Director of Individual & Annual Giving

Upwardly Global • New York, NY

89d • $125,000 - $150,000

About The Position

Over the years, Upwardly Global has supported thousands of foreign-born skilled job seekers in transitioning from poverty or exclusion to quality, thriving-wage careers through its customized program and holistic approach to integrating skilled immigrants into the US job market. Upwardly Global is a data-driven, innovative organization with a bold vision and a fearless spirit operating out of four major US markets and providing remote services to several parts of the country. It is unwavering in its commitment to a diverse and inclusive culture where every voice matters. Are you ready to play a pivotal role in a dynamic and fast-paced environment? The Director of Individual Giving will be a key member of our development team, responsible for identifying, cultivating, and soliciting individual donors annually to secure contributions at the $1,000-$50,000 level, supporting Upwardly Global’s mission. This is a new position for Upwardly Global, reflective of the continued growth and development of its individual giving program. The Director of Individual Giving builds and scales a robust individual giving program, including annual giving, mid-level giving, donor acquisition, and retention. Direct mail & digital fundraising will be done in partnership with the Communications team. The goal is to maximize revenue, deepen donor engagement, and create a sustainable base of individual supporters feeding into major gifts and legacy pipelines. We seek an extraordinary individual who is not just highly professional, organized, and resourceful, but also self-motivated and eager to make a significant impact. If you thrive in an environment where your skills and initiative are valued and want to be part of a team that is dedicated to making a difference, this role is perfect for you!

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, with a strong focus on donor prospecting, gift solicitation, and donor relationship management.
• At least 7 years of frontline fundraising experience, with demonstrated success in cultivating, soliciting, and securing four & five-figure gifts.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to articulate the organization’s mission and impact effectively and build relationships with stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Proficient in donor database systems and fundraising software (e.g., Salesforce).
• Ability to effectively manage multiple projects simultaneously with limited supervision.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required; SharePoint preferred.
• Passion for UpGlo’s mission is essential.

Responsibilities

• Research and qualify potential annual and mid-level donors through qualitative and quantitative data.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with individual donors, inclusive of National Leadership Council members, and secondary connections of current and past Board members.
• Partner with the Communications Team to create personalized communication plans, including regular updates, impact reports, and invitations to events, to keep donors informed and engaged.
• Collaborate with the Development Associate to collate and interpret quantitative data to inform strategies.
• Support with developing meeting agendas, fundraising proposals, and pitch decks.
• Oversee the design, launch, and management of direct mail appeals, email campaigns, digital/social giving campaigns, crowdfunding, and recurring giving programs.
• Manage segmented donor communications, A/B testing, optimization, segmentation, and welcomes/thank-you journey.
• Oversee annual giving calendar, including appeals at key times (end-of-year, giving days, events).
• Lead and mentor a team of individual giving professionals (mid-level officers, communications/digital specialists).
• Partner with communications/marketing, data/analytics, CRM, and donor services to coordinate strategies, messaging, segmentation, and reporting.
• Develop cross-functional initiatives to integrate individual giving with major gifts and stewardship programs.
• Ensure timely and meaningful acknowledgment, recognition, and upgrade opportunities for individual donors.
• Develop strategies for donor loyalty, engagement, surveys, segmentation, and lifetime value.
• Monitor metrics such as donor retention rates, average gift size, upgrade/downgrade rates, donor lifetime value, and conversion from small to mid-level to major.
• Work closely with data/analytics to segment, score, and prioritize individual donors for acquisition, upgrade, and reactivation.
• Use CRM (Salesforce) to manage pipeline, segmentation, and performance dashboards.
• Oversee testing, analytics, attribution models, A/B experiments, and continuous optimization.
• Own revenue and budget targets for individual giving segments (e.g., $X million of the total).
• Monitor channel-level performance (digital, mail, peer-to-peer, monthly giving), forecast, and adjust tactics as needed.
• Report regularly to leadership and the board on program performance, insights, and opportunities.
• Partner with CRO to define individual & annual gift goals, campaign priorities, and multi‑year plans.
• Develop and refine investment strategies for donors at the individual/annual gift level ($1K+, $10K+, $25K+).
• Oversee segmentation, portfolio assignment, capacity modeling, and goal-setting methodologies for individual donors.
• Assist in planning and executing donor engagement opportunities to strengthen donor relationships.
• Partner with the CRO to develop a multi-tiered individual giving strategy (monthly donors, sustaining donors, mid-level donors, digital supporters) aligned with overall fundraising goals.
• Set acquisition, retention, uplift, reactivation, and upgrade targets, model ROI across channels.
• Innovate segmented appeals, peer-to-peer, digital campaigns, donor challenges, matching gifts, and donor journey mapping.
• Represent the organization at community events, meetings, and networking opportunities to enhance donor engagement.

Benefits

• Paid time-off policy
• Hybrid or remote work schedule
• Medical/dental/vision insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Retirement plan with employer match

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree