Director, Donor Growth & Engagement

Sesame Workshop; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Sesame Workshop is seeking a Director of Individual Giving to lead a multi-channel program focused on donor acquisition, retention, and lifetime value. Reporting to the VP of Brand Marketing, the role guides strategy, budgeting, and donor stewardship to fuel Sesame's philanthropic growth.

Based at Sesame's New York headquarters with a hybrid work model, the director will collaborate across Revenue, Brand Marketing, and Major Gifts to maximize donor engagement and program performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree a plus.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in individual giving or development.
• Experience building or scaling an individual giving program.
• Experience managing vendors, agencies, consultants, or cross-functional project teams.
• Experience with direct mail, paid media, and Salesforce.
• Proficiency with CRM systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong strategic thinking and project management skills.
• Passion for Sesame Workshop's mission to help children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder, and ability to serve as a compelling ambassador to donors and prospects.

Responsibilities

• Lead comprehensive and holistic individual giving strategy spanning donor acquisition, retention, recurring giving, donor upgrade, and long-term donor growth
• Support the development of annual goals, revenue projections, budgets, and performance benchmarks
• Lead the development and launch of Sesame's branded recurring donor membership program
• Develop donor engagement and stewardship strategies that deepen connection to Sesame Workshop, increase donor loyalty and lifetime value, and advance donors through the giving pipeline
• Own the day-to-day management of Individual Giving performance dashboards and KPIs, monitoring revenue, donor acquisition, retention, recurring giving, and other key metrics, and providing recommendations to optimize program performance
• Partner with Revenue Operations and Salesforce teams to improve donor segmentation, reporting, campaign tracking, and audience insights
• Analyze donor acquisition costs, retention trends, channel performance, and lifetime value to optimize resource allocation and maximize ROI
• Present performance insights, forecasts, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership to inform investment and growth decisions
• Develop donor engagement and upgrade strategies that advance donors through the giving pipeline—from first gift to recurring support and mid-level engagement—while increasing the number of high-potential donors ready for major gift qualification
• Partner closely with the Major Gifts team to identify, qualify, and transition high-potential individual donors, ensuring a warm handoff process that supports seamless portfolio cultivation and maximizes major gift conversion

Skills

Donor retention

Pipeline development

Strategic thinking

Project management

Excellent communication

CRM proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Sesame Workshop is seeking a Director of Individual Giving to lead a multi-channel program focused on donor acquisition, retention, and lifetime value. Reporting to the VP of Brand Marketing, the role guides strategy, budgeting, and donor stewardship to fuel Sesame's philanthropic growth.

Based at Sesame's New York headquarters with a hybrid work model, the director will collaborate across Revenue, Brand Marketing, and Major Gifts to maximize donor engagement and program performance.