Cure Alzheimer's Fund Cure Alzheimer's Fund

OPEN POSITION: DIRECTOR OF PLANNED GIVING

PURPOSE STATEMENT

Cure Alzheimer’s Fund seeks an entrepreneurial, experienced, and relationship-driven Director of Planned Giving (Director) to both launch and lead its first comprehensive gift planning program and actively fundraise through the management of a dedicated portfolio of prospects and donors. At this pivotal moment—marked by the organization’s largest-ever $50 million gift—the Director will design the strategy, infrastructure, and engagement pathways that connect individual philanthropic vision with groundbreaking research and inspire legacy commitments. This is a unique opportunity for a seasoned gift planning professional to shape and grow a new program while driving results through personal fundraising efforts—ensuring that Cure Alzheimer’s Fund secures both immediate and long-term resources to accelerate research with the highest probability of preventing, slowing, and reversing Alzheimer’s disease.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Reporting to the Vice President, Development, the Director of Planned Giving will serve as both a frontline fundraiser and the architect of Cure Alzheimer’s Fund’s inaugural planned giving program. The Director will manage a portfolio of prospects and donors, cultivating relationships with individuals and their advisors to secure legacy commitments such as bequests, trusts, and gift annuities. At the same time, they will build the infrastructure, strategy, and marketing efforts that position planned giving as an integral and sustainable component of the organization’s overall development program.

The Director will facilitate planned gift acceptance and administration, design cultivation and stewardship initiatives, and collaborate with colleagues to ensure planned giving opportunities are fully integrated into donor strategies across the Development team. As the organization’s content expert on complex gifts and estate planning, the Director will lend strategic thought to colleagues while directly engaging donors in their own portfolio to advance their philanthropic vision.

Ideal candidates will bring a strong background in securing major gifts, excellent communication and organizational skills, and the ability to meet fundraising goals. The Director will be a true team player who has collaborative instincts, an inclination to integrate efforts, and the tolerance for ambiguity in a fast-paced research environment. They will have the ability to become a trusted source of information about Alzheimer’s disease research and a subject matter expert in complex gifts. The Director is expected to exhibit strong professional judgment and to exemplify the mission, core values and vision of Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.

RESPONSIBILITIES

FUNDRAISING

  • Manage a portfolio of planned giving donors and prospects.
  • Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward individuals for current and deferred gifts such as bequests, trusts, and gift annuities.
  • Work with donors and their financial advisors to process complex gifts, such as trusts, real estate, annuities and other deferred gifts, and ensure compliance with organizational policies and tax laws.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with philanthropic advisors, attorneys, wealth managers, and other professional influencers, as well as internal colleagues, to advance planned giving opportunities and serve as a trusted resource.
  • Promote, enhance, and increase membership within the Legacy Society (currently 1K+ members).
  • Develop a working knowledge of Cure Alzheimer’s Fund in general and funding priorities specifically to articulate a compelling case for support to all constituents.

PROGRAM STRATEGY & MARKETING

  • Take ownership of the planned giving program, working autonomously and collaboratively with teammates to develop innovative approaches, initiatives, and proposals that engage donors and increase planned gifts.
  • Develop, propose, and implement long- and short-term strategies for the planned giving program; establish program goals, assess existing efforts, and recommend new initiatives that align with the overall planned giving budget.
  • Design and implement recognition and stewardship programs for legacy donors to foster continued engagement and loyalty.
  • Design, propose, and collaborate on the execution of a planned giving marketing plan, including mailings, a website presence, and special events for key constituencies. This includes work with outside vendors and collaboration with the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund Marketing and Communications team.
  • Track and report on planned giving activity and metrics, maintaining accurate records in the donor database.
  • Utilize data-driven insights and metrics to evaluate the success of the planned giving program, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions to optimize performance and increase donor participation; drive short- and long-term strategic planning for the program.
  • Demonstrate a proactive mindset by continuously researching and staying informed about trends, best practices, and emerging opportunities in gift planning, applying this knowledge to enhance the program’s effectiveness.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred or relevant work experience.
  • Minimum of 10 years major and planned giving experience.
  • Strong interpersonal skills, high emotional intelligence, first-in-class customer service, strongknowledge of current planned giving trends and tax implications.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and CRM databases (Raiser’s Edge or Salesforce a plus), project management, and collaboration tools.
  • Superlative diplomatic and communication skills, including an ability to work and communicateeffectively with a broad spectrum of constituents (individual donors, business leaders, attorneys,and colleagues), across a broad range of cultural environments.
  • Ability to build and manage relationships with consultants and/or vendors and to interact with a variety of constituents across all levels of organization.
  • Ability to anticipate unexpected issues and needs and to react quickly, calmly, and confidently so as to instill trust and confidence.
  • Extraordinary attention to detail to successfully manage multiple simultaneous projects, priorities and deadlines of varying scale.
  • Capable of working independently and collaboratively with moderate supervision.
  • Ability and willingness to travel and hold a valid driver’s license as occasional evening, travel and weekend work is required.

ABOUT CURE ALZHEIMER’S FUND

Headquartered in Wellesley, MA with staff around the country, the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund team is comprised of mission-driven professionals who share a commitment to finding a cure. The Board of Directors, Trustees, and select donors support all operating expenses, allowing every general dollar raised to go directly to support research initiatives. With 30 full and part-time staff and more than 997 grants funded around the world, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund has contributed nearly $240,000,000 to Alzheimer’s research, with many projects resulting in breakthroughs that afford a deeper understanding of Alzheimer’s disease to get closer to a cure.

The vision for Cure Alzheimer’s Fund was set by our founders. Frustrated with the slow pace of research about the disease, they applied their experience in venture capital and corporate startups to build an organization specifically designed to accelerate research, make bold bets, and eradicate the disease. The organization’s unwavering focus on finding a cure is made possible by our Board of Directors, Trustees, and a core group of other donors who direct their donations to our overhead expenses so that 100% of general donations go to our research program.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Application Materials: submit your resume and cover letter to [email protected]
Location: Remote or hybrid; offices are in Wellesley, MA.
Salary: $140,000 to $180,000 depending on experience

Pearl Street Collective, the search firm with purpose, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Adele Mezher, Esmina Perdiew, Jiberly Sandoval, and Shari Berenson are leading the search. Pearl Street is an award-winning, retained executive search and talent strategy consultancy serving the nonprofit, education, and healthcare sectors. Led by a passionate group of professionals dedicated to redefining search for the mission-driven space, Pearl Street leads with radical empathy, active listening, and transparency. As trusted talent advisors, we leverage our deep industry knowledge and rigorous, process-driven approach to help our clients build high-performing leadership teams that realize meaningful and lasting impact in their communities. Pearl Street is recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms, featured in Hunt Scanlon’s top recruiter shortlists for Nonprofits and Higher Education, and named a Top Search Firm by Women of Color in Fundraising & Philanthropy for four consecutive years. Follow Pearl Street.

Alzheimer’s disease affects people from all backgrounds. Cure Alzheimer’s Fund similarly encourages applications from people of all backgrounds and will evaluate each applicant without regard to race, ethnicity, country of origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information (including family medical history), physical ability, or length of time spent unemployed. As a US-based foundation, we adhere to all US employment legal requirements. Unfortunately, we are unable to sponsor immigration applications or work visas.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact Pearl Street at [email protected] or 800-285-0464.