Senior Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts bei Americans For The Arts
Americans For The Arts · Washington, Vereinigte Staaten Von Amerika · Onsite
- Senior
- Optionales Büro in Washington
Senior Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts
Reports to: Chief Development Officer Team: DevelopmentSupervisory: Supervisory Position FLSA Status: Full-Time, Exempt
Location: Washington, DC Telework: Yes
Timeline: The review process of applications will begin on October 7, 2025.Salary Range: $100,000 to $125,000
Location: This position is based in Washington, DC.
Who We Are
Americans for the Arts (AFTA) strengthens the arts from the ground up – supporting advocacy that empowers communities, develops arts leadership, and produces field-informed research. We shape national arts policy to reflect the realities and aspirations of artists, organizations, businesses, and communities nationwide. We champion the arts as a unifying and essential force in American life.
An Overview of the Development Team
Managed and led by the Interim Chief Development Officer (CDO), the Development Team oversees and guides AFTA’s fundraising efforts, leading and scaling our comprehensive fundraising strategy in support of our organizational mission. Committed to raising significant gifts to support our innovative, equitable, and impactful programmatic goals, Development ensures that AFTA is actively engaged with our diverse and dynamic communities.
In addition to raising money to support our various cross-functional programs, Development works in coordination with our affiliate 501(c)4 organization, the Arts Action Fund (AAF), to streamline our outreach and engagement with key audiences, including policymakers, local arts agencies, grassroots advocates, and the public.
This team also produces events to strengthen and leverage our ability to convene and empower key initiatives. Through strategic partnerships, relationship building, and coordinated growth objectives, this team works to educate and engage each member of our portfolio on the benefits of supporting the arts and culture sectors across America.
The Development Team is comprised of an Interim Chief Development Officer, a Director of Individual Giving and Membership, and a Manager of Development Data, and external development consultants. We anticipate additional internal growth soon.
An Overview of the Role
The Sr. Director of Individual Giving and Major Gifts plays a critical role in leading and implementing a comprehensive individual and major gifts strategy, utilizing an innovative approach to growing philanthropic support for AFTA. Working closely with the CDO, you are responsible for raising funds by managing a portfolio of individual donors and prospects, with a focus on those capable of making annual gifts of $10,000 or more.
This role will spend a significant amount of time interacting directly with donors, managing and strengthening their relationships, evaluating various gift opportunities, and coordinating and facilitating communications to ensure cohesive donor cultivation and stewardship efforts. These duties will culminate in increased revenue from individual donors and the development and retention of our donor relationships.
The Sr. Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts manages the Director, Individual Giving and Membership. This role is associated with travel, which may include participation in weekend events.
Division of Labor between 501c3 and 501c4
This role is considered a matrixed role, responsible for duties that support both Americans for the Arts (501c3) and the Arts Action Fund (501c4), which are legally two separate entities. You will be responsible for tracking your time worked across both organizations. It is anticipated, for this role to assist in a limited capacity in fundraising for the c4, having some responsibility associated with collaborative mission-driven fundraising between AFTA and the AAF (within legal and tax parameters). Approximately 30-40% of your hours worked will be allocated to the 501c(4).
Your Key Responsibilities*
Major Donor Strategy & Relationship Management
- Independently build and manage a portfolio of major gift donors and prospects, through all phases of the moves management process from introduction to ongoing giving and engagement.
- Lead cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for individual donors at the $10,000+ level, to meet annual goals and build a healthy donor pipeline.
- Design and implement strategies to identify, cultivate, and upgrade grassroots and midlevel donors into major gift prospects, ensuring a clear pathway of engagement, stewardship, and solicitation that deepens their investment over time.
- Prepare compelling donor materials, briefings, and proposals, ensuring tailored and personalized donor communications and stewardship plans that align with their interests and priorities.
- Develop organizational impact reports that detail progress made because of a particular funding campaign, and donors' impact progress reports detailing the impact resulting from their gifts.
- Partner with the CDO, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Board members, and senior leadership to support high-level donor engagement, including staffing donor meetings and call time.
- Conduct prospect research to identify new individual donors aligned with our strategic goals.
Donor Engagement & Events
- Design and execute major donor engagement strategies, including private events, briefings, and regional donor gatherings.
- Collaborate with Communications and Program staff to develop messaging and impact narratives that resonate with major donors.
- Create and manage event collateral, including talking points and follow-up communications, for donor-facing opportunities.
- Integrating program priorities, changes, and funding needs into donor interactions, communicating how their funding gifts impact AFTA’s work within the arts and culture sector.
Systems, Reporting & Collaboration
- Oversee tracking of donor interactions, proposals, and outcomes in the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
- Maintain accurate records and reporting of portfolio activity and revenue goals within the CRM, in partnership with our Database Administrator.
- Lead the Development Team, in collaboration with the CDO, in cross-functional work with Government Affairs, Research, Communications, and Programs to align fundraising with organizational priorities.
- Regularly evaluate the progress and impact of outreach efforts.
- Support Development Team operations, budgeting, and forecasting related to major gifts.
Leadership & Team Management
- Lead and mentor direct report(s) work and goals, ensuring alignment with AFTA’s mission and strategic goals.
- Foster collaboration between Communications, Programs, Government Affairs, Research, and AAF teams to maximize the impact of AFTA’s fundraising and outreach.
- Assist CDO with managing the development budgets, ensuring resources and time are effectively allocated for maximum impact.
- Engage with AFTA’s Board, members, and external partners to strengthen fundraising and outreach efforts.
*This position is expected to perform similar duties in coordination with the Arts Action Fund (AAF), our affiliate 501(c)4 organization.
The Experience and Skills That Matter Most
The ideal candidate will have a strong background in major donor strategy and relationship development, donor engagement and event management, and have an innate desire to interact in-person and virtually with donors, stakeholders, and the public, in addition to:
- An intention to advance the AFTA mission, with a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility and a passion for arts, development, and non-profit issue-specific advocacy.
- Minimum 6 – 8 years of experience in non-profit fundraising, well-versed in moves management and the major gifts fundraising cycle.
- Proven track record of cultivating and soliciting individual gifts.
- Experience writing compelling donor materials, proposals, and correspondence.
- Demonstrated ability and willingness to work with senior leadership, high-level donors and industry leaders, and across the political spectrum.
- Working knowledge and experience working with a CRM, and a willingness to learn AFTA’s CRM system.
More About Americans for the Arts and the Benefits Available to Staff
The State of AFTA
Following a period of significant organizational change, AFTA is continuing to evolve in ways that will increase its effectiveness and trust within the field.
The onboarding of our new CEO in March 2025 laid the foundation for steady long-term leadership and trust building to meet the needs of our staff, members, stakeholders, and the public. The hiring of the Sr. Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts is the next step to equip AFTA with the framework necessary to meet the challenges ahead.
This position is essential to establishing AFTA as a leader in the current and future economic, political, and cultural environment of America in 2025 and beyond.
Work Hours & In-Office Requirements
AFTA is open weekdays, operating on a 37.5-hour work week (7.50-hour day), with the core business hours of 10:00 – 4:00 pm ET. Our in-office policy requires employees to work from the office at least 1 day a week.
Compensation and Benefits
The compensation range for this position is $100,000 to $125,000 and will be commensurate with the scale and scope of experience. The total compensation package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, 403b employer contributions, and a generous time-off package, including paid parental leave. Employees are also eligible to participate in short-and-long-term disability, life insurance, Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and professional development opportunities.
