Director of Planned Giving

Director of Planned Giving

STATUS: Full Time​
DIVISION: Institutional Advancement
REPORTS TO: Senior Director of Major Gifts and Donor Engagement 
SUPERVISES: N/A
FLSA STATUS: Exempt

 POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Director of Planned Giving is a senior fundraising role responsible for creating and advancing CCS’s planned giving program, building and managing a portfolio of major, planned, and leadership giving prospects, and leading the development, coordination, and administration of donor agreements, gift documentation, and memoranda of agreement. Reporting to the Senior Director of Major Gifts and Donor Engagement, the Director develops and implements planned giving strategies; identifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards prospective donors; and translates donor interests, funding intentions, and philanthropic conversations into clear, accurate, and documented gift commitments.

This position qualifies for CCS’ Remote Work Arrangement in accordance with College policy. Some travel, evenings and weekends are required.

POSITION ACCOUNTABILITIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTION

Planned Giving Program Development

• Design, implement, and advance a comprehensive planned giving program.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward planned giving prospects.
• Partner with Advancement colleagues to incorporate planned giving strategies into broader fundraising efforts.
• Serve as a resource on planned giving opportunities, donor intent, and legacy giving best practices.
• Maintain knowledge of current trends, charitable giving vehicles, and relevant legal and regulatory considerations that impact philanthropy and planned giving.

Pipeline Development

• Build and manage a portfolio of planned giving, leadership giving, and major gift prospects.
• Leverage planned giving conversations, constituent relationships, and engagement activities to uncover new philanthropic opportunities.
• Develop and execute strategies that move constituents from engagement to philanthropic investment.
• Develop and support engagement and philanthropic strategies that strengthen the donor pipeline.

Donor Agreements, Gift Documentation, and MOA Administration

• Oversee the development, review, approval, execution, and stewardship of donor-facing agreements and commitment documents, including gift, scholarship, endowment, and legacy agreements, MOAs, and other philanthropic documentation.
• Ensure donor intent, institutional priorities, funding purposes, stewardship expectations, and compliance requirements are accurately reflected in all documentation.
• Lead the development and maintenance of protocols, workflows, and recordkeeping practices related to donor agreements and philanthropic commitments, ensuring consistent execution and adherence to established procedures.
• Ensure accountability, stewardship, and institutional compliance through the effective management of donor agreements and supporting documentation.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of five to seven years of progressively responsible experience in philanthropy, advancement, higher education, administration, nonprofit leadership, constituent engagement, legal or contract administration, compliance, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success building, managing, and deepening relationships with institutional stakeholders.
• Experience developing, reviewing, coordinating, or managing formal agreements, commitments, or related documentation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex discussions into clear and effective documentation.
• Experience managing complex projects involving multiple interests, approvals, timelines, and competing priorities.
• Strong organizational and project management skills; emotional intelligence; sound judgment, discretion, and diplomacy; and exceptional attention to detail, particularly when working with donors, families, advisors, and institutional stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree or comparable legal training preferred.
• Experience in administration, higher education or philanthropy.
• Experience with fundraising, donor management, or constituent relationship management (CRM) systems.
• Familiarity with planned giving, legacy giving, estate gifts, or gift administration activities.
• Experience managing complex institutional processes involving compliance, documentation, agreements, risk management, confidentiality, and sound judgment.
• Experience designing and executing engagement programs that identify, qualify, cultivate, and advance prospective donors.
• Experience supporting scholarship funds, endowments, donor intent compliance, stewardship reporting, or other philanthropic administration functions.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to identify philanthropic opportunities and move relationships from engagement to commitment.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and stakeholder relationships simultaneously.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and project-management skills.
• Ability to work effectively across departments and with diverse constituencies.
• Demonstrated professional judgment and emotional intelligence when managing sensitive conversations, complex relationships, competing interests, and institutional priorities.
• Commitment to collaboration, service, accountability, and thoughtful relationship management.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion in handling sensitive donor and institutional information.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This job operates in a professional office and college campus environment.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. The employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions.