Direct Response Director

Shatterproof•Washington, DC

10d

About The Position

The Director of Direct Response will lead Shatterproof’s multi-channel donor and supporter engagement strategy across email, SMS, and paid media driving measurable growth in revenue, engagement, and retention. This role plays a critical leadership function within the Marketing & Communications team, partnering closely with the Vice President of Marketing & Communications and the Director of Content Strategy to shape the organization’s fundraising and awareness strategy across owned and paid channels. This leader will oversee all in-house direct response programs, including the national Shatterproof brand, Peer-to-Peer (Walk, Endurance and Create Your Own Fundraiser), advocacy, and donor communications. The Director, in collaboration with team leadership, will ensure lifecycle communications, paid acquisition, and storytelling efforts operate as a unified growth engine that drives both revenue and mission impact.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
8–10 years of experience in digital fundraising, direct response, or CRM-based marketing, ideally in a nonprofit or cause-driven organization.
Deep expertise in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, including Journey Builder, Audience Builder, Automation Studio, data extensions, and lifecycle campaign architecture, with demonstrated experience evaluating and optimizing existing implementations.
Experience assessing marketing technology stacks and leading system optimization or transformation initiatives.
Strong technical understanding of HTML, AMPScript, SQL, and integrations between CRM and marketing platforms.
Experience managing multi-channel digital campaigns (email, SMS, paid social).
Experience designing and optimizing participant journeys or fundraising campaigns within platforms such as DonorDrive, Classy, or TeamRaiser.
Understanding of peer-to-peer fundraising dynamics and participant motivations.
Proven ability to translate programmatic goals into automated, data-driven communications that support both donor and participant engagement.
Advanced analytical and reporting skills, including data visualization and KPI tracking.
Demonstrated experience leading teams and managing external vendors or agencies.
Excellent communication, leadership, and project management skills.
Commitment to Shatterproof’s mission to end addiction stigma and improve outcomes for families and communities.

Nice To Haves

Experience in transitioning vendor-managed digital programs into internal operations a plus.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the organization’s integrated direct response strategy to grow annual revenue, deepen engagement, and strengthen donor retention across channels.
Directly manage the Senior Manager of Direct Response and work in close strategic partnership with the Director of Content Strategy to align messaging, storytelling, and campaign strategy across fundraising and awareness efforts. The role will also collaborate closely with the Social Marketing Strategist to ensure paid social and search programs support integrated acquisition and lifecycle growth goals.
Manage the financial operations of the direct response program, including monitoring revenue and expensesthroughout the year, providing monthly and yearly projections, and analyzing and reporting on key performance indicators
Provide oversight, mentorship, and professional development to the Senior Manager of Direct Response.
Partner with Advancement, P2P, and Corporate Partnerships to ensure unified messaging and donor experience.
Translate organizational goals into actionable direct response plans with clear KPIs, testing frameworks, and reporting cadences.
Develop a roadmap for transitioning external direct response vendor functions into in-house operations, including knowledge transfer, training, and system optimization.
Partner closely with Sr. Director of Fundraising Strategy to align audience segmentation, messaging cadence, and participant communication strategy across all Walk, Endurance, and Create Your Own Fundraising programs.
Collaborate with leadership to set and evaluate campaign performance metrics.
Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of Shatterproof’s current direct response ecosystem — including Salesforce Marketing Cloud architecture, segmentation strategy, vendor relationships, staffing, and campaign infrastructure identifying strengths, gaps, and opportunities for transformation.
Develop and implement a strategic roadmap to modernize Shatterproof’s lifecycle marketing capabilities, ensuring Salesforce Marketing Cloud, SMS, paid media, and CRM systems operate as an integrated, scalable growth engine.
Lead the strategic optimization and long-term evolution of Shatterproof’s Salesforce Marketing Cloud ecosystem, including segmentation architecture, automation strategy, data structure, and personalization capabilities to support scalable lifecycle marketing.
Establish best practices for A/B testing, deliverability, and creative optimization.
Collaborate with IT and Salesforce administrators to ensure CRM alignment and accurate donor tracking.
Interface with cross-functional teams to manage the setup, optimization, and data integration of forms and landing pages built in Engaging Networks.
Manage and optimize Shatterproof’s Tatango SMS platform, ensuring consistent segmentation strategy, and integration with SFMC for unified supporter experiences.
Manage end-to-end P2P communication journeys within DonorDrive (in concert with IT team) and SFMC and integrate data flows with SFMC and Tatango.
Oversee creation, scheduling, and testing of triggered emails, SMS messages, and push notifications within the Shatterproof Fundraising app to support participant recruitment, fundraising milestones, and day of event engagement.
Manage Shatterproof’s grassroots communication platform, Quorum, including campaign setup, supporter communications, performance tracking, and optimization to drive advocacy engagement and measurable impact.
Oversee paid media strategy and execution in collaboration with external partners— across paid social, Google Ads, and the Google Ad Grant program — to ensure cohesive messaging, efficient spend, and measurable performance across acquisition and retention campaigns.
Manage Shatterproof’s paid media agency, ensuring performance-based optimization and cross-channel consistency.
Integrate paid social and digital ad performance into email/SMS reporting and testing to improve ROI.
Partner with the creative team on messaging, targeting, and design that supports conversion goals.
Own the reporting infrastructure for all direct response channels, providing leadership with monthly dashboards, trend analysis, and actionable insights including dedicated peer to peer participant journey performance.
Translate audience insights, behavioral data, and campaign performance into actionable growth strategiesthat improve acquisition, retention, and lifetime donor value.
Define segmentation models and donor journeys that maximize lifetime value and retention.
Drive a test-and-learn culture — continuously improving based on data-driven insights.
Provide regular insights based on campaign results, user behavior, and segmentation performance.
Serve as the organization’s in-house subject matter expert on donor journeys, data integration, and lifecycle marketing.
Partner across the organization on forecasting, revenue projections, and budget management.
Collaborate to align storytelling and creative strategy across owned channels.