Associate Director, Individual Giving (Astraea)

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice; New York (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 127,000; Full time

Job summary

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice seeks an Associate Director, Individual Giving to lead and grow Astraea’s donor program in the New York area. You will steward a dedicated donor portfolio, design campaigns, and collaborate with senior leadership to expand annual and planned gifts.

You will report to the Senior Director of Philanthropic Partnerships, supervise fellow fundraisers, and travel as needed to engage donors and partners in advancing LGBTQI and social justice movements.

Qualifications

• Seven+ years of fundraising experience with proven success cultivating and stewarding individual donors.
• Track record securing gifts of $25k+, with experience across direct individuals, family foundations, donor-advised funds and planned giving.
• Experience developing fundraising strategy and leading frontline fundraisers or development team members.
• Knowledge of social justice, human rights or philanthropic fields; public foundation or women’s fund experience is a plus.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills; strong organizational abilities and deadline management.
• Willingness to travel ~25% post-pandemic.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage donor stewardship and cultivation strategies; build and monitor relationships with prospects and donors.
• Oversee the design and implementation of fundraising campaigns with Development and Communications teams.
• Mentor and supervise frontline fundraisers and Development staff; collaborate with senior leadership on strategy.
• Identify donors with growth potential and coordinate moves management with senior staff.
• Cultivate donors through planned giving, corporate matching and events.
• Manage a personal portfolio of ~100 donors and solicit annual, multi-year and planned gifts.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor stewardship

Leadership

Strategic planning

Communication

Job description

Associate Director, Individual Giving (Astraea)

Posted on November 20, 2020

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is the only philanthropic organization working exclusively to advance LGBTQI human rights around the globe. We support brilliant and brave grantee partners in the U.S. and internationally who challenge oppression and seed change. We work for racial, economic, social and gender justice because we all deserve to live our lives freely, without fear, and with dignity.

The first grantmaker to hundreds of organizations, Astraea plays a catalytic role for LGBTQI groups around the world - particularly those led by lesbian, bisexual and queer women, trans and gender nonconforming folks, intersex people, and people of color. Our grantmaking, capacity building, media and communications, and philanthropic advocacy programs support their work to build powerful movements for justice. A proud public foundation and one of the first women’s funds in the world, Astraea has granted over $46million to LGBTQI activists and artists in our 43-year history.

POSITION DESCRIPTION – Full Time (35 hrs/wk with benefits)

Are you passionate about mobilizing resources for grassroots movements? Are you a fearless fundraiser who loves bringing donors into social justice work and helping them align their resources with movement needs? Do you have strategic expertise that you’d like to contribute to advancing Astraea’s critical mission at this pivotal time for the world? Do you find fulfillment in team leadership and mentorship of up-and-coming fellow fundraisers? We are looking for you to join Astraea’s close-knit, committed and leaderful Development team!

Building on a decade of institutional and programmatic growth, Astraea is excited to be bolstering our Development team as part of a holistic strategy to support our long-term sustainability as a resource partner to our movements. One of three new positions, the Associate Director, Individual Giving will lead and manage Astraea’s individual donor program. Individual giving has accounted for 10-20% of Astraea’s revenue for the past several years. We are looking to diversify our resources, first via deeper stewardship of our current individual donors and then by expanding our donor base in the coming years. Reporting to the Senior Director of Philanthropic Partnerships, working in close collaboration with the Development Officer, Individual Giving, and partnering with Astraea’s senior leadership and Board, the Associate Director will oversee and execute an overall plan for donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship as well as hold a dedicated portfolio of donors.

The ideal candidate will live in the greater New York region and be able to travel regularly (at least one to two times a month) to New York City if they are not based in NYC.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategy and Leadership
  • Develop and manage strategies to strengthen donor stewardship and cultivation, including determining and monitoring relationships with prospects and donors; identifying those to be involved in cultivation, stewardship and solicitation; and ensuring that solicitations are carried out
  • Oversee the design and implementation of fundraising campaigns in partnership with Development and Communications teams
  • Collaborate closely with the Development Officer, Individual Giving on strategy development and moves management, while providing mentorship and supervision
  • Partner with the Senior Donor Systems and Database Manager and the Development Officer, Individual Giving to identify and move donors that have the potential to deepen their commitments
  • Further develop strategies to cultivate individual donors, such as planned giving, corporate matching and ERG engagement, and events
• Develop and execute strategies to sustain and grow a robust individual giving program, including cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of Astraea’s 700+ active individual donors
• Manage a personal portfolio of approximately 100 donors (portfolio strategy to be finalized with Development team), building close relationships and soliciting annual, multi-year and planned gifts
• Produce thoughtful donor communications that connect individual donors to our mission and programs
• Plan and execute donor engagement activities that bring individual donors close to our work
• Strategically involve senior Astraea leadership, Board and Program colleagues in donor cultivation
• Identify and execute strategies to reach new donors, including via prospect research
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum seven years’ experience fundraising, including proven success cultivating and stewarding individual donors
• Demonstrated track record of securing gifts of at least $25k and above, with preference for experience working with donors from grassroots to six figures across different types of giving (direct individuals, family foundations, donor-advised funds, planned giving, etc.)
• Demonstrated track record developing and leading fundraising strategy, including team leadership and supervision of frontline fundraisers and/or other Development team members
• Experience in and knowledge of social justice, human rights and/or philanthropic fields; experience at a public foundation or women’s fund a plus
• Excellent interpersonal skills to manage a wide variety of internal and external relationships
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Exceptional organizational skills and ability to handle multiple and often competing deadlines
• Ability to work efficiently, collaboratively and flexibly as part of a team
• Commitment to and knowledge of issues facing domestic and global LGBTQI, feminist and racial, economic and gender justice movements
• Passion for Astraea’s mission as a public foundation and women’s fund
• Ability to travel approximately 25% of work schedule, post-pandemic

COMPENSATION

Astraea offers a competitive salary and benefits for this position, including resources for professional development. The starting annual compensation is $110,000. U.S. work authorization is required.

Astraea is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse (multi-gender, cross-class and multi-racial), collaborative and sustainable work environment. We strongly encourage all to apply, especially Black, Indigenous and People of Color; lesbian, bisexual, queer, trans and gender non-conforming people; intersex people; and people with disabilities.

For more information visit www.astraeafoundation.org.