Individual Giving - Assistant Director of Development

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet; Crest Hill (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

14 Holidays and 15 Vacation days

5 Paid Leave days and 9 Sick days

Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance

Flexible Spending Account

Long-Term Disability and LifeInsurance

403B Retirement Plan with employer-con

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Short-term Disability Insurance

Job summary

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet seeks an experienced fundraising professional to lead and grow the Individual Giving program. This role advances the mission by building meaningful donor relationships, strengthening engagement, and increasing philanthropic support for services across communities.

Reporting to the Director of Development, you will drive annual giving, stewardship, portfolio management, and engagement strategies that inspire generosity and lasting impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in a related field such as nonprofit management, communications, marketing, business, social services, theology or related field.

Responsibilities

• Lead fundraising & individual giving program, including annual appeals, donor renewal, retention, reactivation, and upgrades.
• Develop and manage annual appeal plans with internal partners.
• Manage donor relations with a portfolio of individuals and prospects.
• Maintain moves management to track cultivation, stewardship, solicitations, and next steps.
• Support major and planned giving through donor research, proposals, and stewardship.
• Ensure accurate donor records and data integrity in Raiser's Edge NXT.
• Collaborate to gather stories and impact data for donor communications.
• Develop donor-centered materials such as appeals, acknowledgments, stewardship updates, proposals, and reports.
• Monitor revenue, retention, average gift, appeal response, lapsed and upgraded donors.
• Represent the Agency at donor events and community functions.
• Supervise staff or volunteers and support their professional growth.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Donor relations

Fundraising

Communication

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Raiser’s Edge NXT

Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Teams)

Job description

Description

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet is seeking an experienced fundraising professional to lead and grow our individual giving program. This position plays a critical role in advancing our mission by building meaningful donor relationships, strengthening donor engagement, and increasing philanthropic support for programs that serve individuals, children, and families throughout our communities.

Reporting to the Director of Development, the Assistant Director of Development, Individual Giving will lead annual giving initiatives, donor stewardship efforts, portfolio management, and donor engagement strategies that inspire generosity and create lasting impact.

In addition to meaningful work, Catholic Charities offers an exceptional benefits package designed to support employee well-being and financial security, including 43 paid days off annually, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, and an employer-funded 403(b) retirement plan with no employee contribution required.

General Responsibilities

1. Lead the fundraising & individual giving program, including annual appeals, donor renewal, retention, reactivation, and upgrade strategies.
2. Develop and manage annual appeal plans in collaboration with Development, Communications, Programs, and other internal partners.
3. Manage donor relations. Maintain a portfolio of individual donors and prospects through regular outreach, meetings, stewardship, and solicitations.
4. Maintain a consistent moves management process to track cultivation steps, stewardship actions, solicitations, and next steps.
5. Support major and planned giving efforts through donor research, briefings, proposals, follow-up, and stewardship.
6. Ensure accurate donor records and data integrity in Raiser’s Edge NXT, including contact reports, gift information, coding, and segmentation.
7. Collaborate with internal partners to gather stories, data, and impact information that strengthen donor communications.
8. Develop donor-centered written materials such as appeals, acknowledgements, stewardship updates, proposals, and reports.
9. Monitor individual giving performance including revenue, retention, average gift, appeal response, lapsed and upgraded donors, and mid-level movement.
10. Represent the Agency at donor and community events including meetings, gatherings, and public functions.
11. Supervise staff or volunteers as assigned, depending on departmental needs.
12. Actively support supervised employees in achieving goals related to job performance, professional growth, and development, while fostering a culture of continuous learning and accountability.
13. Other duties as assigned within the guidelines of this position.

Why Join Catholic Charities?

• Time-off: 14 Holidays - 15 Vacation days - 5 Paid Leave days and 9 Sick days
• Medical/Dental/Vision Health Insurances
• Flexible Spending Account
• Long-Term Disability and Life Insurance
• 403B Retirement Plan with employer contributions
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Short-term Disability Insurance

Requirements

1. Bachelor’s degree required in a related field such as nonprofit management, communications, marketing, business, social services, theology or a related field.
2. Four or more years of fundraising/development experience, with five years preferred.
3. Experience in annual giving and donor engagement including stewardship, cultivation, direct response appeals, or major-gift support.
4. Knowledge of relationship-based fundraising practices such as moves management, segmentation, donor retention, and pipeline development.
5. Proficiency with donor databases; experience with Raiser’s Edge NXT preferred.
6. Strong relationship-building skills with donors, prospects, volunteers, board members, and community partners.
7. Excellent communication, organizational, and analytical abilities including writing donor-centered materials, public speaking to diverse audiences, managing multiple deadlines, and using data to inform strategy.
8. Evening and/or Saturday meetings may be required for donor meetings, Agency events, parish/community meetings, and occasional evening or weekend responsibilities.
9. Travel to the various Catholic Charities sites in the Diocese and other locations is expected based on Agency needs.
10. Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office applications including Outlook, Word, and Teams.
11. Adhere to the Agency’s Code of Ethics and conduct all responsibilities in accordance with the standards outlined in the Employee Handbook.
12. Passage of background clearance, valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and proof of liability insurance.