Founders Circle Director

Description

Book Harvest—an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to providing books for every child, support for every parent, and literacy for every community—is seeking a Founders Circle Director to join our External Relations Team.

Salary and Benefits: Thisis a full-time exempt position. The salary range for this position is $87,100 to $105,000, commensurate with experience. Book Harvest employs an experience-based pay model with predefined salary ranges and annual opportunities for salary growth. Salaries are determined exclusively by years of relevant experience. Book Harvest does not inquire about prior earnings nor negotiate salary offers as part of our commitment to pay equity.

Benefits include 100% employer-sponsored, silver-level health care and short-term disability insurance, elective dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) with a 3% contribution, generous PTO, paid family leave, professional development funds, a flexible work schedule, a purposeful workplace culture, and more.

Our Process: We will begin by reviewing all submitted materials. All candidates should submit a resume and a cover letter addressed to the hiring manager, Connor Kirkpatrick, National Director of Advancement. Selected candidates will be invited to an initial phone interview, followed by a first-round interview. Finalists will then be asked to complete a work sample and participate in a final interview.

Priority Deadline:April 12th, 2026. Applications received after this date are not guaranteed a review.

We believe those who are affected most by literacy injustice must be centered in the work that we do, inside and out. We prioritize applications from individuals who have lived experiences of our programs or who come from the communities we serve, and we strongly encourage applications from candidates who identify as Black, Latinx, Indigenous or as a Person of Color; people with lived experience of poverty; LGBTQ+ individuals; people with disabilities; and others who may not have seen themselves reflected in books and stories as a child.

Position Overview

Book Harvest seeks an exceptional Founders Circle Director to lead and grow our major gifts program, with a special emphasis on individual and family philanthropy. The person who fills this pivotal role will cultivate and steward relationships with donors capable of making transformative investments in our mission to ensure every child has the ability to build an abundant home library and the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential.

In 2025, Book Harvest secured 27 major donors, raising over $3.1M from gifts of $10,000 or more. This role will strategically scale Book Harvest’s portfolio of individual and family philanthropies to $3.9M+ by December 2027 and secure 20-30% of Book Harvest’s annual revenue. The Founders Circle Director will have the unique opportunity to build on the fall 2025 launch of the Founders Circle, a cornerstone of this growth strategy.

This hybrid role allows for flexibility. Approximately 90%+ of the existing portfolio of major donors live near our Durham, NC office (2501 University Drive), so in-person visits in the community and meetings with donors and partners in this region are required. While primarily a Monday–Friday schedule, this position will require some evening and weekend commitments, as well as travel, to engage with our network of supporters.

Reporting to the National Director of Advancement and collaborating closely with the CEO, Book Harvest Durham Executive Director, and Chief External Relations Officer, the Founders Circle Director will help ensure Book Harvest’s mission is powered by bold, sustainable philanthropy, with the expectations for the role detailed below.

Responsibilities

Relationship Building and Donor Engagement

At the heart of this role is the opportunity to foster authentic, ongoing partnerships with donors aligned with Book Harvest’s mission. By prioritizing trust, shared purpose, and meaningful connection, you will inspire philanthropy that galvanizes book ownership and home libraries.

• Cultivate, steward, and grow the Founders Circle, Book Harvest’s signature major gifts program, through personalized engagement that reflects donors’ values and philanthropic goals.
• Design custom donor journeys that create opportunities for them to witness the transformative impact of their support.
• Collaborate with leadership, board members, and colleagues to plan visits and experiences that inspire deeper connections and investments.
• Develop and deliver on an annual calendar of touchpoints with major donors and major donor prospects.
• Be poised to deliver excellent and responsive customer service to every donor, all the time. Exceed expectations.

Vision and Strategy

The Founders Circle Director’s expertise and creativity will guide the growth of individual giving, ensuring it aligns with Book Harvest’s mission and long-term goals. The person in this role will:

• Shape strategies that inspire donors and build momentum for lasting impact.
• Identify and connect with prospective donors who align with Book Harvest’s mission, leveraging research and thoughtful discovery to foster new partnerships.
• Develop and implement a strategy to grow major individual gifts by $1M+ annually by the end of 2027, with benchmarks for financial and relationship milestones.
• Conduct regular analysis of donor trends to inform strategies and strengthen engagement.
• Collaborate with the National Director of Advancement to build a comprehensive plan for stewardship, solicitations, and engagement opportunities, translating efforts into clear forecasts.

Operational Excellence

Behind every exceptional donor experience is a foundation of thoughtful planning and meticulous record-keeping. The Founders Circle Director will help ensure Book Harvest’s operations reflect the same care and attention as our donor relationships, and will:

• Maintain detailed, timely records of donor communications in Book Harvest’s database, Virtuous.
• Support donor acknowledgment efforts, including personalized thank-you letters and stewardship touchpoints.
• Collaborate with the National Director of Advancement to manage donor communication schedules and ensure smooth internal processes.

Collaboration and Professional Growth

The Founders Circle Director will be a valued team member who will contribute to Book Harvest's overall success while also growing professionally. This person will provide insights and expertise that will shape fundraising efforts, organizational culture, and innovation, and will:

• Actively participate in all-staff meetings, retreats, and other internal gatherings.
• Observe key Book Harvest programs and work with program leaders to tell the story of Book Harvest’s impact.
• Pursue professional development opportunities to grow skills and knowledge in fundraising and philanthropy.

Requirements

Qualifications

The ideal candidate demonstrates experience in all of the following areas. However, we recognize that talent comes from many backgrounds and experiences, and we encourage you to apply whether or not you meet all the qualifications:

Role Specific Qualifications

• Fundraising Expertise: 10+ years of nonprofit fundraising experience, with a proven track record of securing and sustaining five- and six-figure individual gifts.
• Relationship Building: Exceptional ability to build authentic, trust-based partnerships with donors, board members, and community leaders.
• Strategic Vision: Experience designing and executing fundraising plans that align with organizational goals and values.
• Communication Skills: Superior written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate through storytelling.
• Technical Proficiency: Familiarity with donor database systems (Virtuous or similar) and strong Google Suite and Microsoft Office skills.

Core Competencies (L4):

• Integrity: Establishes organizational policy and compliance standards for their entire department and area of influence, acting as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on high-stakes ethical dilemmas.
• Emotional Intelligence: Models profound self-awareness and situational judgment, skillfully influencing complex group dynamics and inspiring resilience through significant organizational change.
• Self-Development: Cultivates a robust learning culture within their department, driving thought leadership and actively leveraging diverse perspectives for exponential growth.
• DEBI: Institutionalizes equitable practices across departmental policy and talent strategies, ensuring DEBI goals are integrated into core business metrics and advocating for broad organizational impact.
• Communication: Articulates departmental strategy and goals to executive leadership and key external stakeholders, persuasively influencing pivotal funding or partnership decisions.
• Teamwork: Builds and leads exceptionally high-performing cross-functional teams, orchestrating deep collaboration and adeptly resolving high-stakes conflicts that impact departmental success.
• Time and Project Management: Strategically directs multiple complex project portfolios, ensuring seamless alignment with organizational priorities and delivering significant, measurable results.
• Decision-Making: Makes critical, high-stakes decisions with broad organizational impact, rigorously assessing complex risks and developing innovative, long-term solutions.
• Agility: Leads and champions significant organizational transformation within their domain, systematically identifying market shifts and strategically positioning the organization for enduring adaptability.
• Strategic Thinking: Develops and articulates comprehensive departmental strategies, demonstrating foresight and translating complex insights into actionable, long-term plans.