Director of Individual Giving

About the role

The Director of Individual Giving is a pivotal senior leadership role within the Advancement team, reporting directly to the Vice President of Development. This position is responsible for designing, implementing, and growing a comprehensive individual philanthropic pipeline, leading the strategy for annual giving, membership renewals, major gifts, and planned giving.

Responsibilities

• Own and govern the individual giving principal- and major-capacity pipeline, establishing multi-year cultivation and moves-management pathways to move donors from annual members to major contributors.
• Personally manage a dedicated portfolio of individual major gift prospects and donors, directing the stages of donor identification, qualification, outreach, solicitation, and deep stewardship.
• Partner with development staff to manage data-driven annual fund appeals, recurring monthly giving channels, and special member-exclusive giving initiatives.
• Inform and advise prospective donors on creative charitable mechanisms, including donor-advised funds (DAFs), appreciated stock, and long-term planned giving/bequests.
• Set, monitor, and report on individual giving revenue goals and department expense budgets.
• Strategically plan and brief the President/CEO, Vice President of Development, and Board Members for highest-level individual donor interactions.
• Lead the strategic fundraising planning, individual table/ticket sales, and donor-driven revenue generation for the Museum's Annual Gala and major benefit events.
• Maintain immaculate donor records, contact reports, gift agreements, and pipeline tracking within the donor CRM.

Requirements

• 5–7+ years of progressive frontline fundraising success in a museum, cultural institution, social justice nonprofit, or higher education environment.
• Documented experience independently identifying, cultivating, and closing five- and six-figure gifts from individual donors, with proven success driving major gala or benefit event revenues.
• A demonstrable commitment to or interest in historic preservation, museum experiential education, or modern criminal justice and prison reform initiatives.
• Exceptional active listening, writing, and presentation skills.
• High digital literacy, with direct proficiency in donor CRM databases (e.g., Altru, Raiser's Edge, TK membership or similar systems).
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to build data-backed revenue projections, monitor line-item event budgets, and report quarterly pipeline progress to senior management.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess exceptional organizational, multi-tasking, and priority-setting skills, with a proven ability to balance long-term donor cultivation with immediate event deadlines and campaign goals.

Skills

• Exceptional active listening, writing, and presentation skills.
• High digital literacy, with direct proficiency in donor CRM databases.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to build data-backed revenue projections.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $85,000 - $100,000.