Director of Fundraising & Partnerships at National Association of Convenience Stores – Alexandria, Virginia

About the NACS Foundation:

The NACS Foundation is the 501(c)3 charitable arm of NACS, the industry association dedicated to advancing convenience and fuel retailing. In partnership with convenience retailers and suppliers, the NACS Foundation propels brighter futures by unifying and amplifying the philanthropic and charitable activities of the industry in communities across the United States. Its current pillars focus on supporting first responders and funding disaster relief, investing in education and career opportunities for future leaders, and fighting hunger and food insecurity. These efforts amplify the work already done by convenience retailers across the country who collect or contribute more than $1 billion annually to charitable causes and community groups.

The following represents a few of the NACS Foundation’s major impacts:

• Future Fund Pillar: Since inception, the NACS Foundation’s Future Fund Scholarship Program has awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships to the next generation of convenience store leaders, to help with tuition costs and keep the industry talent pipeline strong.
• Response Relief Pillar: Every July 24 (24/7 Day), the NACS Foundation unites more than 30,000 convenience stores across America in recognizing first responders, medical personnel and American Red Cross volunteers who work around the clock, 24/7, to serve our communities to ensure people don’t face emergencies alone. The annual event helps raise awareness and donations for the urgent humanitarian needs of the American Red Cross and spotlights our industry’s important role in supporting local heroes and the communities we serve.
• Neighborhood Nourish Pillar: This pillar addresses food insecurity through local food bank support, food recovery and national initiatives. In 2025, we rescued more than 110,000 pounds of food—equal to 100,000 meals—at the NACS Show in Chicago, IL, and packed meals for 10,000 families during our Leadership Forum event in Jacksonville, Florida.

Position Summary

The Director of Fundraising & Partnerships will play a pivotal role in advancing the mission of the NACS Foundation by designing and strategically leading and executing all fundraising initiatives and cultivating long-term relationships with major donors and corporate partners. This position is responsible for securing financial contributions and expanding philanthropic support from individuals, corporations, foundations, and federal and local government grants, directly supporting all the NACS Foundation’s signature programs and pillars—Response Relief, Future Fund, and Neighborhood Nourish—and expanding our reach in communities nationwide.

Scope of Responsibilities:

Developing and implementing annual plans and comprehensive fundraising strategies, including major gifts, corporate sponsorships, grants, and events to meet annual revenue goals and ensure the Foundation’s financial sustainability. Work closely with the Board of Advisors and relevant Committees to expand the organization’s donor network.

• Relationship Management: In partnership with the NACS Foundation’s Executive Director, identify, cultivate, and solicit and steward major gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations—building strong, sustained relationships and national sponsorship with key stakeholders.
• Partnership Building: Fostering strategic alliances and collaborations with community partners and businesses to drive support and expand the Foundation's impact and reach.
• Team Leadership: Leading, mentoring, and managing a team of fundraising professionals and volunteers on the NACS Foundation’s Fundraising Committee, fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability. Collaborate with the Fundraising Committee Chair to drive committee strategy, recruit new members, and increase engagement to help meet fundraising goals.
• Oversight and Evaluation: Overseeing the planning and execution of fundraising campaigns and events (including donor appreciation events and annual campaigns), managing our donor database, monitoring key performance metrics, analyzing data and trends to refine strategies, and regularly reporting on progress to executive leadership and the NACS Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
• Strategic Communication: Collaborate with the marketing team and key Foundation committees to develop compelling narratives, proposals, impact reports, appeals, donor. acknowledgement, presentations, giving campaigns and other communication materials to resonate with current and potential donors, and articulate the organization's mission and impact.
• Compliance: Ensuring all fundraising activities adhere to legal and ethical standards and reporting requirements.
• Support execution of the Foundation's "Top 25" major gift prospect strategy, including identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-value donor relationships.
• Support execution of the Foundation's "Top 25" major gift prospect strategy, including identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-value donor relationships.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, marketing, communications, or related field. Experience: Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in fundraising or development with national or multi-program nonprofits, with a proven track record of designing and executing successful campaigns, securing major gifts, cultivating donor relationships, and achieving significant revenue targets. Demonstrated success in corporate partnership development, sponsorship acquisition, and familiarity with donor-advised funds, matching gift programs, and workplace giving strategies.

• Leadership: Strong leadership and management skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams and collaborate effectively with executive leadership.
• Communication & Organization Skills: Exceptional written and verbal communication and presentation skills. Highly organized with strong attention to detail
• Strategic Thinking: Demonstrated ability to think strategically, solve problems, and adapt to changing circumstances in a fast-paced, start-up environment.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in fundraising and donor management software/CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, Blackbaud, ProTech, HubSpot), Microsoft Office Suite, data analysis, and digital platforms for fundraising.
• Networking: Strong networking abilities and an established network within the philanthropic or corporate community are a plus.
• Passion: A strong passion for the Foundation's mission and a commitment to making a positive impact in the communities we serve.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a hybrid or remote work environment.
• Proven ability to manage a fundraising portfolio with annual revenue targets of $500K–$1M+.
• Knowledge of or interest in the convenience & fuel retailing industry is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications:

• CFRE (Certified Fund-Raising Executive) certification.
• Experience with donor stewardship strategies and planned giving.
• Experience with public-private partnerships or cause marketing campaigns is desired.
• Experience with grant writing and foundation/corporate grant applications preferred, though not a primary function of this role.

NACS Culture

We hugely value, invest in and are devoted to the constructive culture that we’ve built and work on every day at NACS. Almost everything we do requires broad, multi-department collaboration to ideate and execute creative initiatives that deliver compelling value to our members and our industry. What that requires is a relatively flat organizational structure that empowers teammates at different levels from all departments to constructively engage and support each other. Titles really don’t matter in such an organization. What matters is a culture of constructive behaviors that relishes divergent perspectives to craft well thought-out initiatives and then come together to execute them. NACS Values:

• Do the right thing
• Focus long term
• In their terms
• Be fiscally responsible
• Strive for excellence

The NACS Culture is highly collaborative, and we are better when we are together. NACS is a culture that believes in working together from the office.

Other Pertinent Information

• Contract position – not eligible for NACS benefits (medical, dental, 401(k), etc.)
• Salary commensurate with experience
• Approximately 10% travel
• Hybrid Position
• Metro Accessible – 2 blocks from King Street metro

NACS is an Equal Opportunity Employer, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis. All applicants will be considered for all positions on the basis of qualifications and without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, and any other legally protected status.

As the leading global trade association for convenience and fuel retailers, NACS advances the role of convenience stores as positive economic, social and philanthropic contributors to the communities they serve and is a trusted adviser to its retailer and supplier members from more than 50 countries. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 152,000 stores, conducts more than 160 million transactions daily and had sales of $860 billion in 2023. For more information, visit convenience.org. Follow NACS on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.