Director, Donor Experiences & Hospitality

UNITED STATES SOCCER FEDERATION 1•Atlanta, GA

About The Position

The U.S. Soccer Federation aims to ignite a national passion for the game, believing soccer is more than a sport; it is a force for good. Working closely with partners and members, U.S. Soccer inspires, supports, and guides the game from grassroots to National Teams, aiming to bring soccer into every home and community across America. The Federation is experiencing significant growth and is seeking dynamic servant leaders who demonstrate visionary leadership, analytical decision-making, professional flexibility, and an empathic management style. This role, reporting to the Senior Vice President, Strategic Philanthropy, will lead the strategy, development, and execution of U.S. Soccer's donor experiences and hospitality program. The goal is to transform these areas into a strategic fundraising platform that generates philanthropic revenue, cultivates, retains, and deepens relationships with supporters, and advances U.S. Soccer's $250 million comprehensive campaign through meaningful, world-class engagement. The Director will establish the long-term vision, operating model, and standards for donor experiences, leading a team responsible for hospitality, fundraising events, and VIP engagement. Leveraging marquee matches, international competitions, the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, and other signature assets, this role will create scalable donor experiences to strengthen fundraising, stewardship, and long-term philanthropic growth.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required
8+ years of progressive leadership experience in advancement, fundraising, donor engagement, or donor experiences and hospitality, including experience building or significantly scaling experiential fundraising programs.
Proven track record of generating philanthropic revenue through events and experiences
Experience building from the ground up or significantly scaling donor experiences and hospitality programming
Ability to build the strategy, systems, processes, staffing model, and measures of success for a growing function
Experience hiring, supervising, coaching, and developing professional staff.
Proven ability to think strategically while successfully leading complex initiatives from concept through execution.
Strong project management, organizational, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Experience managing budgets, negotiating contracts, and overseeing vendor and partner relationships.
Exceptional communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills with the ability to influence stakeholders across all levels of an organization.
Experience utilizing Salesforce or a comparable CRM platform preferred.
General knowledge of soccer preferred.
Must be able to connect "microt" details to "macro" vision and mission.
Ability to work evenings, weekends, and travel as needed.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).

Nice To Haves

General knowledge of soccer

Responsibilities

Develop and lead a comprehensive donor experiences and hospitality strategy aligned with U.S. Soccer's fundraising priorities, the Federation's $250 million comprehensive campaign, and long-term philanthropic growth.
Build and lead the donor experiences and hospitality function by establishing its operating model, strategic roadmap, hospitality standards, organizational structure, and scalable systems that support long-term fundraising growth.
Hire, supervise, mentor, and develop a team of 2–3 direct reports, while assessing future staffing and organizational needs as the donor experiences function expands.
Develop and execute an annual donor experiences strategy and calendar that intentionally supports cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, donor retention, upgrades, recognition, campaign priorities, and executive engagement.
Design and oversee U.S. Soccer's portfolio of donor experiences, including cultivation events, fundraising events, stewardship and recognition activities, matchday hospitality, VIP experiences, campaign celebrations, behind-the-scenes access, and other engagement opportunities that strengthen philanthropic relationships and inspire deeper investment.
Develop innovative donor experience strategies that directly support fundraising, including bespoke cultivation events, campaign experiences, premium hospitality opportunities, and future revenue-generating donor packages surrounding FIFA World Cups, international competitions, and other signature Federation events.
Position the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center as a premier destination for donor engagement, stewardship, fundraising, and hospitality by creating innovative donor experiences that leverage one of the Federation's most distinctive philanthropic assets.
Partner closely with Annual Fund, Stewardship, Major Gifts, Principal Gifts, Advancement Marketing & Communications, and Advancement Services to ensure donor experiences are intentionally designed to support acquisition, cultivation, stewardship, retention, upgrades, and fundraising outcomes—not simply event execution.
Collaborate across Commercial, Sporting, Marketing & Communications, Event Operations, and other cross-federation departments to deliver integrated donor experiences aligned with Federation priorities.
Establish standards, project management systems, operational procedures, and hospitality best practices that ensure donor experiences are executed consistently, efficiently, and at the highest level of quality.
Develop and manage departmental budgets, hospitality investments, vendor relationships, venue contracts, and strategic partnerships while ensuring responsible financial stewardship.
Establish key performance indicators and evaluation metrics to measure donor engagement, fundraising impact, donor retention, hospitality effectiveness, operational excellence, and return on investment.
Identify emerging trends, innovative hospitality concepts, and best practices that position U.S. Soccer as a leader in donor engagement and philanthropic hospitality.
Promote a culture of exceptional hospitality and donor-centered service throughout the Federation.
Support the overall goals of the Advancement department.
Perform other duties as assigned.