Senior Director, Individual Giving

SOME•Washington, DC

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Director, Individual Giving provides senior leadership for SOME’s individual giving program, with direct accountability for a fundraising portfolio exceeding $20 million annually. The role oversees major gifts, planned giving, mid-level and monthly giving, and direct mail programs. As a member of SOME’s development leadership team, the Senior Director partners with the EVP, Chief Development Officer, and colleagues across development to build an integrated culture of philanthropy in support of SOME’s mission to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. The position leads and manages a major gift portfolio of 50–75 prospects and develops strategy across the individual giving team. It oversees planned giving from strategy and donor engagement through the processing of realized bequests and other legacy gifts, and provides strategic direction for mid-level, monthly, and direct mail programs. The role coordinates donor engagement and communications with Foundation and Corporate Relations, Development Operations and Services, Marketing and Communications, and SOME program teams. The Senior Director directly supervises the Manager, Individual Giving; Individual Giving Officer; and Director, Annual Giving. Responsibilities include staffing, hiring as needed, budgeting, performance management, team development, and improving department performance. The position reports to the EVP, Chief Development Officer. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is a hybrid position. The selected candidate works onsite full-time during the first 90 days; afterward, the role requires at least three days per week in the office. Evening and weekend work is required as needed for special events and organizational initiatives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 7–10 years of progressively responsible nonprofit fundraising experience, with demonstrated success in major gifts and supervisory or management experience, or equivalent.
Strong strategic thinking and planning skills, including the ability to design and execute fundraising strategies across multiple giving channels.
Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships with donors, board members, organizational leadership, and colleagues.
Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, including donor correspondence, proposals, and stewardship materials.
Supervisory or management experience and ability to lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team; equivalent leadership experience will be considered.
Proficiency in Salesforce and Moves Management methodology, and ability to use data to drive portfolio strategy and measure progress.
Strong analytical skills, including interpretation of donor research, giving trends, and campaign performance data.
Familiarity with direct mail fundraising sufficient to provide informed oversight and strategic direction to the Director of Annual Giving.
Working knowledge of planned giving vehicles, including bequests, charitable gift annuities, and charitable remainder trusts, sufficient to lead donor conversations and oversee strategy, marketing, and stewardship.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment, with strong organizational and project management skills.
Public speaking skills and experience presenting to donors, boards, and senior leadership.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.
Ability to lift up to 20 pounds; ability to look at a computer screen for several hours a day and sit for long periods.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree and 10 or more years of experience.
Track record of closing five- and six-figure gifts.
Experience managing a planned giving program.
Experience leading high-performing development teams in a nonprofit environment.

Responsibilities

Lead and personally manage a major gift portfolio of 50–75 prospects, meeting and exceeding an individual fundraising goal within the department’s $20M+ annual revenue target.
Develop and implement major gifts strategies for prospect identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
Provide strategic oversight of the Individual Giving team’s portfolios, gift officer capacity, portfolio hygiene, and moves progression.
Partner with the CDO, CEO, and board members on high-level donor relationships, preparing briefing materials, talking points, and stewardship plans.
Oversee portfolio assignments and moves management practices, using Salesforce to track progress, identify stalled relationships, and support accountability.
Coordinate with Foundation and Corporate Relations to align shared relationships and avoid duplicative outreach.
Lead SOME’s planned giving program, including strategy, marketing, cultivation, stewardship, recognition, and administrative processing of realized legacy gifts.
Build and manage a planned giving pipeline with Data Management, identifying donor capacity and creating tailored engagement strategies.
Oversee planned giving marketing with Marketing and Communications, including direct mail, digital outreach, donor events, and legacy society recognition.
Steward planned giving donors through regular contact, impact updates, and recognition.
Coordinate processing of realized bequests with Finance and legal counsel to support accurate, timely, and compliant gift acceptance and recording.
Stay current on planned giving vehicles, tax law changes, and best practices.
Provide strategic direction alongside the Director of Annual Giving for mid-level, monthly giving, and direct mail programs.
Oversee mid-level giving cultivation pathways, upgrade strategies, and stewardship designed to move donors toward major gift consideration.
Oversee the monthly giving program with the Director of Annual Giving and Data Management, including retention, sustainer communications, and upgrades.
Provide strategic guidance to the Director of Annual Giving on direct mail goals, messaging, and performance.
Coordinate donor engagement with Foundation and Corporate Relations and clarify portfolio responsibilities for shared contacts.
Partner with Development Operations and Services on gift processing, data integrity, and timely donor acknowledgments.
Align fundraising messaging, campaign strategies, and donor communications with Marketing and Communications.
Work with program teams across housing, workforce development, healthcare, dining services, and family services on donor engagement and impact narratives.
Ensure appropriate staffing, assess staffing needs, and hire employees as needed.
Contribute to budget development, administer the budget, use resources effectively, and comply with financial reporting requirements.
Contribute to strategy development and improve department functions and performance; help establish standards and goals.
Directly supervise and provide strategic leadership to the Manager, Individual Giving; Individual Giving Officer; and Director, Annual Giving.
Set performance expectations, hold regular one-on-ones and portfolio reviews, provide feedback, lead annual evaluations, and establish aligned goals.
Foster accountability, learning, and professional growth within the Individual Giving team.