Director, Individual Giving

JOB OVERVIEW

The Director of Individual Giving leads and manages the Alliance’s individual giving, membership, community fundraising/crowdfunding, and direct response programs, with a focus on sustainable revenue growth and strong operational infrastructure. This role oversees multi-channel direct response and digital campaigns, crowdfunding and peer-to-peer initiatives, membership benefits, data and analytics, budgets, and a robust calendar of cultivation and fundraising events. The Director guides the overall direction and strategy of membership and community fundraising, improving systems, implementing data-driven and creative solutions, and enhancing Development operations across the department. The Director also leads the commemorative giving program, and collaborates closely with colleagues across the Alliance to expand giving opportunities and move prospects from broad-based support into upgraded memberships and major gifts.

This position reports directly to the Chief Advancement Officer and supervises a team of two: a Manager of Membership and Development Operations, and a Manager of Special Events. This position works in close partnership with the Major Gifts Officer and Communications + External Relations team to build and manage an integrated individual giving pipeline, from first-time donor through major gift supporter. The Director also supervises relationships with two external consultants: a direct response consultant and a database/gift entry specialist.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS / KEY JOB OUTCOMES

Membership, Individual Giving + Community Fundraising

• Develop and execute the overall strategy for membership, annual giving, community fundraising, and direct response in collaboration with the Chief Advancement Officer and the Communications + External Relations team
• Lead and manage the Alliance’s Membership Program, including revenue and expense tracking, with a focus on acquisition, retention, upgrades, and increasing the number and size of individual gifts from members and other donors
• Serve as the primary internal relationship manager for Prospect Partners mid-level giving tier, in collaboration with the Major Gifts Officer
• Partner with the Major Gifts Officer to design and implement moves-management strategies that move identified membership and community fundraising prospects into upgraded membership levels and major gift portfolios
• Partner with the Major Gifts Officer and Chief Advancement Officer on Campaign reporting and strategy.
• In collaboration with the Major Gifts Officer, conduct periodic prospect research assistance and collaboration on identification of high-potential donors emerging from membership, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer campaigns, and other broad-based efforts
• Serve as project lead and primary contact for the Membership and direct response consultants, creating and implementing multi-channel (mail, email, digital, social, SMS, and on-site) marketing strategies that meet and exceed acquisition, renewal, and upgrade goals
• Set the vision and strategy for all membership and individual giving campaigns, ensuring cohesive messaging and segmentation across direct mail, email, and digital channels, with execution support from the Manager of Membership and Development Operations and in collaboration with Communications + External Relations
• Develop and execute a strategy for the acquisition, renewal, and upgrading of both membership and non-membership gifts, including monthly giving, crowdfunding, and peer-to-peer fundraising, with a focus on donor retention and lifetime value
• Design and oversee a robust stewardship and cultivation communications calendar for mid- to upper-level members and community fundraisers, including impact reporting and personalized touchpoints
• Lead the planning and execution of engaging member and donor events in Prospect Park that deepen connection to the Alliance, in partnership with the Manager of Special Events and other events colleagues
• Together with the Manager of Membership and Development Operations, set the strategy for the Commemorative Giving Program, including the identification of new initiatives and products that expand its footprint and impact
• Work closely with the Manager of Membership and Development Operations to support community fundraising and crowdfunding initiatives, including ambassador programs, DIY fundraising, and neighborhood-based campaigns
• Support all donor cultivation, fundraising events, and additional Development activities as necessary

Development Operations, Direct Response + Data Management

• Provide leadership, direction, supervision, and training to the Manager of Membership and Development Operations, Development Coordinator, and Manager of Special Events, ensuring their work is fully integrated with the Director’s areas of responsibility
• Oversee management, policies, and data integrity of Raiser’s Edge (and related tools) for the Development department, ensuring that all gifts are entered accurately, coded correctly, and maintained in a timely fashion
• Serve as primary internal manager of the organization’s relationships with Blackbaud, Classy, and other fundraising and CRM platforms, working to ensure that process improvements and system updates are implemented and that the Alliance is leveraging the full capabilities of these systems.
• Together with the Manager of Membership and Development Operations and direct response consultants, oversee all Mailchimp email marketing for fundraising, including list strategy, segmentation, A/B testing, and performance analysis
• Oversee direct response operations as executed by an external consultant, including gift processing workflows, acknowledgment processes, reporting, and analytics that inform campaign strategy and forecasting.
• Manage monthly reconciliation in partnership with Finance and track income from membership, commemorative giving, community fundraising, special events, and general operating support, developing dashboards and processes to report financial results and key performance indicators
• Develop benchmarks, metrics, and reporting to monitor performance across membership, community fundraising, direct response, and events, using data to inform ongoing optimization
• Stay informed of industry trends, best practices, and innovations in individual giving, digital fundraising, and development operations, and recommend new initiatives and strategies as appropriate.

Events Leadership + General Department Support

• Provide strategic oversight to the Manager of Special Events on the planning and execution of the annual Gala and other special events, ensuring alignment with individual giving, membership, and major gift strategies
• Collaborate with the Major Gifts Officer and Chief Advancement Officer to ensure that events effectively support prospect identification, qualification, and cultivation for major gifts
• Partner with program, communications, and park operations colleagues to create mission-forward on-site experiences that drive engagement, community fundraising, and increased giving
• Support all department-wide fundraising and cultivation events as needed, including on-site logistics, briefings, and post-event follow-up plans
• Travel to events and various parts of the Park as needed to fulfill duties
• Perform other job-related duties and functions as assigned

Performs other job-related duties and functions as assigned

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Fundraising, Business, or another relevant discipline
• 7-10 years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, preferably in a not-for-profit setting, with emphasis on individual giving, membership, community fundraising, and/or annual giving programs
• Demonstrated experience with capital campaign reporting and operations preferred
• Proven experience with comfort with data analysis and systems
• Proven experience managing staff and leading cross-functional projects involving direct response, digital fundraising, or database/CRM workstreams
• A valid NYS Driver’s License

TOTAL REWARDS (Compensation + Benefits)

• Job Grade: 3 (Mid-level Managerial
• Annual Salary: $100,000 - 110,000 (annual gross earnings)
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• 20 Vacation Days
• 14 Paid Holidays
• Comprehensive Health Benefits offered, including:
• Medical, Dental, Vision
• Supplemental: Flexible Spending Account, Dependent Care FSA, Commuter Benefits, AFLAC & Pet Insurance
• 403b Contributions + 2% Employer Contribution

COMPETENCIES (Knowledge, Skills & Personal Attributes)

• Passion for the Alliance Mission & Core Values: A passion for public parks and environmental conservation combined with a commitment to treating others with respect, appreciating individual differences, and embracing the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Ethics & Integrity: Earns the trust and respect of others through a consistent commitment to integrity, honesty and professionalism in all interactions
• Job Knowledge: Sophisticated and in-depth understanding in the areas of membership program management, prospect research, donor cultivation, stewardship and moves management of donors at varying degrees of net worth and giving capacity. A strong commitment to quality and staying up to date on emerging trends, best practices, and innovation in the field
• Entrepreneurial: Naturally, creative, highly interpersonal, and goal-oriented with a drive to influence others to further fundraising objectives and organization goals positively. A passion for developing fresh ideas and approaches to achieve success.
• Relationship Building: A natural relationship builder and demonstrated interpersonal skills and capacity to work with a diverse array of individuals, donors,s and Board Members. Ability to think strategically and build constructive and positive working relationships with external funders and supporters characterized by a high level of acceptance, cooperation, and mutual respect.
• Communication Skills: Superior written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking and the ability to convey concepts and make presentations in a clear, culturally competent, and understandable manner. Demonstrates effective listening skills and openness to other people’s ideas and suggestions
• Staff Management & Coaching: Inspires and motivates team members. Enables staff to grow and be successful in achieving goals through meaningful feedback, instruction, encouragement, support, and professional development.
• Decision-Making & Judgment: Integrates broad knowledge of information sources, garners insight from abstract data that can be used to assess problems, and exercises sound judgment to make decisions. Thoroughly analyzes the potential impacts of solutions and decisions and shares likely outcomes based on experience. Is proactive in deciding the best course of action, anticipating likely outcomes or implications. Ensures policies, procedures, and measures are in place to support the achievement of objectives.
• Planning, Organizing & Problem-Solving: Able to manage multiple projects effectively. Defines tasks and milestones to achieve objectives and ensures the optimal use of resources to effectively solve problems and accomplish work objectives. Alerts others to possible problems in a timely fashion and knows when to seek support and direction from others to solve problems, while offering possible solutions. Acts on solutions selected and decisions made.
• Organization & Accountability: Meticulously well-organized with diligent attention to detail, ability to set priorities, meet deadlines, and takes pride in consistently producing accurate, timely, and quality work products with minimal supervision.
• Collaboration & Teamwork: Committed to working in collaboration with others, promoting cooperation and commitment to others, and being a positive team contributor.
• Customer Service: Exhibit a strong commitment to delivering excellent and responsive service to internal stakeholders, patrons, donors, and customers.
• Technology: Proficient with automated technologies that support the area of responsibility including Raiser’s Edge, other fundraising platforms, G-Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, MailChimp and Classy

WORKING CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Work is normally performed in an interior office setting which does not subject the employee to any hazardous or unusual elements
• Job requires operating a motor vehicle; standing for extended periods of time and the use of a desktop, laptop or video display terminal
• Work requires routine physical movements with limited physical exertion
• Requires communicating information with co-workers, stakeholders, and/or the public; reading correspondence, instructions and/or technical documents; writing correspondence and/or reports and filling in forms

Diversity Makes Us Stronger Together: Prospect Park Alliance serves park users of all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and strives to reflect this diversity throughout our operations and in our leadership, staff, stakeholders and supporters. We know that by creating an equitable and inclusive workplace built on mutual respect and the appreciation of difference, our employees will feel safe to express themselves, voice their opinions, and work together to find common ground and solutions. Integral to this vision is our longstanding commitment to provide equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment.