Program Manager, Grateful Giving

The Grateful Giving Program Manager is responsible for leading the strategy, development, and execution of Texas Children's grateful giving program. Serving as a key liaison between patient families, clinical teams, hospital leadership, and the Philanthropy Department, this role cultivates a culture of philanthropy by creating meaningful opportunities for grateful patients and families to engage in charitable giving.

The Program Manager oversees all aspects of the grateful giving program, including donor pipeline development, relationship management, staff education, program operations, and performance measurement. This leader partners across the organization to strengthen philanthropic engagement while ensuring compliance with HIPAA, ethical fundraising practices, and organizational policies. Success in this role requires exceptional relationship-building skills, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and a commitment to advancing Texas Children's mission and HEART values.

Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Program Leadership
  • Develop, implement, and manage a comprehensive, HIPAA-compliant grateful giving program that supports organizational fundraising goals.
  • Serve as an ambassador for Texas Children's mission, values, and culture of philanthropy.
  • Build strong partnerships with physicians, nurses, and clinical leaders to identify and engage grateful patients and families.
  • Develop and deliver education and training that increases awareness and participation in grateful giving initiatives across the organization.
  • Collaborate with Annual Giving to develop integrated direct mail, digital, and multichannel grateful giving campaigns.
  • Manage program goals, budget, and performance metrics while identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
  • Partner with volunteer leadership and fundraising volunteers to expand donor engagement opportunities.
• Donor Engagement & Stewardship
  • Manage a portfolio of grateful patient and family prospects through identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
  • Build trusted relationships with patients and families while navigating sensitive and emotional situations with professionalism and compassion.
  • Partner with major gift officers to transition qualified prospects into major gift portfolios.
  • Participate in fundraising strategy discussions to support priority service lines and institutional initiatives.
  • Develop strategies that strengthen donor pipeline growth, engagement, and long-term stewardship.
• Collaboration & Education
  • Serve as the primary resource for grateful giving education across Texas Children's.
  • Foster strong relationships with clinical, operational, and administrative leaders to support grateful patient identification and referrals.
  • Collaborate with Marketing, Public Relations, and Philanthropy teams to ensure consistent messaging, branding, and donor communications.
  • Provide guidance on the development, design, production, and distribution of grateful giving collateral and communication materials.
  • Promote best practices and organization-wide understanding of grateful giving processes and policies.
• Data, Reporting & Compliance
  • Maintain accurate donor records and activity within the organization's CRM system.
  • Analyze donor data and program performance to identify trends and recommend strategic improvements.
  • Prepare reports and dashboards that communicate program outcomes and donor engagement metrics to leadership.
  • Ensure compliance with HIPAA, Stark Law, organizational policies, and all applicable ethical fundraising standards.
     

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in nonprofit fundraising, healthcare philanthropy, or a related field required.
• Experience developing or managing grateful patient or donor engagement programs preferred.
• Experience partnering with physicians, clinical leaders, and executive stakeholders preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
 

• Strong relationship-building, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Knowledge of grateful patient fundraising, donor engagement strategies, and healthcare philanthropy best practices.
• Understanding of HIPAA regulations, patient privacy, and ethical fundraising guidelines.
• Experience using donor CRM systems and Microsoft Office Suite; ability to analyze data and translate insights into strategic action.
• Strong organizational, project management, and problem-solving abilities with attention to detail.
• Demonstrated emotional intelligence, discretion, and professionalism when working with patients, families, and healthcare professionals.
• Ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence stakeholders across all levels of the organization.
• Commitment to the Texas Children's HEART values of Humility, Excellence, Accountability, Respect, and Trust.

Since 1954, Texas Children’s has been leading the charge in patient care, education and research to accelerate health care for children and women around the world. When you love what you do, it truly shows in the smiles of our patient families, employees and our numerous accolades such as being consistently ranked as the best children’s hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation by U.S. News & World Report as well as recognition from Houston Business Journal as one of this city’s Best Places to Work for ten consecutive years. 

Texas Children’s comprehensive health care network includes our primary hospital in the Texas Medical Center with expertise in over 40 pediatric subspecialties; the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI); the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children’s care for communities north of Houston; and Texas Children’s Hospital North Austin, the new state-of-the-art facility providing world-class pediatric and maternal care to Austin and Central Texas families. We have also created Texas Children’s Health Plan, the nation’s first HMO focused on children; Texas Children’s Pediatrics, the largest pediatric primary care network in the country; Texas Children’s Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that is channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children’s Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine, one of the largest, most diverse and successful pediatric programs in the nation. 

 To join our community of 15,000+ dedicated team members, visit texaschildrenspeople.org for career opportunities.

 Texas Children’s is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants and employees are considered and evaluated for positions at Texas Children's without regard to mental or physical disability, race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, genetic information, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or any other protected Federal, State/Province or Local status unrelated to the performance of the work involved.