Vice President, Campaign Engagement & Stewardship

National Geographic•Washington, DC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Advancement team cultivates, solicits, and stewards individuals, as well as foundation, government and corporate partners who invest in the Society to drive impact through science, technology, education, exploration, and storytelling. The team collaborates with Society teams – and often works closely with NGP/Disney – to build transformative and impact-driven strategic partnerships. The team also produces global events that deepen connections and leverage the Society’s power to convene, and directs robust annual, major and planned giving programs empowering the Society with a broad base of public support. Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer, the Vice President, Campaign Engagement & Stewardship provides enterprise leadership for donor engagement, volunteer leadership strategy, and stewardship excellence across the Advancement division. As the Society prepares for and executes a major multi‑year comprehensive campaign, this role is responsible for integrating volunteer leadership engagement and donor recognition frameworks, ensuring the seamless delivery of high‑touch stewardship, cultivation, and recognition experiences that advance campaign and fundraising priorities. The Vice President will serve as a senior integrator and culture‑setter, cultivating a service‑oriented, partnership‑first approach across Advancement that aligns programmatic storytelling, resource allocation, and engagement strategies with donor needs and institutional priorities. Responsibilities include close collaboration with executive leadership and peer Vice Presidents to ensure unified brand alignment, effective cross‑functional workflows, and measurable return on investment across high‑stakes donor initiatives. This role spearheads the strategic integration of volunteer leadership engagement and donor recognition frameworks, provides executive oversight for stewardship and engagement strategies supporting the Board of Trustees, Advancement Committee, and principal donors, and manages the Campaign Engagement & Stewardship budget. It also ensures the development and delivery of sophisticated stewardship and cultivation materials. The position cultivates a service‑oriented culture across Advancement, partners with peer Advancement Vice Presidents to prioritize high‑impact fundraising activities, and collaborates with executive leadership, the Vice President of Partnership Marketing and the Vice President of Integrated Brand Marketing for brand alignment. It serves as a senior advisor to the Chief Advancement Officer on donor engagement strategy. Additionally, the role drives departmental ROI by aligning engagement strategies, resources, and workflows with Advancement priorities and campaign outcomes, and provides leadership oversight of the Project Management (PM) function, partnering with PM leadership and senior directors to optimize workflows, manage capacity, reduce operational risk, and scale effective practices.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required
15+ years’ work experience in nonprofit advancement
7+ years of management experience
Demonstrated success in leading within a collaborative, service-oriented Advancement environment, aligning stewardship, engagement, storytelling and operations of a non-profit organization
Understanding of donor lifecycle marketing and the ability to develop tailored strategies for diverse audience segments
Strong understanding of how stewardship, engagement, messaging and operational discipline intersect to support fundraising outcomes with proven experience leading the end-to-end development and execution of compelling, multi-channel campaign creative that aligns to overall brand voice and strategic goals
Excellent project management and organizational skills, and the ability to prioritize, delegate, and foster accountability work in a fast-paced, evolving environment
Ability to translate a strategic vision into compelling content that acts as the vital link between a brand platform and concrete fundraising objectives
Commitment to the mission of NGS – must adhere to the highest ethical standards, demonstrate an empathetic disposition and perseverance, and convey sensitivity to the needs of donors, staff and volunteers
Skilled at collaborating across multiple departments in a complex organization
Excellent attention to details and follow through as demonstrated through effective project management experience
Strong executive-level communication skills, with the ability to influence, align and advise senior stakeholders
Presents a high degree of sophistication, self-confidence and self-motivation – ability to keep calm under pressure
Comfort multi-tasking multiple deadlines and projects and follow through

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred
Exceptional ability to synthesize complex information and guide decision-making across multiple stakeholders exercising a high degree of initiative, judgment, discretion, and decision-making to achieve organizational objectives
Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a goal-oriented team environment
Ability to exercise sound judgment independently when responding to inquiries and interacting with high-net-worth donors, volunteers and staff
Strong personal and professional integrity
Experience managing and developing senior leaders and a varying range of other NGS staff
Experience partnering with project management functions to drive predictable execution and leadership visibility
Background in large‑scale campaigns or transformational fundraising initiatives strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Spearhead the strategic integration of volunteer leadership engagement and donor recognition frameworks, ensuring a seamless, high‑touch experience across campaign phases, giving societies, and donor segments.
Provide executive oversight for stewardship and engagement strategies supporting the Board of Trustees, Advancement Committee, and principal donors.
Manage the Campaign Engagement & Stewardship budget, ensuring investments in recognition, engagement, and stewardship deliver measurable value and align with campaign priorities.
Ensure the development and delivery of sophisticated stewardship and cultivation materials that reinforce donor confidence, gratitude, and long‑term commitment.
Cultivate a service‑oriented culture across Advancement, reinforcing a partnership‑first approach to programmatic storytelling, donor engagement, and internal collaboration.
Partner with peer Advancement Vice Presidents to prioritize high‑impact fundraising activities, align messaging, and bridge silos to maximize effectiveness.
Collaborate closely with executive leadership, the Vice President of Partnership Marketing and the Vice President of Integrated Brand Marketing to ensure a seamless transition and unified brand alignment across all high‑stakes donor collateral, engagement experiences, and recognition materials.
Serve as a senior advisor to the Chief Advancement Officer on donor engagement strategy, stewardship investments, and organizational alignment.
Drive departmental ROI by aligning engagement strategies, resources, and workflows with Advancement priorities and campaign outcomes.
Provide leadership oversight of the Project Management (PM) function, ensuring predictable execution, clear prioritization, leadership visibility, and disciplined delivery across Advancement initiatives.
Partner with PM leadership and senior directors to optimize workflows, manage capacity, reduce operational risk, and scale effective practices.
Ensure Advancement leaders and teams are focused on donors and strategy (not logistics) through strong systems, accountability, and execution discipline.

Benefits

Competitive and holistic total rewards package
Compensation structure and transparent pay philosophy based on industry-specific market data for similar-sized nonprofit organizations
Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Engaging and comprehensive wellness program
401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 6 months of employment
Flexible paid time off benefits with up to 22 days of paid annual leave per calendar year (15 days for new hires in their first year, prorated based on the number of pay periods remaining in the year)
10 days of sick leave
12 paid holidays
Paid winter break between December 25 and 31
Paid parental leave
Adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement
Fertility benefits
Learning and development opportunities
Lifestyle Spending Account
Pet adoption assistance
Pet insurance
Pre-tax transportation benefits with a generous employer subsidy
Employer-paid life insurance
Disability benefit
Variety of National Geographic discounts and perks
Flexible work options
Career development