Director of Annual Giving

League of American Orchestras; New York (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The League of American Orchestras in New York, NY seeks a seasoned Director of Annual Giving to lead and grow its multi-channel annual giving program, aligning messaging, donor acquisition, retention, and upgrade pathways with the organization’s mission.

You will collaborate across the Development team to design annual giving plans, manage stewardship of donors, produce annual reports and newsletters, and support events that deepen engagement and drive sustained operating support.

Qualifications

• Design, manage, a strategic multi-channel annual giving program that includes direct mail, digital/email campaigns, social media, and personal solicitations.
• Develop and execute an annual giving strategy with specific revenue targets, donor acquisition goals, retention benchmarks, and upgrade pathways.
• Evolve and expand League Giving Days concept to increase new donor acquisitions.
• Manage stewardship of all annual giving donors including benefit fulfillment, acknowledgment, and renewal communications.
• Analyze annual giving trends — including acquisition, retention, lapse, and upgrade rates — and proactively adjust strategies in response to data.
• Build and manage a mid-level giving program that serves as the critical pipeline to move annual fund donors to major gift prospects.
• Collaborate with development and communications staff to produce compelling appeal copy, impact messaging, and donor-facing materials that reflect the League's brand and mission.
• Submit a written annual giving plan to the VP of Development at the start of each fiscal year, with quarterly progress reports against stated goals.

Responsibilities

• Annual Giving Program Strategy & Growth: Design and manage a strategic multi-channel annual giving program including direct mail, digital campaigns, social media, and personal solicitations.
• Develop and execute an annual giving strategy with revenue targets, donor acquisition goals, retention benchmarks, and upgrade pathways.
• Evolve and expand League Giving Days to increase new donor acquisitions.
• Manage stewardship of all annual giving donors including benefit fulfillment, acknowledgment, and renewal communications.
• Analyze annual giving trends and adjust strategies based on data.
• Build and manage a mid-level giving program to funnel annual fund donors to major gifts.
• Collaborate with development and communications to produce compelling appeal copy and donor materials.

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Annual Giving is a senior member of the Development team, responsible for building and sustaining a pipeline of loyal, engaged donors who provide critical annual operating support for the League's mission. The position oversees a comprehensive annual giving program that is a critical piece of the League's overall fundraising program.

The Director is expected to work with significant independence, personal accountability, and a proactive mindset. The Director develops the annual giving plan for each fiscal year, including the schedule, messaging, and supplementary assets that drive the program to consistent growth.

The position also plays a key supporting role in the Development team's event programming and in the identification and cultivation of new League donors.

POSITION DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The duties that follow represent the primary responsibilities for this role. All employees are responsible for performing other duties as assigned. Primary responsibilities for this role include the following:

Annual Giving Program Strategy & Growth

• Design, manage, a strategic multi-channel annual giving program that includes direct mail, digital/email campaigns, social media, and personal solicitations.
• Develop and execute an annual giving strategy with specific revenue targets, donor acquisition goals, retention benchmarks, and upgrade pathways.
• Evolve and expand League Giving Days concept to increase new donor acquisitions.
• Manage stewardship of all annual giving donors including benefit fulfillment, acknowledgment, and renewal communications.
• Analyze annual giving trends — including acquisition, retention, lapse, and upgrade rates — and proactively adjust strategies in response to data.
• Build and manage a mid-level giving program that serves as the critical pipeline to move annual fund donors to major gift prospects.
• Collaborate with development and communications staff to produce compelling appeal copy, impact messaging, and donor-facing materials that reflect the League's brand and mission.
• Submit a written annual giving plan to the VP of Development at the start of each fiscal year, with quarterly progress reports against stated goals.

Donor Stewardship

• Oversee annual Impact Report, working with program staff to compile stories and data, selecting a designer, and managing the design and proofing process in coordination with the marketing team.
• Serve as staff liaison to the League’s Volunteer Council, supporting the Council’s membership growth and retention and encouraging philanthropic support for the League from Council members.
• Produce quarterly Donor Newsletter, writing content, coordinating photo selections with communications team, and ensuring that recipient lists are current.
• Plan and execute stewardship events including Donor Town Halls and the Donor Lounge at the League’s National Conference.
• Manage all aspects of assigned events — including logistics, vendor coordination, timelines, budgets, invitations, and post-event follow-up — delivering events that are professional, mission-aligned, and cost-effective.
• Serve as a key planning partner for the Director of Major Gifts for the League's annual Donor Appreciation Dinner and major donor events, with specific responsibility for the annual fund donor experience within those events.

Donor Discovery, Cultivation & Solicitation

• Manage a portfolio of mid-level prospects, conducting a minimum of 8–12 substantive donor interactions per month and managing relationships through a structured, strategic moves management process.
• Partner with the Director of Development, Major Gifts to identify annual fund donors ready for major gift qualification, ensuring smooth and well-coordinated portfolio transitions.
• Respond to all donor inquiries and communications within 24–48 hours.

Data Integrity & Reporting

• Maintain complete, timely, and accurate records of all donor interactions, gift data, and proposals in the CRM.
• Oversee the accuracy of annual fund giving records, including pledge schedules, gift agreements, and donor biographical information.
• Use data and analytics to drive decision-making, including identifying new and lapsed annual donors for re-engagement and adjusting cultivation strategies based on donor engagement.
• Generate and interpret regular reports on annual giving performance (response rates, average gift, retention rate, revenue by channel).
• Partner with development operations to identify and resolve data discrepancies and to improve tracking, reporting, and acknowledgment workflows.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands

• This role requires the routine use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and printers.
• This role requires using the English language to engage with internal and external stakeholders by phone, email, and in person. Employee is expected to be able to accurately exchange information with these stakeholders.

Work Environment

In the primary work environment, the noise level is quiet to moderate with ambient room temperatures, and lighting.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

The League is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, and training. The League makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.