunities, planned giving and other charitable planning solutions, in close collaboration with Foundation Communications. The successful candidate will be a strategic, collaborative development professional with strong fundraising, organizational, communication, volunteer management and supervisory skills who is committed to delivering an exceptional donor experience and strengthening The Community Foundation’s role as a trusted philanthropic partner and community resource.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Cultivates, solicits, and secures gifts from donors.
- Ensures The Foundation’s mission is clearly articulated to current and potential donors to assure institutional integrity and donor intent.
- Demonstrates a full range of relationship building and development skills including prospect research, cultivation, solicitation and donor stewardship, with a focus on major and planned gifts.
- Manages a broad portfolio of major gift and planned giving prospects, donors, private foundations and professional advisors through the entire cycle of development.
- Develops and maintains relationships with Foundation volunteers and advisory groups and recruits, onboards and manages advisory groups and volunteer committees as appropriate to advance Foundation goals.
- Develops and implements outreach, messaging and marketing strategies that support donor engagement, and major and planned gift cultivation with multiple audiences, in collaboration with Foundation Communications.
- Provides strategic philanthropic advising to donors, prospects and professional advisors on charitable giving options, planned giving, endowment and other charitable options that align with donor intent.
- Maintains accurate and timely donor and prospect records, contact reports, pipeline opportunities and related activities in the donor database.
- Manages, mentors and guides professional development for assigned staff.
- Represents and serves as an ambassador for The Foundation at community events.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's Degree required.
- Advanced or professional degree, or CAP® designation preferred.
- Demonstrated experience managing a portfolio of major gift prospects and securing significant major and planned gifts.
- Minimum 8 years of progressive experience in major gift solicitation, or an equivalent combination of related experience.
- Community foundation knowledge a plus.
- Knowledge of the Greater New Haven philanthropic landscape a plus.
- Experience managing or supporting a comprehensive campaign, including donor engagement and solicitation, campaign operations, gift recording and tracking, and monitoring progress toward fundraising goals.
- Experience working with attorneys, financial advisors, accountants and other professional advisors on their clients’ charitable and planned giving strategies.
- Demonstrated ability to develop compelling donor-facing messaging, outreach and marketing strategies that inspire philanthropic engagement.
- High-touch relationship management style with the ability to build trust and navigate sensitive or complex donor conversations.
- Experience working with advisory groups and volunteer committees.
- Strong written and verbal communications skills.
- Demonstrated staff management and mentoring experience.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and donor databases.
- Experience with Raiser’s Edge NXT a plus.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Applicants should submit a resume and cover letter by email to Human_Resources@cfgnh.org (Human underscore Resources) with the subject line “Director of Charitable Planning” no later than November 20, 2026.
Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received, and the Foundation may begin conducting interviews before the deadline. To ensure full consideration, candidates are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible.
Please also indicate how you found this job posting.
No phone calls please.
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is an equal opportunity employer.
