Strategic Philanthropy Director (Reproductive Healthcare - Remote)

Career Level: General Leadership

Salary Grade: 7

Travel: Up to 25%

Organizational Summary

Upstream USA is a fast-growing, national nonprofit committed to ensuring that equitable, patient-centered contraceptive care is made available to any patient and is fully integrated into the health system as part of basic health care. We envision a future where all patients are screened for their contraceptive needs and offered patient-centered contraceptive counseling that's free from bias, noncoercive, trauma-informed and delivered by knowledgeable providers and support staff following best medical practices and evidence-based guidelines. We believe all patients should be able to access the contraceptive service of their choice – when they want it and where it is convenient for them to get it.

We do this by partnering with healthcare organizations, providing them free training, education and technical assistance. Surveys from patients receiving care at Upstream-trained healthcare organizations consistently show that patients feel heard and respected, and are able to access the contraceptive method of their choice.

To meet the growing needs in our country, Upstream has launched a national expansion to transform contraceptive care in more than 700 healthcare organizations across the United States by 2030, reaching 5 million patients of reproductive age. Already, our work with more than 130 healthcare partners in nearly forty percent of the country helps integrate much needed contraceptive services across the spectrum of healthcare, including primary care practices.

Upstream is funded primarily through philanthropic individuals and foundations, and does not accept funding from pharmaceutical companies. Upstream's budget has grown from $1.7 million just six years ago to approximately $60 million in 2024. Upstream's work has also garnered attention from many leading publications including Harvard Public Health, Bloomberg, MedPage Today, and Politico.

Position Summary

Upstream is seeking an experienced Strategic Philanthropy Director responsible for planning and implementing strategies for acquisition, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of principal gift (7-figure+) investors to support Upstream's mission and expansion goals. This individual will be a key member of the Investor Relations team, reporting to the Senior Director, Investor Engagement.

This position will be responsible for a portfolio of ~30 principal investors and prospects and will contribute to a highly successful team. A successful candidate will be confident working both collaboratively and independently, have demonstrated success at building relationships that lead to increased giving, and experience managing up, down and sideways in a fast-paced environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Leads investor relations strategy for portfolio of $1M+ investors to Upstream in close partnership with Chief Development and External Affairs Officer, Senior Director, Investor Engagement, and peer Strategic Philanthropy Directors
• Manages a portfolio of 7-figure+ investors and prospects, overseeing strategy for cultivation, solicitation, renewal, and ongoing stewardship through a combination of staffing and/or leading in-person and virtual meetings, calls, and events along with a suite of written communications
• For assigned portfolio, develops investor relations communications strategy and manages strategic messaging in collaboration with cross-functional teams across the organization to support investor relationships, including (but not exclusively) reports, proposals, presentations, email updates, personalized outreach, etc.
• As the team grows and refines goals, it may assume management of front-line or support staff.
• Develops and tailors high-quality, high-touch executive communications on behalf of the CEO and Chief of Development and External Affairs
• Additional duties as assigned

Required Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Ability

Upstream celebrates and fosters an inclusive work environment and encourages people of all identities, perspectives and backgrounds to apply.

• 6-8+ years relationship management experience (development, fundraising, advancement, philanthropy, for-profit investor relations, or similar) with increasing levels of responsibility
• Proven track record successfully cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding principal gifts ($1,000,000+), ideally with campaign-type fundraising experience
• Experience or exposure to national impact strategies, such as political campaigns, national impact, start-ups, or philanthropy
• Enjoys coaching and managing others to high levels of performance and professional fulfillment
• Exceptional writing ability and capable of distilling complex content for sophisticated audiences into a variety of formats (talking points, presentation decks, grant reports/proposals, correspondence, etc.)
• Understanding of relationship management processes, pipelines, and tracking mechanisms within a CRM environment in service of managing investor relations pipelines
• Comfort in an internally facing role, working behind-the-scenes to advance relationships, as well as in the room with donors and prospects
• Skilled communicator and listener
• Adept at building relationships and influencing others; high "EQ"
• Exceptional project management ability with ability to manage multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstrated ability to operate with a high-degree of urgency, self-motivation, focus on goals, and commitment to high-quality work
• Keen attention to detail and ability to exercise discretion
• Commitment to Upstream's mission and to mission-driven work
• Awareness of the latest trends and industry practices in philanthropy, fundraising, and prospect research
• Ability to effectively deliver and receive both positive and constructive feedback
• Proficiency with Salesforce, Google, and Microsoft Suites
• Sense of humor - knows how to put the "fun" in fundraising

Other Upstream Staff Expectations

• Upstream USA's COVID-19 Vaccine Policy requires employees to have completed a COVID-19 vaccine primary series unless a medical or religious exemption is approved. As a condition of employment, newly hired employees must provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination or, if applicable, request a medical or religious exemption.
• All Upstreamers must also be able to attend work-related in-person meetings and functions as needed.
• In our hybrid work environments, there is a basic expectation that our Upstreamers will ensure that their work from home setups will have reliable access to phone and Internet to ensure connectivity to their teams.
• At Upstream we gather for moments that matter for training, teaming and connection. Our teams come together for occasional in person meetings and organizational retreats. As part of our hybrid work practices, this travel expectation will be applicable for all Upstreamers, even those based remotely.
• Engage in EDI learning & development, community engagement, and culture building activities up to 5% FTE (i.e., 2 work hours per 40 hour work week). Examples include attending trainings, conferences and summits, volunteering time, participating in local community events, mentoring and learning, participating in Communities of Belonging or Culture Council, developing language acquisition, learning universal design principles, and using professional development benefits for EDI topics, among other activities.

Attributes

The ideal candidate will embody and embrace our core values which serve as our operating principles:

• We keep our mission at the center; Upstream's mission is to ensure that equitable, patient-centered contraceptive care is basic healthcare.
• We trust each other; we are reliable, empathetic, compassionately direct, and confident in each others' ability to do the same
• We work every day to build an equitable, diverse and inclusive culture; we respect the backgrounds contexts and experiences of individuals, teams and partners in our interactions
• We bring joy to our work; we create opportunities to celebrate, connect and strengthen relationships with one another.

Travel Requirements

This role will require up to 25% of business travel. All Upstreamers can expect a minimum of 8 days of business travel per year to attend 1 annual organizational retreat and two annual team/department meetings.

Upstream Benefits

Upstream USA offers a comprehensive benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, long and short term disability, 401K with a match, generous vacation, personal, sick and holiday time off, parental leave, professional development, a fitness and cell phone allowance for all full time employees and part time employees who work a minimum of 24 hours per week.

Hiring Range

The hiring range for this role is $124,800 to $170,000. Final offers for this position will be based upon several factors including the scope of the role, market compensation analysis, position requirements, candidate's experience level and capabilities, specific candidate geographic location, internal pay equity considerations and will be made within the parameters of Upstream USA's compensation framework and philosophy.

Hiring Process

Candidates who advance in our preliminary review process will have an opportunity to discuss the position, their employment background and lived experience with a member of our talent acquisition team by telephone. Those who advance to subsequent steps in our interview process may participate in up to three rounds of meetings by Zoom or in person and in a thought exercise/case study assignment. Each round could consist of multiple meetings with various Upstreamers.

EDI Vision Statement

Internally, we envision promoting equity by reducing disparities in the Upstream talent lifecycle and engagement, cultivating a diverse workforce and inclusive culture, and fostering power sharing when we make decisions.

Through Equity, both in the workplace and in contraceptive care, we address root causes that enable disparities to occur, acknowledge that different resources and opportunities may be needed to reach fairer outcomes, and implement systems-level changes that are sustainable over time.

Through Diversity, we acknowledge, respect, and celebrate the collective mixture of differences and similarities of Upstreamers and our community partners. At Upstream, we value the diversity of identities at all intersections, while at the same time centering racial diversity.

 Through Inclusion, we succeed at creating a culture of belonging that embraces differences in identities and experiences by building trust, joy, and psychological safety. We cherish and elevate these differences through power-sharing in how things get done internally and in service of our mission.

Communities of Belonging

Serving as employee resource groups for Upstreamers, Communities of Belonging assist in advancing our equity, diversity, and inclusion journey. They assist in instilling organizational values in our work and support our EDI vision. Open to all employees, Communities of Belongingcreate opportunities for leadership development, community engagement, support, and resource mobilization.

Upstream Careers

At Upstream, we embrace diversity. We nurture it and we thrive on it because it benefits our organization, our partners, and our community. Our goal is to attract, develop and retain exceptional people, and to create a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. Upstream is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, genetic information, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know. Learn more about working at Upstream, our values, and our commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Upstream USA participates in E-Verify.

Upstream Headquarters

2 Oliver Street, Suite 402, Boston, MA 02109

www.upstream.org

No phone calls please.

Be advised that we do not ever conduct hiring interviews via text or email. Please protect yourself by learning more about our hiring practices and common red flags to look out for.