Director of Individual Giving

Department: Philanthropy

Supervisor: Vice President of Philanthropy

Overview

Reporting to the Vice President of Philanthropy, the Director of Individual Giving is an integral part of the Philanthropy team supporting Caramoor’s ambitious fundraising goals. This role is responsible for identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding an assigned portfolio of Caramoor donors and prospects in addition to providing supervisory oversight of the Membership Manager and Philanthropic Operations Associate.

This role requires strong project management, attention to detail, communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team. The successful candidate will be a tenacious self-starter, responsible for taking start-to-finish ownership of projects and their portfolio of donors. This role will also help ensure that best practice fundraising operational policies and procedures are implemented.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Vice President (VP) of Philanthropy to develop fundraising strategies, proposals and gift opportunities for individual prospects and donors in alignment with Caramoor priorities and projects; contribute to overall fundraising planning and goal setting to support Caramoor’s goal of 10% annual increase in non-board individual giving.
• Manage an assigned portfolio of 75-80 Caramoor donors and prospective donors focused on qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Proactively identify new donor pipelines and initiate cultivation of groups and individuals.
• Conduct a minimum of 20 face-to-face or virtual prospect/donor meetings monthly, an average of 3-5 per week. Solicit prospects at rated giving capacity with an emphasis on securing gifts of $5,000 or more to achieve fundraising target goals, which will be defined annually based on portfolio pipeline.
• At the direction of the VP of Philanthropy, manage special solicitation efforts such as annual and end-of-year mail and email appeals, including creating written materials, tracking progress, and producing detailed reports.
• Ensure accurate and timely documentation of all individual donor contact information, interactions, funding opportunities, prospect strategy (moves management) in the CRM to ensure transparency and effectiveness.
• Supervise and provide guidance for the Membership Manager and Philanthropic Operations Associate including direction on annual planning and goal setting for each year that includes metric goals relevant to each area of responsibility, striving for continuous improvement.
• Ensure Caramoor’s fundraising operations such as gift processing, stewardship, and reporting align with best practice policies and procedures; working with Philanthropic Operations Associate, ensure accuracy of fundraising and constituent data in the CRM.
• Alongside Membership Manager, provide oversight of member benefit fulfillment including execution of Concierge ticketing program and support donor stewardship efforts including pre-concert dinners, open rehearsals, and early access ticketing, etc.
• Collaborate with Caramoor colleagues as appropriate on event management, ticket sales, and marketing activities, among others.
• Attend Caramoor programs, concerts, and special events, as required.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Deep knowledge of fundraising best practices
• Demonstrated track record securing four and five figure gifts
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey the mission and impact of Caramoor’s work in an inspiring way.
• Candidate must have independent transportation to support donor visits throughout Westchester and the surrounding area.
• Authorization to work in the U.S. is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least 5 years of progressive experience in a fundraising role at a nonprofit organization, preferably a performing arts organization.
• Familiarity with the Northern Westchester philanthropy landscape is a plus.
• Knowledge of a wide range of musical genres, particularly classical, jazz, and American roots.
• This is an in-office position with flexibility for hybrid work as appropriate.
• Knowledge of Spektrix or track record of mastering new CRMs or relational databases under minimal supervision.

About Caramoor

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a vibrant cultural destination where music, art, and nature come together on an historic 81-acre campus of gardens and woodlands in Katonah, New York. Founded in 1946 by arts patrons Walter and Lucie Rosen, Caramoor has evolved into one of the region’s most distinctive nonprofit cultural organizations, welcoming audiences of all ages through world-class performances, cultural engagement, and opportunities for discovery and connection.

Each year, Caramoor presents a dynamic range of live performances spanning classical, opera, jazz, American roots, global music, and the American songbook. Its acclaimed Summer Season features outdoor performances across multiple unique venues, while the Rosen House Concert Series offers intimate concerts throughout the fall, winter, and spring inside the historic Rosen House, a Mediterranean-style villa filled with art and treasures from around the world. In addition to more than 50 concerts annually, Caramoor presents nearly 100 public programs each year, including family programs, wellness offerings, educational experiences, tours, lectures, and community events designed to engage visitors of all ages. Caramoor also serves as a sought-after destination for weddings, private celebrations, and corporate events, offering unforgettable experiences in a uniquely inspiring setting.

Guided by its mission to present exceptional music, mentor emerging artists, preserve and interpret its historic site, and foster meaningful connections with the community, Caramoor is committed to creating welcoming and inspiring experiences for audiences, artists, students, guests, and staff alike.

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, supported in large part by the generosity of its donors, members, sponsors, and community.

Caramoor joins with those who seek to promote equality, eradicate injustice, and support inclusion. As in a choir, our world benefits from a multitude of voices coming together in harmony.

Caramoor is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO); this means that all aspects of employment, including but not limited to, recruiting, advertising, hiring, training, promotions, compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, return from layoffs, disciplinary action and discharge shall be conducted on the basis of qualification and ability without regard to actual or perceived race, religion, political affiliation, disability, sex (including sexual violence and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy or any reproductive health decisions, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, color, age, weight, national origin, citizenship, familial status, marital status, domestic victim status, military and veteran status or any other basis protected by law.

We pledge to uphold equality in our hiring and employment practices, and to create an environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work.

Benefits

Caramoor offers a caring benefits package to full-time employees 90 days from hire:

• Medical Insurance (Employer pays 75% premiums and 100% deductible/co-insurance)
• Life Insurance (Employer paid)
• Long Term Disability Insurance (Employer Paid)
• 401 (k) Plan w/ Employer Match
• Generous Paid Time Off (13 Holidays, plus Sick, Vacation and Personal Days)
• Voluntary Benefits (Dental, Vision, Additional Life, FSA, Aflac…)

Caramoor is also a Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer.

Mastery of the English language for both oral and written communications is desired.