Leadership Annual Giving Manager

American College of Chest Physicians•Glenview, IL

12d•$80,000 - $85,000

About The Position

The Leadership Annual Giving (LAG) Manager plays a key frontline fundraising role on CHEST’s growing Philanthropy team. This early–mid career position is ideal for an emerging gift officer who thrives on relationship building, excels at strategic outreach, and is motivated by driving donor growth and impact. Responsible for a portfolio of annual and leadership annual donors, the Manager will cultivate, solicit, and steward individuals capable of making gifts in the $1,000–$25,000 range, with an emphasis on securing first-time leadership gifts, increasing annual commitments, and building multi-year philanthropic engagement. This role carries an annual revenue goal of $250,000–$400,000 across outright and pledged gifts. The successful candidate will be a proactive communicator, strong collaborator, and thoughtful relationship manager who is energized by connecting clinicians and members with opportunities to advance CHEST’s philanthropic mission.

Requirements

3–5 years of experience in fundraising, annual giving, donor engagement, or related nonprofit work.
Demonstrated success in relationship management, sales, or donor-facing outreach roles.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey impact in a clear, compelling manner.
Experience working with a CRM/database and using data to inform strategy.
High degree of initiative, professionalism, and organizational skill, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
Commitment to donor-centered practice and enthusiasm for CHEST’s mission and vision.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience managing a portfolio of donors or clients.
Experience with leadership annual giving programs, discovery/qualification work, or frontline solicitations.
Familiarity with medical associations, healthcare philanthropy, or membership-based organizations.

Responsibilities

Demonstrate a passion for crushing lung disease and embody CHEST values: honor the team, act with integrity, leverage strengths, cultivate innovation, and have serious fun.
Manage a portfolio of leadership annual donors and prospects, focusing on those with capacity for $1,000–$25,000+ in annual support.
Develop and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans to drive donor movement along the giving pipeline.
Conduct regular outreach through calls, emails, virtual meetings, and in-person engagement at CHEST events, Annual Meeting, and other touchpoints.
Solicit annual gifts and multi-year commitments aligned with CHEST’s fundraising priorities.
Identify at-risk or lapsed leadership annual donors within the portfolio and partner with the Director to create targeted re-engagement or recovery strategies.
Ensure portfolio donors receive timely, personalized, and meaningful stewardship, including thank-you outreach, programmatic updates, and tailored impact touchpoints.
Partner with Communications to develop high-quality stewardship materials that reinforce donor impact and institutional priorities.
Maintain deep familiarity with CHEST’s programs, grants, and philanthropic pillars to confidently articulate funding opportunities to donors.
Log all donor interactions in the CRM in a timely and accurate manner.
Use data to inform portfolio segmentation, prioritize outreach, and identify giving patterns, trends, and emerging opportunities.
Run and interpret reports to monitor portfolio health, revenue progress, donor retention, and advancement toward goals.
Work closely with Communications, Finance, Events, Education, and Program staff to ensure donors receive coordinated, high-quality experiences.
Support donor-centered programming at the Annual Meeting, including stewardship events, donor lounges, and grantee engagement opportunities.
Serve as a collaborative partner to colleagues across CHEST to promote a culture of philanthropy and integrate fundraising best practices.
Other duties as assigned