Manager, Annual Giving Programs

The expected salary for this role is $65,000 - $80,000, with flexibility based on experience and qualifications.

Job Title: Manager, Annual Giving Programs

Department: Advancement

Reports To: Director of Major Gifts

FLSA Status: Exempt

Organization Overview: Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses – many of whom go on to beat their illnesses and credit the wish with giving them the physical and emotional strength they need to persevere. Working at the #1 national charity operating locally, you will have the opportunity to help children with critical illnesses to reclaim their childhood, families to experience life beyond illness, and entire communities to rally together in moments of transformational joy. Make-A-Wish is the only organization with such a unique ability to restore hope for children and families who have experienced the emotional and mental trauma of fighting pediatric critical illness.

Position Summary: The Manager is responsible for leading donor engagement strategies that build a strong foundation for individual giving growth at Make-A-Wish Los Angeles. This role oversees all aspects of annual giving, including donor acquisition, first-time donors, recurring donor cultivation, and donor upgrade strategies and opportunities. The Manager designs and executes segmented campaigns across email, direct mail, and social media – in collaboration with the Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications and the Director of Major Gifts. The Manager will develop stewardship programs that deepen engagement and loyalty and manage giving societies. This position will carry a modest portfolio of mid-level donors to deepen relationships and support the major gift pipeline.

Essential Responsibilities:

Annual Giving Strategy and Execution

• Develop, calendar, and implement a comprehensive annual giving plan focused on donor retention and upgrades.
• Lead the segmentation of donor programs (first-time donors welcome series, recurring donor program, giving societies, and new programs such as grateful families).
• Plan and execute multi-channel campaigns (across print, digital, email) tied to local events, key calendar/holiday moments, and national campaigns.

Donor Retention and Programmatic Engagement

• Design stewardship journeys tailored to donor type and giving behaviors, including impact updates, acknowledgement process improvements, and recognition strategies.
• Manage and grow monthly giving program through retention metrics, personalized communications, and upgrade strategies.
• Support the strategy of annual refresh of giving societies (benefits, communication, renewal cadence) in collaboration with Director of Major Gifts and Manager, Community and Group Fundraising.
• Develop and launch, in partnership with Director of Major Gifts, new donor engagement programs to strengthen community connection and diversity the donor pipeline (Grateful Family Program).
• Collaborate with Program and Volunteers to identify and steward families and volunteers with potential to become ambassadors, donors, or P2P fundraisers.

Campaign Management

• Execute appeals in partnership with mail house and design partners; collaborate with Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications on compelling content, storytelling, and data segmentation.
• Oversee email appeals and digital giving days, coordinating with Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications on timing and content development.
• Track and report on campaign performance and utilize data analytics to refine segmentation and messaging over time.

Portfolio Management

• Manage a modest portfolio of 50 loyal, mid-level donors with major gift upgrade potential
• Collaborate with Director of Major Gifts to refer donors for the major gift pipeline development as appropriate.
• Utilize CRM and analytics tools to segment audiences, monitor donor behavior, and assess campaign impact.
• Track KPIs and metrics including donor renewal rates, open rates, upgrades, and retention metrics and regularly report progress to Director of Major Gifts.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university
• 4+ years of experience in fundraising, marketing, or nonprofit communications, with at least 2 years in annual giving roles.
• Demonstrated success in campaign execution, content development, donor segmentation and engagement.
• Strong project management and writing skills with attention to details and deadlines.
• Proficiency with CRM systems and data tracking.
• Knowledge of the donor lifecycle and storytelling best practices.
• Collaborative, data-driven, and mission-oriented.

Benefits include: health, vision, dental, short and long-term disability insurance; paid time off, and paid holidays.

Physical Demands: The physical demands 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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is frequently required to talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee must be able to occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision.