Director of Development, Annual & Special Giving

Garden Spot Communities•New Holland, PA

About The Position

The Director of Development, Annual & Special Giving leads annual giving, donor acquisition and retention, mid-level donor relationships, stewardship, and special fundraising events for TrellisWorks, the charitable foundation of Garden Spot Communities. The role develops annual giving strategies and appeals, grows recurring support, and helps donors understand the impact of their generosity across Garden Spot Communities. The Director manages a portfolio of mid-level donors and prospects, oversees stewardship and donor impact reporting, and plans signature events from concept through post-event follow-up. The role also develops peer-to-peer and team giving efforts, manages gift processing, donor records, budgets and fundraising results, and collaborates with colleagues across the Mission Advancement team. The position supervises the Donor Operations Assistant, who manages administrative functions and accounting of Foundation gifts.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, communications, marketing, business or a related field, or equivalent experience.
5–7 years of nonprofit fundraising experience, including direct responsibility for annual fund, direct mail or digital appeals.
At least 2 years of supervisory experience hiring, coaching and evaluating staff.
Proven record of meeting revenue and donor retention goals.
Excellent writing and editing skills, including the ability to craft warm, persuasive appeal letters and acknowledgments.
Working knowledge of DonorPerfect or a similar donor database, gift processing and fundraising metrics.
Strong relationship-building skills with older adults, families, team members and community partners.
Ability to manage multiple campaigns, deadlines and budgets at once.
Commitment to Garden Spot Communities' mission and Guiding Principle, while welcoming residents and team members of every faith tradition and none.
Cultural awareness and sensitivity when engaging donors, residents and team members of diverse backgrounds, cultures and generations.
Ability to communicate clearly, honestly and promptly, share information openly, collaborate across teams, and use data to improve results.

Nice To Haves

Experience in senior living, healthcare or faith-based philanthropy.
Familiarity with IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, gifts of securities and planned-giving referrals.
Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) or Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) credential, or progress toward one.
Experience with online giving platforms, email marketing tools and data segmentation.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute annual giving plans with revenue, donor-count, retention and participation goals for each campus.
Lead year-end appeals, including Benevolent Care appeals and the Benevolent Care Annual Challenge.
Write segmented, multi-channel appeals for direct mail, email, online giving and resident invoice giving; coordinate production and mailing with the Associate Director of Mission Advancement.
Track responses and gifts, including checks, credit cards, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, appreciated securities and recurring monthly gifts.
Partner with the Associate Director of Mission Advancement to source resident and donor stories for appeals.
Manage a portfolio of mid-level donors and prospects through identification, qualification, cultivation, face-to-face solicitation, stewardship and recognition.
Grow and steward monthly giving, including recurring gifts added to resident invoices.
Engage residents, families, team members and surrounding communities as first-time donors; monitor lapsed and LYBUNT/SYBUNT donors and lead renewal and reactivation efforts.
Identify annual donors with potential for major gifts, the Time to Shine campaign or Legacy Society and refer them to the Chief Mission Advancement Officer.
Ensure timely, accurate and personal gift acknowledgments and tax receipts.
Oversee stewardship of TrellisWorks giving societies, including Legacy Society members and recurring donors, through visits, communications and special events.
Support stewardship of designated funds and produce donor impact reports, including annual Benevolent Fund impact postcards for each campus.
Plan donor recognition and appreciation activities, including thank-you calls and resident donor gatherings.
Plan and produce signature fundraising events from concept through post-event follow-up; set budgets, net revenue goals, timelines and run-of-show, and secure venues and event partners.
Recruit and steward event sponsors, table hosts and in-kind donors; manage invitations, online registration, ticketing, RSVPs and seating.
Recruit, train and coordinate volunteer event committees of residents, team members and community partners.
Coordinate donor education events, such as planned giving seminars and estate planning luncheons, with the Chief Mission Advancement Officer.
Ensure tickets, sponsorships and gifts are recorded and acknowledged promptly; evaluate events based on net revenue, attendance, new donors and cost per dollar raised.
Develop giving days, team member giving and resident-led peer giving efforts.
Manage gift entry and acknowledgment processing, donor records, gift coding and database segmentation.
Manage the annual giving budget and reconcile gifts with finance; report monthly results against goals, including revenue, retention, average gift and cost per dollar raised.
Participate collaboratively in Mission Advancement team meetings, annual planning and shared fundraising goals; share donor insights and results and support colleagues' campaign, planned giving and storytelling priorities.
Hire, train, supervise and evaluate the Donor Operations Assistant; establish priorities and turnaround standards, and review gift reports and data quality to ensure accuracy and donor confidentiality.
Model the organization's Guiding Principle of Be Kind. Do Good. Show Love. and contribute to a culture of mutual respect, accountability and shared success.