Director, Individual Giving

Sesame Workshop•New York, NY

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

Sesame Workshop is the global nonprofit behind Sesame Street and so much more. For over 50 years, we have worked at the intersection of education, media, and research, creating joyful experiences that enrich minds and expand hearts, all in service of empowering each generation to build a better world. Our beloved characters, iconic shows, outreach in communities, and more bring playful early learning to families in more than 190 countries and advance our mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Learn more at www.sesame.org and follow Sesame Workshop on Instagram , TikTok , Facebook , and X . Job Summary The Director, Individual Giving is a fundraising professional responsible for the growth and performance of the Sesame Workshop’s Individual Giving program. Reporting to the VP of Brand Marketing, this position leads a multi-channel program, with a focus on acquisition, retention, and long-term donor value. The role will work closely with Revenue and Development leadership to ensure Individual Giving supports Sesame’s broader philanthropic growth strategy.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree a plus
7+ years of progressive experience in individual giving or development, with demonstrated success in donor retention, upgrade, and pipeline growth
Experience building or scaling an individual giving program
Experience managing vendors, agencies, consultants, or cross-functional project teams required; direct people management experience a plus
Experience with direct mail, paid media, and Salesforce
Proficiency with CRM systems
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Strong strategic thinking and project management skills
Passion for Sesame Workshop's mission to help children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder, and ability to serve as a compelling ambassador to donors and prospects

Responsibilities

Lead a comprehensive and holistic individual giving strategy spanning donor acquisition, retention, recurring giving, donor upgrade, and long-term donor growth
Support the development of annual goals, revenue projections, budgets, and performance benchmarks
Lead the development and launch of Sesame's branded recurring donor membership program
Develop donor engagement and stewardship strategies that deepen connection to Sesame Workshop, increase donor loyalty and lifetime value, and advance donors through the giving pipeline
Lead acquisition, retention, reactivation, conversion, and upgrade strategies across all donor segments through audience segmentation, personalization, testing, and optimization
Develop and optimize donor premium and incentive strategies, including product selection, design, testing, and fulfillment coordination
Own the day-to-day management of Individual Giving performance dashboards and KPIs, monitoring revenue, donor acquisition, retention, recurring giving, and other key metrics, and providing recommendations to optimize program performance
Partner with Revenue Operations and Salesforce teams to improve donor segmentation, reporting, campaign tracking, and audience insights
Analyze donor acquisition costs, retention trends, channel performance, and lifetime value to optimize resource allocation and maximize ROI
Present performance insights, forecasts, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership to inform investment and growth decisions
Develop donor engagement and upgrade strategies that advance donors through the giving pipeline—from first gift to recurring support and mid-level engagement—while increasing the number of high-potential donors ready for major gift qualification
Partner closely with the Major Gifts team to identify, qualify, and transition high-potential individual donors, ensuring a warm handoff process that supports seamless portfolio cultivation and maximizes major gift conversion
Lead cross-functional planning and execution in partnership with Brand Marketing, Revenue, Audience Development, Marketing Operations, and Brand Creative teams to ensure alignment on fundraising priorities and delivery of goals
Manage Direct Mail and related vendor relationships supporting fundraising, acquisition, retention, analytics, and membership initiatives
Partner with Brand Marketing, Comms, and Revenue teams to develop compelling cases for support, donor messaging frameworks, and fundraising narratives that drive engagement and giving
Serve as a key collaborator with the Major Gift team to align on donor segmentation thresholds, pipeline criteria, and joint stewardship strategies
This role serves as the day- to day leader of Sesame Workshop's Individual Giving growth engine, ensuring donor acquisition, engagement, retention, and revenue generation are managed as an integrated business rather than a collection of independent campaigns.
This role may perform other related duties as needed to support team and organizational priorities.