Director, Estate and Gift Planning

At the American Cancer Society, we're leading the fight for a world without cancer. Our employees and 1.5 million volunteers are raising the bar every single day. We actively seek candidates from diverse backgrounds including communities of color, the LGBTQ community, veterans, and people with disabilities. The greater the diversity of our people, the better we can serve our communities.

The people who work at the American Cancer Society focus their diverse talents on our lifesaving mission. It is a calling. And the people who answer it are fulfilled.

The Director, Estate and Gift Planning is a part of a team that generates one of the largest revenue sources for the American Cancer Society, Inc. (Society). The Director, Estate and Gift Planning builds, cultivates, and stewards relationships with planned giving prospects and donors as well as estate and financial planning professionals to secure and retain planned gifts that support the life-saving work of the organization.

Territory includes Connecticut, Rhode Island and Boston area.

This is a full-time remote opportunity which can be home-based in any of those locations.

Major Responsibilities

• Meet personally with prospects, donors, and professional advisors to share information and materials about the Society’s planned giving program as well as our life-saving program of work.
• Grow and manage a portfolio of qualified, active prospects through various stages of moves management (identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship).
• Attain annual targets for: personal visits with prospects, donors, and/or financial advisors; planned gift proposals delivered; and new planned gift commitments closed in support of the Society’s mission.
• Utilize Salesforce to track, qualify and report prospect, donor and advisor contacts and progression through stages of moves management.
• Actively collaborate with major gift (and other) colleagues to leverage opportunities to expand blended gift proposals and cultivate additional planned giving prospects.
• Remain current on various estate and gifting techniques/vehicles, applicable tax law, and charitable giving trends.
• Remain knowledgeable about the Society’s life-saving work in the areas of cancer research, patient support, prevention information/education, and detection and treatment.
• Model behavior that encourages collaboration with Society colleagues throughout the organization and is also consistent with the cultural beliefs and values of the Society.
  
  

FORMAL KNOWLEDGE:

• Bachelor’s degree and 3+ years' experience in nonprofit fundraising, or equivalent experience in nonprofit networking/relationship building.
• Planned giving and/or major gift experience preferred.
  
  

SPECIALIZED TRAINING OR KNOWLEDGE:

• Experience with planned giving software is preferred.
  
  

COMPETENCIES/SKILLS:

• Customer focus - Builds strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Strategic mindset - Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies.
• Action oriented - Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm
• Drives results - Consistently achieves results, even under tough circumstances.
• Interpersonal savvy - Relates openly and comfortably with diverse groups of people.
• Builds networks - Effectively builds formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization.
• Persuades - Uses compelling arguments to gain the support and commitment of others.
• Being resilient - Rebounds from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.
  
  

Other Skills:

• Candidate must exhibit strong judgment and the ability to maintain confidentiality
• Impeccable organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent oral and written communication skills as well as computer proficiency.
  
  

SPECIAL MENTAL OR PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Travel is required.
  
  

The American Cancer Society has adopted a vaccination policy that requires all staff, regardless of position or work location, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (except where prohibited by state law).

ACS provides staff a generous paid time off policy; medical, dental, retirement benefits, wellness programs, and professional development programs to enhance staff skills. Further details on our benefits can be found on our careers site at: jobs.cancer.org/benefits. We are a proud equal opportunity employer.