Senior Director, Annual Giving and Operations

About the Organization:

It is an exciting time at the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) as we continue to undertake our mission. We know that creating long-term solutions to food security requires more than meals. It requires education, training, and collaboration. We are seeking people with strong ideas and a passion to come together to address the complex interrelated issues of food security, poverty, and equity. We are expanding in multiple ways: providing food for today and addressing the root causes of hunger by partnering with organizations that provide critical services like job training programs, health care, and education. Food has the power to transform lives and move everyone forward. Find out how on our website at capitalareafoodbank.org. Let us discuss how food is at the center of everyone's healthy life!

Description:

The Senior Director of Annual Giving and Operations leads Capital Area Food Bank’s mass-market fundraising strategy and the systems that power it, with oversight of the Donor Services team, CRM strategy, and development operations. This role carries full responsibility for the revenue performance of direct mail, digital fundraising, and monthly giving programs, and is also responsible for developing CAFB’s planned giving strategy and overseeing the administration of incoming bequests.

Reporting to the Deputy Chief Development Officer and serving on the Development Leadership Team, this position drives sustainable revenue growth, strengthens donor experience, and ensures operational excellence. The role oversees fundraising programs generating $10M+ annually and manages the Donor Services team.

Essential Functions:

Fundraising Strategy & Infrastructure

• Own and achieve annual revenue targets for direct mail, digital fundraising, and monthly giving, with full accountability for acquisition, retention, upgrade, and ROI performance.
• Develop and manage revenue forecasts and expense budgets; monitor performance and adjust strategy to meet financial goals.
• Lead a multi-channel fundraising program that drives donor acquisition, renewal, reactivation, and upgrade through data-informed segmentation.
• Articulate a clear point of view on best-in-class direct marketing strategy; evaluate and challenge vendor recommendations based on data and performance goals.
• Lead structured campaign planning and project management to ensure timely execution and strong internal collaboration.
• Partner with Major Gifts colleagues to strengthen the mid-level pipeline and integrate planned giving marketing into annual fundraising channels.
• Monitor industry trends and proactively recommend strategies to increase long-term donor value.
• Hold vendors and agencies accountable for measurable financial performance and innovation.
• Develop and apply a strong understanding of CAFB’s programs, impact data, and strategic priorities to craft compelling, mission-aligned messaging for mass-market donors—adapting as priorities and external conditions evolve.
• Partner closely with Marketing & Communications to ensure consistent voice and brand alignment across all appeals, proactively updating web and collateral content and collaborating on integrated advertising and social strategies that support fundraising goals.

Development Operations, CRM Strategy & Vendor Leadership

• Serve as the strategic owner of CAFB’s CRM ecosystem, ensuring systems support revenue growth, donor experience, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Lead and manage external CRM and technology vendors, setting priorities and holding partners accountable for performance and deliverables.
• Define and prioritize CRM enhancements and cross-functional system improvement projects that improve donor tracking, reporting accuracy, lifecycle management, and the external giving experience.
• Establish governance standards for data integrity, reporting consistency, and system usage across Development.
• Partner with Finance and IT to ensure accurate reconciliation, system security, and data reliability.
• Evaluate emerging tools and practices to strengthen efficiency and donor engagement.

Planned Giving Strategy

• Lead strategy for CAFB’s planned giving program, integrating legacy marketing into annual fundraising channels.
• Oversee the administration and stewardship of planned gifts, including bequests and IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), ensuring timely acknowledgment, internal coordination, and compliance with organizational policies.
• Partner with Major Gifts to identify and coordinate outreach to high-capacity legacy prospects.
• Strengthen donor education, recognition, and stewardship related to planned gifts.
• Ensure readiness to accept complex gifts in partnership with Finance and external advisors.

Team Leadership and Budget Management

• Supervise and develop Donor Services staff.
• Ensure effective deployment of resources to support revenue goals.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner on the Development Leadership Team.
• Partner cross-functionally across CAFB to shape and align mission-driven, data-informed donor messaging that advances fundraising goals.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 12+years of progressively responsible non-profit fundraising experience, including significant leadership of direct mail and digital annual giving programs.
• Demonstrated success leading a multi-channel annual giving program generating at least $5 million in annual revenue, with ownership for revenue targets and performance outcomes.
• Experience managing direct mail and digital fundraising programs at scale, including vendor and budget management.
• Proven ability to forecast revenue, manage acquisition and retention performance, and improve cost per dollar raised.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize and coordinate multiple projects and relationships.
• Demonstrated experience managing and leveraging CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) to drive effective segmentation, reporting, performance analysis, and strategic decision-making.
• Experience designing and implementing effective donor marketing and stewardship materials across channels.
• Demonstrated strategic judgment in evaluating vendor recommendations and external best practices.
• Strong understanding of donor lifecycle strategy, retention optimization, and long-term value growth.
• Ability to communicate financial performance and strategic insights clearly to both senior leadership and non-technical audiences.
• Experience supervising teams and fostering a collaborative and performance-driven work culture.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; comfort learning and working within multiple digital platforms.

Physical Demands + Working Conditions:

• Work is performed in an office environment and requires the ability to operate standard office equipment and keyboards.
• Required to speak and listen effectively, both in person and over the phone.

Reporting:

• This role reports to the Deputy Chief Development Officer

Application Process:

• Interested applicants must submit a cover letter and resume. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Please Note: We do not accept walk-in applications or in-person status updates for any positions. All applicants must apply online. To check the status of your application, please log in to your personal Paycom application account. We kindly ask that applicants do not call to inquire about application status. Our HR team will contact you directly if you are selected for the next step in the hiring process.

Compensation:

• $ 134900 to 182600 /annually

Schedule:

• Regular work hours are Monday - Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM; with weekends or extended hours as assigned for special events or projects.
• This role is hybrid with 3 days in office, 2 days remote.

NOTE: Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

We Offer: At Capital Area Food Bank, we understand that great people make a great organization. We value our people and offer employees a broad range of benefits including competitive compensation and benefits, free onsite parking, complimentary shuttle to metro (DC), professional development, growth, and volunteer opportunities, fun work in a diverse environment.

EEO Statement:

Capital Area Food Bank welcomes and supports a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are committed to equal employment opportunities (EEO) for all applicants seeking employment and for all our employees. CAFB makes employment decisions based on organizational needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, personal appearance, military status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, political affiliation, educational status, unemployment status, place of residence or business, source of income, reproductive health decision making or any other characteristic protected by law. Additionally, harassment or discrimination based on these characteristics will not be tolerated at CAFB. To perform the essential functions of this position, reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities.

We offer a broad range of benefits including competitive compensations and benefits, including:

• Dollar for dollar 401K match
• Pre-tax transportation benefits
• Complimentary shuttle to metro (DC)
• Free parking (DC and VA)
• Annual professional development funds
• Variety of mental health resources