About this Senior Philanthropy Officer role at Evidence Action

Evidence Action · Remote · San Francisco, California, United States

About Evidence Action

At Evidence Action, we deliver data-driven interventions that transform lives at an unprecedented scale. We identify neglected global health issues and deploy proven solutions, forging healthier futures for generations.

Our model operationalizes leading academic research (including from Nobel-winning economists). We measure progress and outcomes at every stage to ensure we’re making a real impact for people living in poverty and suffering from preventable or treatable health issues. Operating across 11 countries, our team of 900+ has reached over 500 million people, working closely with governments to scale these interventions.

Our Deworm the World program has delivered over 2 billion treatments, significantly reducing worm prevalence and generating more than $23 billion in lifetime productivity gains.
Through Safe Water Now, we’ve saved the lives of over 15,000 children.
Our Accelerator explores untapped opportunities in global health, testing low-cost interventions with the greatest potential to save and improve lives.

At Evidence Action, your colleagues are your greatest asset. You'll partner with high-caliber colleagues in an environment blending innovation, autonomy, and teamwork. Our team excels in disruptive thinking and believes in rolling up our sleeves to get things done. If you're looking to work flexibly and with purpose, join a team that delivers measurable change for millions.

The Role

Evidence Action is seeking a Senior Philanthropy Officer to lead major and principal gift fundraising in the San Francisco Bay Area, securing gifts of $100,000 and above. This new position reports to the Associate Director of Philanthropy and joins a small, high-performing Growth team that has significantly increased new major donor acquisition over the past two years. Specifically, the Senior Philanthropy Officer will:

Responsibilities:

Build Evidence Action’s presence and donor pipeline in the Bay Area and tech community

Lead acquisition of new major and principal donors, identifying, cultivating, and closing six- and seven-figure gifts from individuals and families.
Build a network of philanthropic advisors, wealth managers, donor networks, and other connectors who can introduce Evidence Action to new prospects.
Partner closely with the CEO, who is based in the Bay Area, and other executive leaders on cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
Represent Evidence Action at donor meetings, events, and gatherings across the Bay Area, including on short notice.
Test new approaches to donor engagement, such as small donor gatherings, collaborative pledges, and peer-to-peer giving, and help shape Evidence Action’s strategy for Bay Area and tech philanthropy.

Manage and grow a portfolio of major and principal donors

Manage a portfolio of existing major donors, developing individualized strategies to retain donors and grow their giving over time, including upgrades to transformational gifts, and building toward a portfolio of 50–75 donors.
Solicit and steward gifts made directly and through donor-advised funds and family foundations.
Bring program staff into donor conversations where their expertise can deepen relationships.
Write proposals, impact reports, and briefing materials that tell Evidence Action’s story clearly to sophisticated, results-oriented donors.

Use data and AI to drive results

Partner with Evidence Action’s prospect research team to identify and prioritize high-capacity prospects using wealth screening tools (e.g., iWave) and AI-powered research.
Set and track pipeline, acquisition, and revenue goals using Salesforce KPIs and activity dashboards.
Adopt and experiment with AI-powered tools and emerging technologies to work more efficiently and effectively.
Maintain complete and accurate records of donor activity and moves management in Salesforce.

Requirements

An experienced major gifts fundraiser. You bring 8+ years of experience in fundraising, business development, or a related field, including at least 3 years managing donor relationships directly. You have closed six-figure gifts or have a strong track record of upgrading donors and asking for transformational gifts.

A proactive relationship builder who grows new pipelines. You have built your own pipeline of new donors through networking, introductions, and prospecting, and you enjoy the work of finding and engaging new supporters. Demonstrated success acquiring new donors is a must.
A trusted partner to high-net-worth donors. You engage confidently with founders, executives, and philanthropists, and you earn the trust of donors who expect rigor and results. Private sector experience in sales or business development with C-suite clients is also valued.
An independent, entrepreneurial self-starter. You work well with autonomy, bring fresh ideas, and adapt your approach as you learn. You thrive on a small, collaborative team in a growing organization.
A strong, versatile communicator. You write and speak clearly and persuasively, and you can translate complex global health programs into a compelling case for giving.
A data-driven fundraiser. You use data to make decisions, set priorities, and measure progress, and you are comfortable working with KPIs, dashboards, and goals. You manage a large portfolio with discipline and use CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) to maintain strong follow-through. You are curious about AI tools and eager to put them to work.
A values-driven team member committed to global health. You believe in evidence-based, cost-effective giving and are motivated by connecting donors with work that saves and improves millions of lives.

Location

This position is remote with a strong preference for the San Francisco Bay Area, though the role is open to those based anywhere across the West Coast. Travel within and to the Bay Area can range between 25-40%. Travel (beyond the SF Bay Area) is expected up to 10% of the time for relevant donor meetings, conferences, and team gatherings.

We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of a U.S. employment visa at this time. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. for roles based in the U.S.

Benefits

The expected role range for this US position is listed below. We consider multiple factors when determining the base salary for a role, including but not limited to: role scope, program budgets, internal equity, and a candidate’s qualifications and/or prior experience.

Note: Pay and benefits will be commensurate with the role specifications, local statutory requirements, and the cost of labor in the markets where we operate.

The expected pay range for this full-time role is $130,000 - $150,000 per year.

For US based roles, Evidence Action provides comprehensive benefits including international health care, HSA/FSA options, life insurance, disability coverage, retirement plans with a matching component, generous and flexible leave options, as well as other employee perks on a reimbursement basis. For more information visit our careers page or ask our recruiting team!

Evidence Action is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to diversity. All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply.

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About Evidence Action

We do development differently.

Evidence Action is a global nonprofit organization with an approach distinctive in international development – we exclusively scale interventions that are backed by strong evidence and can be delivered with exceptional cost-effectiveness. We take a data-driven approach to identifying and scaling interventions which deliver outsized impact for the hundreds of millions of impoverished individuals who are our clients. We deploy deep expertise in building for scale, coupled with a focus on rigorous measurement and continuous program improvement, to ensure these solutions measurably improve the lives of millions.

We deliver tremendous impact.

Our programs – in health, nutrition, and safe water – have grown since our founding in 2013 to reach over 280 million people annually. Our Deworm the World Initiative has helped governments across Asia and Africa deliver over 1.3 billion childhood deworming treatments – which have been shown to increase long-term income by 13%. This places deworming among the most cost-effective income generation programs in the world, as ranked by charity evaluators such as GiveWell and The Life You Can Save. Our Dispensers for Safe Water program provides sustained safe water access to over 4 million people in rural Kenya, Uganda, and Malawi. Our last-mile delivery network services communities through a free-to-use, human-centric design that increases usage over 5 times that of traditional water treatment options, preventing childhood illness and deaths caused by unsafe water. Dispensers for Safe Water has been recognized by Charity Navigator for its high cost-effectiveness, by Expo2020 as one of only 25 Global Best Practice Programmes, and a chlorine dispenser now resides in the Nobel Museum, selected by 2019 Nobel laureate Michael Kremer – whose work was integral to the program’s development.

We drive innovation.

Evidence Action’s Accelerator builds the next generation of exceptional programs, taking an approach most similar to a venture capital model. We thoughtfully advance promising new programs through a rigorous, 6 stage process – from desk research to testing at large scale. We are ruthless in exiting programs which do not meet our criteria on scalability, evidence of impact, and cost-effectiveness, ensuring that the programs that do advance deliver outsized impact for millions of people.

We are global.

Over 400 individuals work on our programs across eight countries – Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda, India, and the United States, including both Evidence Action staff and close partners. We are united by a tremendous passion for our mission and the impact that together we create. We are strong because of our diversity of experience, geography, and background – with over 90% of our people in the countries where our impact is focused. This spirit, and our culture, are guided by a set of core values that underpin our work. These values embody our focus on evidence, urgency, iteration, and incessance in our search for solutions.

We have big ambitions.

Our goal is to double our impact by 2024, to fulfill our vision of a world where hundreds of millions of people in the poorest places have better opportunities and their lives are measurably improved. We believe in bold and urgent action – because poverty doesn’t wait, and neither should we.

We need great people.

Our success to date is due to the collective work of our amazing staff. To achieve our ambitious goals, we need to grow our team. We are looking for people who share our passion for following the evidence, seeking cost-effective ways of working, and operating at scale. We seek individuals who take an entrepreneurial approach, enjoy tackling hard problems, and iterate to achieve the best solutions – and know that people with these skills come from many professional backgrounds.

If our vision and approach excite you as much as it does us, we invite you to join us.

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