Direct Response Fundraising Manager

Operation-Smil; Virginia Beach (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Operation Smile is seeking a Manager, Direct Response Fundraising to drive growth of its mass-market donor file. You will oversee day-to-day multichannel campaigns, collaborate with agencies and internal partners, and ensure campaigns align with approved strategies and budgets.

You will work with data teams to optimize audience targeting, coordinate materials in multiple languages, and support annual planning and performance reporting.

Qualifications

• Strong project management and ability to coordinate multiple campaigns and stakeholders.
• Comfort with performance data and translating results into recommendations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for agency partners and internal teams.
• Experience with donor acquisition across multichannel channels is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day execution of multichannel donor acquisition campaigns across DRTV, direct mail, face-to-face fundraising, telemarketing, select digital channels, and SMS campaigns.
• Serve as primary liaison with fundraising agencies, vendors, and internal partners to keep projects on schedule and within budget.
• Maintain integrated campaign calendars, project plans, and status reports for cross-functional teams.
• Coordinate review of concept presentations, copy, creative, scripts, and production assets with stakeholders.
• Support Spanish-language fundraising materials and coordination with bilingual internal teams and agencies.
• Collaborate with Data and Analytics to support audience selection, segmentation, and data quality control.
• Develop presentations, campaign recaps, business reviews and annual plans; monitor performance and summarize results for leadership.
• Ensure organized campaign files and SOPs; stay informed on DR fundraising trends and best practices.

Skills

Project management

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Data-driven decision making

Tools

Blackbaud CRM

Luminate Online

Tatango

Job description

General Description:The Manager, Direct Response Fundraising supports the growth and long-term value of Operation Smile’s mass-market donor file through multichannel campaigns. Reporting to the Director of Multichannel Fundraising, this role manages day-to-day execution of donor acquisition across DRTV, direct mail, face-to-face fundraising, telemarketing, select digital channels, and cultivation efforts for English-speaking core single-gift donors.The Manager serves as a key liaison with fundraising agencies and internal partners, coordinating campaign schedules, creative reviews, meetings, reporting, invoicing, and other deliverables. The position may also support the review and coordination of Spanish-language fundraising materials in partnership with internal stakeholders and external agencies. This role requires strong project management, attention to detail, comfort with performance data, and the ability to manage multiple campaigns and stakeholders.Essential Functions:Manage the day-to-day execution of multichannel donor acquisition campaigns across direct mail, DRTV, telemarketing, face-to-face fundraising and select digital channels.Serve as a primary day-to-day liaison with fundraising agencies, vendors, and internal partners, ensuring projects remain on schedule, within budget, and aligned with approved strategies.Maintain integrated campaign calendars, project plans, status reports, meeting notes, and other documentation needed to keep campaigns and stakeholders organized.Participate in agency status meetings, track decisions and action items, and follow up with responsible parties to ensure timely completion.Coordinate the routing, review, and approval of concept presentations, campaign copy, creative, scripts, production files, proofs and quality control.Review campaign materials for accuracy, brand alignment, donor focus, offer consistency, and adherence to approved strategy.Support the review and coordination of Spanish-language fundraising materials in partnership with bilingual internal stakeholders, translators, and agency partners.Work with the Data and Analytics team to support audience selection, segmentation, campaign coding, source-code setup, data requests, and quality-control.Develop presentations, campaign recaps, business reviews and annual plans.Monitor campaign performance and prepare clear summaries of results, trends, risks, and opportunities for internal stakeholders, helping translate findings into recommendations for future campaigns.Collaborate with Global Marketing & Communications, Donor Care and Data and Analytics to support integrated donor experiences.Maintain organized campaign files, historical results, samples, standard operating procedures, and other shared resources.Stay informed about direct response fundraising trends, emerging channels, agency capabilities, and nonprofit industry best practices.Support peak fundraising periods and special projects as assigned to increase revenue, improve donor engagement, and strengthen team efficiency.Support SMS and MMS fundraising campaigns, reviewing audience selection, copy and URLs.Support the planning and execution of test tactics and upper-funnel audience-growth initiatives, including brand collaborations, partnerships, events, and activations designed to increase awareness, engagement, and future donor acquisition.Track campaign budgets, expenses, invoices, and forecasts in coordination with agency partners, Finance, and Procurement, identifying potential variances or issues for escalation.Strong project management, organizational, and communication skills, with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple campaigns, deadlines, agencies, vendors, and internal stakeholders.Ability to review creative, copy, proofs, data, and campaign documentation for accuracy and translate performance results into clear summaries, presentations, and recommendations.Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint, and familiarity with project management tools and donor databases.Working knowledge of donor acquisition, cultivation, retention and reactivation.Self-starter who can work effectively and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.Experience with Blackbaud CRM, Luminate Online, and Tatango, or comparable fundraising platforms is preferred.Spanish-language proficiency and prior fundraising or marketing agency experience are preferred.Ability and willingness to travel domestically up to four times per year for agency meetings, conferences, or other organizational needs.