About MSF-USA | Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian organization providing medical care to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care in over 70 countries. We were formed in France in 1971 as an association by a group of doctors and journalists to go to emergency situations and to treat patients with dignity while bearing witness independently of geopolitical boundaries. MSF is now a global movement of more than 25 MSF organizations, working in over 70 countries. We cooperate as an international, independent, medical humanitarian association that offers medical assistance to populations in distress, victims of natural or manmade disasters, and civilian victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, age, gender/sex, national or ethnic origin, color, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or political affiliation and provides assistance to the population in distress and intervenes worldwide. MSF staff also “bear witness” by speaking out about our work and what is experienced on the ground, not only to draw the world’s attention to crises, but to stand in solidarity with our patients and colleagues who are experiencing these emergencies firsthand.

We welcome candidates who bring a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us in working toward MSF’s social mission.

About the Development Department

Our dynamic development department is responsible for raising over $650 million annually to support the medical mission of the organization. The planned giving unit is responsible for securing over $140 million in 2023 from donors who have included MSF in their estate plans. The planned giving team at MSF-USA works to inspire Americans to engage with and contribute to MSF-USA through their estate plans. The planned giving team is charged with growing our long-term planned giving revenue from individual donors through securing gifts from wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, charitable gift annuities, and other giving vehicles.

About the Project

ROLE OVERVIEW

Director of Planned Giving is responsible for the overall execution of the planned giving program at MSF-USA, which is estimated to bring in over $140 million in 2023 in support of the organization’s humanitarian mission. Reporting to the Director of Philanthropy, this front-facing role requires a high degree of industry knowledge, strategic thinking, and leadership with a focus on building relationships with donors, prospects, and professional advisors to further MSF-USA's financial longevity.

DEPARTMENT ACCOUNTABILITIES

This role includes identifying, developing, and managing a pipeline of donor prospects for legacy and gift planning as well as promoting a variety of other planned and legacy gift options.

The Director will lead the growth and development of a high-volume planned gift program. The successful candidate will lead the development and implementation of initiatives from ideation to execution while balancing an ability to develop meaningful connections with donors and manage a large team of high-performing individuals. They will work both independently and cooperatively with other high-touch team leads in midlevel and major gifts, development teammates, and professional advisors to build understanding and familiarity with planned gifts at MSF-USA.

Daily Activities & Responsibilities

ROLES SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES

Strategy for the Program

• Set the overall strategy and priorities for the comprehensive planned giving program, and develop short-term and long-term goals for marketing, legacy society engagement, and gift administration
• Provide the overall strategic vision for the planned giving program to grow MSF-USA’s long-term revenue pipeline from bequests, charitable gift annuities, trusts, and other complex planned gifts
• Work with the Director of Philanthropy and collaborate with the leadership of high touch and mass audience to deliver donor experience and portfolio aligned to priorities and direction of MSF-USA’s strategic vision
• Develop business practices for the planned giving team that ensures a best-in-class marketing, donor experience, and bequest administration
• Draft, project, and oversee the operating revenue raised by the planned giving team, in addition to the annual operating budget for planned giving

Donor Relationships:

• Manage donor-facing team members and work alongside them to build meaningful relationships, prioritize and develop a portfolio, while cultivating and stewarding planned giving prospect and donors
• Identify and build a portfolio of prospects and donors that she/he/they will serve as the main relationship manager, soliciting and renewing planned, blended, and annual gifts as needed, and continuing their engagement and understanding of MSF-USA’s mission

• Develop annual cultivation and stewardship strategy for donors that have made planned gifts to MSF-USA, ensuring that MSF remains top of mind and in their legacy plans
• Collaborate with high-touch audience teams, including major gifts and midlevel relationship managers, to successfully secure blended and planned giving asks
• Travel, as necessary, to visit top planned giving donors and prospects, to develop meaningful connections with individual donors, family members, and advisors

Legacy Society:

• Mature and grow MSF-USA’s legacy society, ensuring that members remain informed and engaged about MSF-USA’s work
• Create a centralized cultivation and stewardship plan for the legacy society, ensuring members understand the future impact of their commitments to the mission
• Oversee development of an array of communication touchpoints through mail, email, web, and other channels to engage legacy members, as well as develop collateral, material, and presentations
• Ensure legacy society experience is tailored to the donor’s preferences and interests through
• appropriate segmentation and communication Grow the annual income from legacy society members by leveraging direct asks and/or solicitations to the group
• Create and execute in-person engagement opportunities that include, but not limited to; luncheons, prospect and stewardship events and visits from field staff

Prospects & Marketing;

• Partner with Integrated Channel Marketing Team to develop an annual marketing plan across mail, digital, email, web, and other channels to engage planned giving prospects, highlight ways of making planned giving to MSF-USA
• Partner with the prospect research, data & analytics, and marketing research teams to identify planned giving prospects in NPSP, understand trends, and develop segments that feed into the strategy for engaging mass, mid, and major gifts audiences
• Oversee the Marketing Manager and support their collaboration with internal teams and external vendors to create marketing materials/campaign strategies

Planned Gift Administration:

• Oversee a best-in-class bequest administration, including but not limited to timely closing of estates, and supporting the Associate Director in troubleshooting complex trusts and contested estates.
•  Ensure and enable a growing Charitable Gift Annuity program, as well as determine the growth of other giving vehicles such as charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, etc.
• Mature and implement MSF-USA’s planned giving policies and procedures as needed, working in conjunction with general counsel office, finance staff, senior management, and board members.

Leadership

• Lead by example for all members of the planned giving team, modeling the values and polices of MSF-USA, and helping further a culture of philanthropy in the organization
• Maintain the level of expertise regarding trends, industry standards around ways of making a planned gift, while supporting and encouraging professional development for all team members. This includes engagement and participation in national or local planned giving groups and professional networks.
• Ensure the team’s comfort, understanding and deployment of federal and state tax laws and regulations as it relates to lifetime and planned gifts
• Responsible for serving as a resource, mentor, and trainer about planned giving to high-touch audience team members, to ensure that major and midlevel relationship managers understand and can effectively discuss planned gifts with donors.
• Key member of the high-touch audience leadership team
• Champion a culture of philanthropy and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging across MSF
• Lead a team that is mission-centered, accountable, and mutually supportive

Background Preferred

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Required

• Completion of a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of ten years of experience in planned giving, fundraising, financial planning, or related fields; with history of soliciting and closing planned gifts
• Demonstrated success leading a multi-channel marketing program that includes mail and digital campaigns;
• Ability to understand and explain complex tax, financial and estate planning concepts, and to convey this to donors, advisors, and family members in an easy to comprehend manner;
• Possess verbal, listening and written skills to convey the mission, work, and values of MSF-USA and to explain to a donor how their legacy commitment is impactful to the work of MSF-USA;
• History of leading and motivating a team to success, collaborating with peers and other teams to expand understanding and deployment of planned giving for an organization, and inspiring and achieving growth 

Preferred:  

• Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP), Certified Specialist in Planned Giving (CSPG), Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) and/or other relevant certifications are a plus.

Expected to work in a hybrid  work environment with the ability to come into either the NYC office or regional hub (Washington, DC or Bay Area, California) a minimum of 2 times a week.

We offer a generous comprehensive benefits package inclusive of Wellness initiatives to support a healthy work life balance

Application Deadline: Open Until Filled

No phone calls or emails please. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted

Our staff works a hybrid schedule of two days a week in the office, three days remote. The required days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays from January to June and  September to December.

In office work attendance during July and August is optional.

Your Safety Matters: Vaccination and booster against COVID-19 is a requirement at MSF - USA.

Equal Employment Opportunity and Non-Discrimination

MSF-USA is committed to building a diverse, unbiased, and inclusive workforce. MSF- USA is an equal opportunity employer; we recruit, hire, train, promote, develop, and provide other conditions of employment without regard to a person’s gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences consistent with applicable laws. This includes providing reasonable accommodation for disabilities, or religious beliefs and practices. Members of communities historically underrepresented in the Humanitarian Aid sector are encouraged to apply.

If you have a disability of some kind and are interested in applying for employment and need special accommodations to use our website to apply for a position, please contact Human Resources by emailing us: employment.msfusa@newyork.msf.org.

Reasonable accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. 

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Type

HQ  

Pay Class & Contract Type

Regular FT Salaried Exempt 

Compensation

Starting salary $131,800.24 to $139,900.02 (commensurate with experience)

Working Time (Hours Per Week)

35