Vice President: Philanthropy – Southeast Region

About Opportunity International

Opportunity International is a global non-profit established in 1971 that equips people living in poverty with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school.  In 2024, Opportunity reached 21 million clients in 30 countries, partnering with 146 financial institutions to release $2.5B of capital to sustainably serve the financial needs of low-income populations. In 2024, Opportunity and its partners helped fund 19,000 schools that reached 3.4 million children and reached over 580,000 rural farmer households, using globally recognized and leading-edge digital innovation solutions.

Opportunity’s Vision is a world in which people have the opportunity to achieve a life free from poverty, with dignity and purpose, and Opportunity’s Mission is providing financial solutions and training to empower people living in poverty to transform their lives, their children’s futures, and their communities. Opportunity’s Motivation is to respond to Jesus Christ’s call to love and serve people living in poverty, seeking to emulate the Good Samaritan, whose compassion crossed ethnic groups and religions. Opportunity serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.

About the role

The Vice President, Philanthropy for Southeast Region, role supports the growth and mission of Opportunity International in serving those living in poverty worldwide. We are seeking an experienced principal gifts officer, titled Vice President, Philanthropy, to join our Philanthropy team. This senior-level fundraiser will identify, develop, and steward relationships with high and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families capable of making transformational gifts ($5M+). This role will place strong emphasis on building new relationships and developing funding partnerships.

Opportunity International is in an exciting growth mode, increasing revenues and broadening its major donor portfolio through unique, globally recognized solutions for people living in poverty worldwide. Coming off its last two 3-year Strategic Plans, Opportunity International is in the planning phase of its next 5-year Strategic Plan, which will feature rapid growth in client impact, fueled by aggressive revenue growth and cutting-edge technologies to reach more people, faster.

To succeed, the Vice President, Philanthropy must be dynamic and engaging, highly organized, goal-oriented, and proactive; using effective techniques and resources to present a clear and compelling case for supporting Opportunity International’s unique business model and transformative mission. The successful candidate will bring both relational depth and strategic skills, inviting donors to invest in work that has meaningful and eternal impact.

Responsibilities (Other duties may be assigned)

• Identify, build, and steward a small portfolio of 25–50 principal gift donors.
• Develop the portfolio to secure revenue of $5M or more by year three.
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward transformational gifts in alignment with organizational priorities.
• Engage donors in meaningful dialogue to align their philanthropic goals with transformative gifts within Opportunity, which include cash gifts, planned gifts, endowment gifts, estate gifts, and non-cash assets.
• Partner with senior leadership, the Board, and program teams to engage donors through tailored experiences, program visits, and personalized proposals.
• Ensure thoughtful stewardship and reporting that demonstrates impact and accountability.
• Serve as a trusted advisor, ensuring that donors experience transparency, accountability, and a deep connection to the mission.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of successful fundraising experience, including a record of securing 7- and 8-figure gifts and growing revenues year over year.
• Excellent financial understanding, including key financial statements.
• Holds a deep passion for and commitment to the mission, vision, and values of Opportunity International.
• Can articulate compelling reasons for supporting Opportunity International’s unique mission.
• Positivity; Strong relationship-building, communication, and storytelling skills with comfort in speaking and social engagements.
• Excellent communication skills with a persuasive ability, including strong written, verbal, and presentation skills
• Experience with and knowledge of all fundraising vehicles for both cash and noncash assets, such as endowments, DAFs, etc.
• Cross-cultural awareness and ability to work in diverse communities with respect and sensitivity.
• Ability to promote and communicate the organization’s goals and objectives to external and internal stakeholders.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

• Written and verbal fluency in English required. Additional language skills are desirable. 

TRAVEL REQUIREMENT

• Travel extensively (25–50%), including occasional international trips.

CHILD PROTECTION COMMITMENT Opportunity believes that all children have a right to protection from any form of abuse regardless of gender, culture, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Opportunity operates in line with international best practices for child protection and recognizes its responsibility to ensure that all employees meet this requirement. This policy applies to anyone acting on behalf of Opportunity or is involved in its programs in any capacity. All employees are subject to background checks, which include criminal checks and sex offender list checks, as allowed by local law.

APPOINTMENT TERMS

Locations considered:  Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas. (Candidates must have the right to work in the United States).

Contract length: Permanent

Compensation: $145,000 – $165,000 per annum.

EQUAL PAY & BENEFITS COMMITMENT

Opportunity International are dedicated to maintaining transparency and fairness in our hiring process. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant, along with the requirements of the position, and Opportunity International reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. For regular roles, Opportunity International offers medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D, disability, accident, critical illness, cancer, and pet insurance, identity theft protection, 403(b), and paid time off.

HOW TO APPLY

Closing date: 15^th February 2026

To apply please click ‘Apply Now’ above 

Candidates are kindly asked to submit a CV of no more than four (04) pages and a cover letter, preferably in MS Word. All application documents (cover letter and CV) should be submitted in English.

Should you require access to information in a different format to facilitate your application, please contact us via [email protected]

Please name your files as follows:

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Red Sea takes our responsibility towards protecting your personal data very seriously. The data you provide is processed in line with relevant data protection legislation. For the purposes of this recruitment, and as defined under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Red Sea is defined as the Data Controller.

Red Sea is committed to meeting the standards set out in our Equality and Diversity statement, acting in line with the UK Equalities Act 2010, and building an accurate picture of the make-up of the workforce in encouraging equality and diversity.