Associate Director - Individual Giving

American Kidney Fund; Rockville (MD); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Culture and recognition

Hybrid work schedule

Work-from-home flexibility

Annual raises and bonuses

Convenient location near Pike and Rose

Metro subsidies

Underground parking

Business casual environment

Job summary

American Kidney Fund is seeking an Associate Director of Individual Giving in the Rockville, MD area to expand and retain a portfolio of mid-level donors through targeted stewardship and strategic solicitations. The role aims to move donors from $1,000–$2,500 to major gifts and to promote planned giving, working closely with the Director of Individual Giving.

Responsibilities include developing a mid-level program, collaborating on annual plans, managing multi-channel campaigns, and documenting

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; 3–5 years nonprofit fundraising experience with individual donors.
• Strong problem solving, integrity, and judgment in donor interactions.
• Excellent collaboration and communication with internal teams and donors.

Responsibilities

• Grow and retain a portfolio of mid-level donors (1,000–2,500).
• Develop moves management for mid-level donors and upgrade pipeline.
• Lead multi-channel donor cultivation, solicitations, and stewardship.
• Help transition mid-level donors to major gifts at 5,000+ when appropriate.
• Document donor touchpoints and campaigns in Raiser's Edge NXT.
• Support planned giving prospects and coordinate with legal/finance teams.
• Provide high-quality donor service via 1-800 line and website inquiries.

Skills

Donor relationship building

Communication skills

Campaign planning

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Admin/Marketing/Communications/Health or related field

Tools

Raiser's Edge NXT

MS Office

Job description

Description

Reporting to the Director of Individual Giving, the Associate Director of Individual Giving will be responsible for growing and retaining a portfolio of mid-level donors through targeted stewardship activities and solicitations. This position strategically increases revenue from individuals who can make donations of $1,000 - $2,500. A key component of this position will be retaining, increasing average gifts, qualifying, and moving mid-level donors to entry-level major gifts of $1,000 - $2,500. The Associate Director will work with the Director of Individual Giving to raise awareness about planned giving and manage planned giving administration for legacy gifts.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Mid-Level Giving Program (55%)

• Develop and maintain a program of mid-level donors and prospects with the capacity to make a gift of $1,000 to $2,500.
• Collaborate with the Director of Individual Giving to spearhead the implementation of annual and campaign fundraising and stewardship strategies to cultivate existing donors to renew and upgrade their support.
• Develop and implement a moves management system for mid-level donors to deepen the American Kidney Fund’s (AKF) major donor pipeline.
• Collaborate with the Senior Director of Individual Giving, and Director of Individual Giving, to develop an annual plan and budget for the mid-level giving program.
• Help develop and execute digital and non-digital cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for mid-level donors, focusing on retention, increasing average gifts, moving donors to the Major Gifts program, and planned gifts.
• Collaborate with the Director of Individual Giving and Director of Digital Fundraising to manage cross-channel promotions that support fundraising campaigns and ensure consistent alignment and messaging across channels.
• Establish and build relationships with mid-level donors via phone calls, mailings, emails, and other communications to inspire them to increase their annual gift.
• Collaborate with the Individual Giving Team on non-digital and digital strategies for mid-level donor appeals and communications, including messaging and donor segmentation.

Major Gifts Pipeline Development (20%)

• Qualify donors from the mid-level program to move to major gifts when appropriate.
• Work alongside the Director of Individual Giving to facilitate a smooth transition to major gifts for qualified donors at the $5,000+ level.
• Work with the Individual Giving team to identify major gift prospects from the mid-level donor pool.
• Use Raiser’s Edge NXT to document donor touch points, ensuring key donor information is recorded, and pertinent research is captured.
• Work with the Director of Individual Giving to maintain participation in workplace giving programs, including but not limited to the timely completion of required applications and related documentation, updating promotional materials, and serving as primary contact for AKF charity events.

Planned Giving (20%)

• Collaborate with the Sr. Director of Individual Giving, Director of Individual Giving, and Legal Counsel to efficiently handle estates, pending distributions, and planned giving prospects.
• Work with the Sr. Director of Individual Giving, Director of Individual Giving, and Director of Digital Fundraising to continue to build a sustainable pipeline of future bequests through coordinated cross-channel campaigns.
• Work with the Director of Individual Giving to oversee the tracking reports for planned giving, including bequests and estate gifts.
• Develop and nurture relationships with planned giving donor prospects through meetings, phone calls, mailings, emails, and other communications to encourage them to think about making legacy gifts.
• Work with the Director of Individual Giving, Director of Digital Fundraising, and external vendors to promote the planned giving program and increase awareness, aiming to generate future bequest revenue.

Other Duties as Assigned (5%)

• Provide high-quality customer service by managing the 1–800-line, website inquiries, requests for additional materials, and maintaining communication documentation.
• Travel as needed for donor meetings, up to 10% of the time.

Requirements

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, Health or a related field.
  3 - 5 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, particularly with engaging individual donors, implementing fundraising campaigns, and meeting revenue targets.
• Demonstrated ability to problem solve effectively while juggling multiple projects, responsibilities, and tasks.
  High degree of integrity and good judgment in working with donors.
• Strong ability to collaborate with others.
• Knowledge of prospect screening and research tools.
• Ability to manage confidential information and observe donor privacy protocols.

Preferred

• Proficient and in-depth knowledge of MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint) and fundraising database software (Raisers Edge, or similar software) a plus.
• Mid-level fundraising experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting planned giving initiatives is a plus.

COMPETENCIES

• Relationship building and communication skills
• Appropriately track fundraising campaigns.
• Excellent relationship-building skills and donor focus.

The salary range displayed is for a successful candidate hired in the DMV area. The salary range may be adjusted to reflect cost of living factors for candidates living outside of this location.

Employee benefits:

In addition to your competitive salary, paid holidays, vacation, sick and personal days; health, dental, and vision coverage; life insurance and disability coverages; and a generous matching 403(b) retirement plan, we’ll shower you with perks, including:

• Culture: We ensure our team knows how much they are valued, as demonstrated by our Quality Work Environment (QWE) Task Force and employee-led recognition and social events throughout the year.
• Compressed work week: Start the weekend early with shorter workdays on Fridays—closing at 3 p.m. from Labor Day to Memorial Day and 2 p.m. in the summer.
• Flexibility: Employees work from home most of the time with 1-4 days a month in the office.
• Clear expectations: You’ll know what you need to do to succeed; annual raises and bonuses for all employees are based on your performance.
• Location: Convenient location and a short walk to the popular Pike and Rose shopping center
• Parking:Arrive and leave work comfortably, thanks to an underground parking garage whose monthly cost is paid for by AKF. Metro subsidies are provided for those who do not drive.
• Dress code: Business casual through the week and casual on Fridays.

AKF offers a hybrid work schedule with employees working in the office 1-4 days per month and telework the rest of the time.