Director of Individual Giving

Description

Job Summary:

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. The Director will lead the strategy for annual giving, membership renewals, major gifts, and planned giving. This role blends high-level strategic planning with proactive, frontline fundraising, requiring the candidate to manage an active portfolio of major donors to secure the capital needed for our historic preservation trades, education, and museum operations.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Frontline Fundraising & Pipeline Management:

• •Own and govern the individual giving principal- and major-capacity pipeline. Establish multi-year cultivation and moves-management pathways to move donors smoothly from annual members to major contributors.
• •Collaborate with the VP of Development to set annual individual giving targets, develop data baked revenue projections and establish quarterly KPIs
• •Personally manage a dedicated portfolio of individual major gift prospects and donors. Direct 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 (such as the historic site preservation trades and hospital block stabilization campaigns).
• •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.

2. Board Cultivation & Governance Support:

• •Strategically plan and brief the President/CEO, Vice President of Development, and Board Members for highest-level individual donor interactions. Prepare tailored briefing notes, background research, and dynamic proposals.
• •Actively research, qualify, and cultivate the next generation of leadership for the Museum’s Board of Trustees and advisory councils alongside the VP of Development.
• •Partner closely with executive leadership to generate prospective Trustee profiles and create comprehensive readiness reports for the Board Nominating and Governance Committees.
• •Serve as a trusted advisor to current Board members, helping them identify, introduce, and solicit peers within their personal and professional networks.

3. Signature Gala & Fundraising Event Leadership

• •Lead the strategic fundraising planning, individual table/ticket sales, and donor-driven revenue generation for the Museum's Annual Gala and major benefit events.
• •Design and execute a calendar of high-touch, curator-led donor events, historic site preservation previews, and exclusive exhibition receptions aimed at converting ticket buyers into lifelong programmatic donors.
• •Create and execute data-backed stewardship pathways to rapidly move event attendees and honoree networks into the major gift pipeline.
• •Work closely with Learning & Engagement and Marketing, Sales, and Communications teams to ensure donor messaging accurately reflects site priorities, public history programming, and criminal justice reform initiatives.
• •Represents Eastern State in community events and meetings where the opportunity to strengthen partnerships and increase philanthropic support would be appropriate.

4. Executive Data reporting & Tracking:

• •Maintain immaculate donor records, contact reports, gift agreements, and pipeline tracking within the donor CRM (e.g., Altru/Raiser's Edge)
• •Establish annual individual giving targets; track, analyze, and report quarterly revenue progress, campaign conversion rates, and donor retention metrics to the VP of Development.

Requirements

Required Skills/Abilities:

• •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. Must possess the diplomacy and tact required to speak confidently with diverse stakeholders, ranging from community advocates to corporate executives, high-net-worth philanthropists, and Board Trustees.
• •·High digital literacy, with direct proficiency in donor CRM databases (e.g., Altru, Raiser's Edge, TK membership or similar systems) to ensure data-backed moves tracking.
• •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.
• •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.

Physical Requirements:

• •Ability to sit for prolonged periods of time.
• •Ability to walk all aspects of the 10 acre site when needed.
• •Ability to work in space where temperatures may vary to cold and hot
• •Ability to lift up to 10 pounds