Director, Donor Experiences & Hospitality

U.S. Soccer Federation; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Soccer Federation in Atlanta, GA is seeking a Director, Donor Experiences & Hospitality to lead strategy, development, and execution of donor experiences and hospitality programs, building on the World Cup 2026 platform and positioning the Federation for future campaigns.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Strategic Philanthropy, you will shape the long-term vision, manage a small team, partner with advancement units, and drive revenue through premium experiences and events across

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 8+ years in advancement, fundraising, or donor experiences.
• Proven track record generating philanthropic revenue.
• Experience building or scaling donor experiences and hospitality programs.
• Strong strategic thinking, leadership, and collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead a comprehensive donor experiences and hospitality strategy aligned with fundraising priorities and campaigns.
• Build operating model, roadmap, standards, and scalable systems to support long‑term fundraising growth.
• Hire, supervise, and develop a team of 2–3 direct reports.
• Develop and execute an annual donor experiences strategy and calendar for cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and upgrades.
• Design donor experiences, including events, tenure recognition, matchday hospitality, and VIP engagement.
• Create innovative donor experiences that support fundraising through premium opportunities and campaigns.
• Position facilities as premier engagement sites and leverage signature assets for donor growth.
• Collaborate across departments to ensure donor experiences support acquisition, retention, and ROI.
• Establish standards, procedures, and ROI metrics; manage budgets and vendor relationships.
• Identify trends and best practices to keep U.S. Soccer a leader in donor engagement.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Donor engagement

Fundraising events

Campaign management

Communication

Budget management

Team development

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce CRM

Microsoft Office

Job description

U.S. Soccer Overview

The U.S. Soccer Federation exists in service to soccer. Our aim is to ignite a national passion for the game. Because we believe that soccer is more than a sport; it is a force for good.

Job Type

Full-time

Description

The U.S. Soccer Federation exists in service to soccer. Our aim is to ignite a national passion for the game. Because we believe that soccer is more than a sport; it is a force for good.
We understand the importance and the power of teamwork, on and off the pitch. That is why we work closely with our Federation partners and members, to inspire, support and guide every level of the game: from the grassroots to the National Teams. We want to bring soccer into every home and every community, right across America. Because we believe that soccer can transform lives like no other sport. Soccer can represent the best of U.S.
U.S. Soccer is in a period of significant growth, with ambitious plans for U.S. Soccer in the near and far future. We are, therefore, looking for dynamic servant leaders to join us on this journey: in service to soccer. Applicants must be able to demonstrate visionary leadership, analytical decision-making, professional flexibility, and an empathic management style that builds bold teams and delivers globally significant results.

Position Description

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Strategic Philanthropy, the Director, Donor Experiences & Hospitality will lead the strategy, development, and execution of U.S. Soccer's donor experiences and hospitality program, building on the successful donor engagement platform established during FIFA World Cup 2026 and positioning the Federation for the road to the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup and beyond.
This leader will transform donor experiences and hospitality into a strategic fundraising platform that generates philanthropic revenue, cultivates, retains, and deepens relationships with U.S. Soccer supporters, and advances U.S. Soccer’s $250 million comprehensive campaign through meaningful, world-class engagement.
Working collaboratively across Advancement and the broader Federation, the Director will establish the long-term vision, operating model, and standards for donor experiences while leading a team responsible for hospitality, fundraising events, and VIP engagement. Leveraging marquee matches, international competitions, the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, and other signature Federation assets, this role will create scalable donor experiences that strengthen fundraising, stewardship, and long-term philanthropic growth.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and lead a comprehensive donor experiences and hospitality strategy aligned with U.S. Soccer's fundraising priorities, the Federation's $250 million comprehensive campaign, and long-term philanthropic growth.
• Build and lead the donor experiences and hospitality function by establishing its operating model, strategic roadmap, hospitality standards, organizational structure, and scalable systems that support long-term fundraising growth.
• Hire, supervise, mentor, and develop a team of 2–3 direct reports, while assessing future staffing and organizational needs as the donor experiences function expands.
• Develop and execute an annual donor experiences strategy and calendar that intentionally supports cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, donor retention, upgrades, recognition, campaign priorities, and executive engagement.
• Design and oversee U.S. Soccer's portfolio of donor experiences, including cultivation events, fundraising events, stewardship and recognition activities, matchday hospitality, VIP experiences, campaign celebrations, behind-the-scenes access, and other engagement opportunities that strengthen philanthropic relationships and inspire deeper investment.
• Develop innovative donor experience strategies that directly support fundraising, including bespoke cultivation events, campaign experiences, premium hospitality opportunities, and future revenue-generating donor packages surrounding FIFA World Cups, international competitions, and other signature Federation events.
• Position the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center as a premier destination for donor engagement, stewardship, fundraising, and hospitality by creating innovative donor experiences that leverage one of the Federation's most distinctive philanthropic assets.
• Partner closely with Annual Fund, Stewardship, Major Gifts, Principal Gifts, Advancement Marketing & Communications, and Advancement Services to ensure donor experiences are intentionally designed to support acquisition, cultivation, stewardship, retention, upgrades, and fundraising outcomes—not simply event execution.
• Collaborate across Commercial, Sporting, Marketing & Communications, Event Operations, and other cross-federation departments to deliver integrated donor experiences aligned with Federation priorities.
• Establish standards, project management systems, operational procedures, and hospitality best practices that ensure donor experiences are executed consistently, efficiently, and at the highest level of quality.
• Develop and manage departmental budgets, hospitality investments, vendor relationships, venue contracts, and strategic partnerships while ensuring responsible financial stewardship.
• Establish key performance indicators and evaluation metrics to measure donor engagement, fundraising impact, donor retention, hospitality effectiveness, operational excellence, and return on investment.
• Identify emerging trends, innovative hospitality concepts, and best practices that position U.S. Soccer as a leader in donor engagement and philanthropic hospitality.
• Promote a culture of exceptional hospitality and donor-centered service throughout the Federation.
• Support the overall goals of the Advancement department.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required
• 8+ years of progressive leadership experience in advancement, fundraising, donor engagement, or donor experiences and hospitality, including experience building or significantly scaling experiential fundraising programs.
• Proven track record of generating philanthropic revenue through events and experiences
• Experience building from the ground up or significantly scaling donor experiences and hospitality programming
• Ability to build the strategy, systems, processes, staffing model, and measures of success for a growing function
• Experience hiring, supervising, coaching, and developing professional staff.
• Proven ability to think strategically while successfully leading complex initiatives from concept through execution.
• Strong project management, organizational, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience managing budgets, negotiating contracts, and overseeing vendor and partner relationships.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills with the ability to influence stakeholders across all levels of an organization.
• Experience utilizing Salesforce or a comparable CRM platform preferred.
• General knowledge of soccer preferred.
• Must be able to connect "microt" details to "macro" vision and mission.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and travel as needed.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).

U.S. Soccer offers a comprehensive compensation package, casual work environment, an inclusive culture, and an atmosphere for professional development.

U.S. Soccer is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, citizenship, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, military status, political belief, or any other characteristic protected under the law. This policy applies to all our employment practices within our organization. We strongly encourage women, people of color, LGBTQIA, veterans, parents, and persons with disabilities to apply