Associate VP, High Impact Philanthropy

’ mission and dedicated to supporting our worldwide team that is improving the lives of 50 million people in more than 35 countries.

Private sector revenue is playing an increasing role at Mercy Corps, and it is critical we build a strong culture of private-sector philanthropy amongst individual donors. The High Impact Philanthropy (HIP) team raises funds from and manages Mercy Corps’ relationships with high-net-worth individual philanthropists and family foundations. The HIP team oversees the full scope of the HWNI pipeline—from high-capacity mid-level supporters to major and principal philanthropists and planned giving benefactors—building relationships to unlock transformative capital and grow Mercy Corps’ community of support. The team operates under the strategic leadership of the Chief Development Officer and is composed of team members who work directly with donors (relationship managers), manage planned giving, and support fundraisers with research and account management. General Position SummaryThe Associate VP of HIP is a key leader within Mercy Corps, charged with leading and managing a high growth potential team and scaling private sector revenue. The Associate VP will partner with the Chief Development Officer to diversify Mercy Corps’ revenue base by increasing private giving from major and principal individual donors in the US and in the UK. The portfolio spans Principal Gifts ($250k+), Major Gifts ($10k+), Leadership Giving (high potential $5k+), and Planned Giving. Essential Job Responsibilities STRATEGY

• Sets high level strategy to position Mercy Corps for significant revenue growth from private individual philanthropy.
• Develop and oversee the execution of a planned giving growth strategy and integration across all donor life cycles.
• Lead the development and implementation of Mercy Corps’ HIP strategy, focusing on growing the individual giving portfolio in the US and Europe to increase unrestricted revenue year-over-year.
• Responsible for advising on revenue goals, bi-annual revenue forecasting, and establishing Key Performance Indicators to guide the team in meeting its revenue growth targets. Establish annual goals, performance indicators, and revenue forecasts in coordination with Development Operations; prepare and manage the HIP operating budget, recommending resource allocations for future growth.
  • As a team leader within the Development department, articulate the needs and opportunities within the portfolio and contribute to the development of cross-team strategies and plans. TEAM MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION
    • Inspire and coach a team of frontline fundraisers to meet and exceed revenue goals
    • Supervise, coach, and evaluate a team of direct and indirect reports. Set up accountability and performance management systems to ensure that all team members are meeting goals and contributing to the overall strategy and revenue targets.
    • Supervise, hire and orient additional new team members as necessary.
    • Create a sustainable work environment of mutual respect that attracts motivated, skilled and effective team members and enables them individually and collectively to strive to achieve excellence.
    • Partner with the Director of Donor Communications and Engagement to ensure that donor communication and engagement supports team objectives.
    • Ensure strong collaboration with teams across the Development and MarComms Department.PORTFOLIO AND PIPELINE OVERSIGHT
      • Engage with Executive Leadership Team and Board members to cultivate and steward donors; serve as an internal expert on individual giving trends.
      • In addition, the Associate VP will manage a small portfolio of principal level Board Members, donors, and prospects.
      • Oversee moves-management systems, portfolio composition, and prospect research to provide best-in-class service for Mercy Corps’ supporters.
      • Maintain a personal portfolio of board members, principal donors and prospects, crafting individualized cultivation, solicitation and stewardship plans.
      • Set a standard for best-in-class relationship management and stewardship for the entire HIP team.
      • Build working relationships with program staff in order to identify restricted funding opportunities and also to gain access to programmatic information that can be used to steward donors.
      • Lead periodic overseas trips for key major donors, prospects and board members as part of a well thought out and planned cultivation – solicitation strategy. ANALYTICS / FORECASTING
        • Direct the Leadership and Major Gift qualification and donor pipeline process, including establishing criteria for joining and leaving various pools.
        • Work closely with the Senior Director of Development Operations to identify and monitor key metrics for fundraising performance and revenue forecasting.
        • Support the design and verification of reporting tools.
        • Stay abreast of key issues and trends in the international aid and development community, and communicate these to donors and prospects.
        • In partnership with the Senior Director of Development Operations, manage HIP revenue and expense forecasting.Supervisory ResponsibilitySupervise: Director of Principal Gifts, Director of Major Gifts, Senior Manager for Planned Giving, and Senior Account Manager, Manager of Major Gifts & Advised Funds (UK). 10 FTE on team, which will grow over time as revenue increases.Accountability: Reports Directly to Chief Development Officer Works Directly With: HIP Team, Development Team Leaders, Senior Director of Mass Market Engagement, members of the Executive Leadership Team, Office of the CEO, Director, Board Strategy & EngagementKnowledge and Experience
          • At least a Bachelor's degree.
          • Extensive leadership experience (10+ years) in development and fundraising, with a proven track record in shaping private sector strategy, driving board engagement, and securing principal gifts at the highest levels.
          • Proven ability to partner effectively with CEOs, C-Suite executives, and board leadership to design, execute, and sustain high-impact philanthropic initiatives.
          • Executive management expertise with the ability to inspire, lead, and hold senior team members accountable for ambitious goals in a collaborative and motivating manner.
          • Strong strategic and operational capability, with a track record of setting and achieving both short-term milestones and long-term transformational objectives.
          • Demonstrated success in architecting and leading philanthropy strategies for top organizational leadership, adapting approaches dynamically in response to performance metrics and evolving priorities.
          • Proven record of cultivating and closing major philanthropic commitments, including new business development with corporate and individual partners.
          • Significant experience in budget leadership—developing, managing, and optimizing multi-million-dollar budgets to maximize return on philanthropic investment.
          • Preferred: Leadership of large-scale capital or multi-year comprehensive campaigns, including designing giving pyramids, forecasting revenue, and overseeing campaign infrastructure.
          • Exceptional executive communication skills—able to influence, inspire, and engage diverse high-level stakeholders through compelling written, visual, and verbal communication.
          • Demonstrated capacity to work seamlessly as part of a senior leadership team while operating with a high degree of autonomy and decision-making authority.
          • Exemplary organizational discipline, with the ability to oversee complex, multi-workstream initiatives to successful completion.
          • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and advanced donor database management systems (Raiser’s Edge strongly preferred).

            Success FactorsThe successful candidate will be an exceptional manager of people and projects who is analytical, yet flexible; personable, yet firm. It will be critical to add constructively to a sense of team and shared goals, within the HIP and the overall Development team. Demonstrated strong team leadership skills and commitment to individual development. Strong communication skills and a commitment to inclusiveness and consensus-building. This person will demonstrate creativity and flexibility, as well as a proven ability to learn quickly and be accountable for results.

            📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

            ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

            Living Conditions / Environmental ConditionsThis position is based in the United States, with a preference for Seattle, Bay Area, or New York City. There will be travel required to key markets including Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C., and there may be international travel of 5-10 days/ two trips each year. Must be willing to drive; valid driver's license required.

            Ongoing LearningIn support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

            Team Engagement and Effectiveness Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

            Equal Employment OpportunityMercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

            Safeguarding & EthicsMercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

            As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. This is done following the conclusion of recruitment and prior to assuming full employment. Our screening process is designed to be transparent and completed in partnership with new Team Members. You will have the opportunity to disclose any prior convictions at the conclusion of the recruitment process before the check is initiated. We ask that you do not disclose any prior convictions in your application materials or during the recruitment process. As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected])