Director, Principal Giving
Global Energy Alliance for People and PlanetAbout the role
The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance) The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance) works for a world where everyone has access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity and the means to use it to improve their lives. Our Alliance builds transformative public, private, philanthropic partnerships to end energy poverty and accelerate green economic opportunity. Founded in 2021 by The Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund, we design innovative projects/programs, unlock finance, strengthen institutions and transform markets, delivering progress anchored in deep community engagement. By uniting actors across the value chain, from households to heads of state, we go beyond individual projects to drive lasting systems change. With work in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, our Alliance aims to reach 1 billion people with clean electricity, prevent 4 billion tons of carbon emissions and create or improve 150 million jobs.
Overview
In 2025, the Global Energy Alliance (GEA) launched a dedicated Partnerships and Philanthropy Division to expand and diversify our funding base. We are establishing new fundraising revenue streams, engaging nontraditional funders, and building deep, trust-based partnerships to mobilize resources and drive systemic impact.
Position Summary
As the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet's first Director of Principal Giving, you will play a defining role in shaping the next chapter of philanthropy at the organization and building its principal giving function from the ground up. Joining at a pivotal moment in the organization's evolution, you will help shape and scale a newly established Partnerships and Philanthropy Division designed to expand the Global Energy Alliance's funding base, engage new philanthropic audiences, and mobilize the resources needed to accelerate lasting change across global energy systems.
You will lead the development of the Global Energy Alliance's principal giving strategy, cultivating relationships with high-net-worth individuals, philanthropic families, and giving collectives who share the organization's ambition to advance a more equitable and sustainable energy future. Working closely with senior leadership and the Board, you will create new pathways for philanthropic partnership, align donor interests with high-impact opportunities, and help unlock catalytic funding capable of driving change at scale.
This is a unique opportunity to shape strategy, establish new approaches to donor engagement, and position philanthropy as a powerful force for transforming energy systems and expanding economic opportunity around the world.
Key Responsibilities
Major Giving and High-Net-Worth Philanthropy
- Design and execute GEA's global major giving strategy, with a focus on identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding high-net-worth individuals and family foundations aligned with GEA's mission and catalytic approach.
- Build and manage a high-value donor pipeline and global HNWI networks, with the aim of securing gifts of six figures and above.
- Develop and implement tailored engagement strategies for each donor, ensuring alignment with their interests and values, offering co-creation opportunities and visibility and recognition plans.
- Leverage intermediary channels, such as donor-advised funds (DAFs), philanthropic advisory firms, and private banks, to expand access to new HNWI audiences and philanthropic advisors.
- Coordinate high-touch stewardship and cultivation events, including regional convenings, site visits, thought leadership roundtables, and global philanthropic forums.
Board Engagement
- Build relationships with board members with the aim of identifying and developing warm pathways into priority prospects, supporting the Chief Partnerships and Philanthropy Officer in activating board relationships for cultivation and solicitation.
- Support board engagement strategies and track outcomes from touchpoints with funders.
- Manage the cadence and quality of board-facing communications from the fundraising team, ensuring consistency in messaging, data accuracy, and strategic framing.
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