Director, Individual Giving

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

About Sesame Workshop

Sesame Workshop is the global nonprofit behind Sesame Street and so much more. For over 50 years, we have worked at the intersection of education, media, and research, creating joyful experiences that enrich minds and expand hearts, all in service of empowering each generation to build a better world. Our beloved characters, iconic shows, outreach in communities, and more bring playful early learning to families in more than 190 countries and advance our mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Learn more atwww.sesame.organd follow Sesame Workshop onInstagram,TikTok, Facebook, and X.

Job Summary

The Director, Individual Giving is a fundraising professional responsible for the growth and performance of the Sesame Workshop's Individual Giving program. Reporting to the VP of Brand Marketing, this position leads a multi-channel program, with a focus on acquisition, retention, and long-term donor value. The role will work closely with Revenue and Development leadership to ensure Individual Giving supports Sesame's broader philanthropic growth strategy.

Responsibilities & Delivery

• Program Leadership & Strategy
  • Lead a 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
• Fundraising and Channel Optimization
  • Lead acquisition, retention, reactivation, conversion, and upgrade strategies across all donor segments through audience segmentation, personalization, testing, and optimization
  • Develop and optimize donor premium and incentive strategies, including product selection, design, testing, and fulfillment coordination

• Data, Analytics & Performance
  • 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
• Donor Pipeline Development
  • 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

• Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Lead cross-functional planning and execution in partnership with Brand Marketing, Revenue, Audience Development, Marketing Operations, and Brand Creative teams to ensure alignment on fundraising priorities and delivery of goals
  • Manage Direct Mail and related vendor relationships supporting fundraising, acquisition, retention, analytics, and membership initiatives
  • Partner with Brand Marketing, Comms, and Revenue teams to develop compelling cases for support, donor messaging frameworks, and fundraising narratives that drive engagement and giving
  • Serve as a key collaborator with the Major Gift team to align on donor segmentation thresholds, pipeline criteria, and joint stewardship strategies

This role serves as the day-to day leader of Sesame Workshop's Individual Giving growth engine, ensuring donor acquisition, engagement, retention, and revenue generation are managed as an integrated business rather than a collection of independent campaigns.

This role may perform other related duties as needed to support team and organizational priorities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degreerequired; advanced degree a plus
• 7+ years of progressive experience in individual giving or development, with demonstrated success in donor retention, upgrade, and pipeline growth
• Experience building or scaling an individual giving program;
• Experience managing vendors, agencies, consultants, or cross-functional project teams required; direct people management experience a plus
• 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

Sesame Workshop Hybrid Work Policy

This position is based at our headquarters office in New York (Manhattan) at 1900 Broadway, New York, NY, and follows a hybrid work model. In-office requirements vary by role and employee group, and currently range from two to five designated in-office days per week.

Pay Transparency Policy Statement

As a federal contractor, Sesame Workshop follows Pay Transparency and non-discrimination provisions as guided by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Equal Opportunity Employment (EOE) Statement

Sesame Workshop is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy-related condition, familial status, domestic violence victim status, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

PSEA Statement

Sesame Workshop is an equal-opportunity employer. All employment decisions are based on the business needs, job requirements & suitability of the candidate. Sesame Workshop strictly follows the Child Safeguarding Policy, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of program participants from exploitation and to clarify the responsibilities of Sesame Workshop staff, consultants, visitors to the program and partner organization, and the standards of behavior expected from them.