Head of Fundraising

Key Responsibilities

The Head of Fundraising will build the fundraising program from the ground up, with the goal of achieving $10-15 million annually within three years. Specific areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to:

Strategic Fundraising Program Development

• Design and oversee a comprehensive fundraising program and compelling case for support aimed at fostering consistent growth of Airbnb.org’s donor community.
• Re-energize and expand the existing $10K+ portfolio of donors, implementing a moves management process and identifying new prospects for engagement.
• Build the major gift strategy, including the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship cycles leading to gifts of $50,000+ to support Airbnb.org’s mission.
• Create a complementary institutional and foundation approach, including grant research, proposal writing, and reporting

Donor Cultivation and Solicitation

• Develop and execute tailored prospect strategies to drive successful cultivation, engagement, and solicitation efforts, guiding prospects through appropriate giving levels.
• Manage a portfolio of major donors.
• Develop a prospect research function to identify new donor prospects and opportunities for increased giving from existing donors.

Donor Engagement Experiences

• Create engaging experiences to educate and inspire major gifts donors and prospects, utilizing impactful storytelling through various communication channels, platforms, and events.
• Organize and manage fundraising and “friendraising” events, ensuring seamless execution and effective follow-up strategies.

Campaign Planning and Execution

• With the support of the marketing and design teams, lead the planning and execution of Annual Fund and Emergency Response campaigns, overseeing all aspects from design to donor reporting, including the annual report and other materials.

Budget Oversight and Reporting

• Collaborate with the Executive Director to develop and monitor budgets for fundraising activities, producing internal, board, and external reports on goal projections and achievements.
• Direct a Salesforce administrator to adapt our CRM for prospect and donor use cases. Oversee and advise on Salesforce design requirements to capture accurate, comprehensive, and relevant data that will inform fundraising strategies and donor interactions.
• Partner with the marketing and creative teams to develop compelling reporting for donors and an annual report.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

• Commit to promoting and supporting an environment of equity, diversity, and inclusion within all aspects of fundraising activities, donor engagement efforts, and building out the fundraising team.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate for the first-ever Head of Fundraising for Airbnb.org has been successful as a frontline fundraiser and leader of high-performing teams. This role requires an entrepreneurial spirit and start-up mentality to build the fundraising program from the ground up. We are looking for candidates with a track record of cultivating and closing six and seven figure gifts. 

Leadership experience is essential as the Head of Fundraising will be a key member of the leadership team and responsible for building and managing a dedicated fundraising team.

Strong candidates will excel at articulating funding opportunities clearly and effectively to potential donors, leveraging partnerships, and expanding networks to support program growth. Experience creating campaigns to mobilize resources for urgent, immediate needs as well as those to build donor support for longer-term program activities will be crucial.

Leading with long-term strategic thinking complemented by strong execution skills, the right candidate thrives in dynamic, results oriented environments. Successful candidates must demonstrate the ability to establish a comprehensive fundraising strategy and build the operations, systems, and team needed to execute and scale the plan.

A deep understanding of the philanthropic landscape and evolving philanthropic trends, along with best practices in donor cultivation and engagement, and prospect research is expected. The Head of Fundraising must be a skilled presenter who can effectively lead discussions with the Board and other high-level stakeholders.

Summary of Qualifications

• Experience: Minimum 10+ years demonstrated experience in development and major gifts fundraising, with a proven track record of cultivating and closing six- and seven-figure gifts, and building an operation and team from scratch.
• Leadership: Proven success in frontline fundraising and supervising fundraising teams, with the ability to scale up teams and systems for optimal performance. Experience managing and developing a team.
• Strategy: Long-term strategic thinking complemented by strong execution skills in a dynamic, results-oriented environment.
• Communication: Outstanding written and verbal communication skills to effectively convey the mission of Airbnb.org to diverse stakeholders.
• Relationship Building: Proven ability to build strong relationships and influence business leaders, fostering collaboration and support for fundraising initiatives.
• Analytical: Proficiency in research, analysis, and database navigation, with a strong working knowledge of Salesforce preferred.
• Flexible: Willingness to travel frequently and work evenings and weekends as needed to meet donor engagement and fundraising goals.
• Location: Because a high percentage of prospects will be in the San Francisco area, there is a strong preference for a candidate in the Bay area who is familiar with Silicon Valley donors.