Director of Individual Giving

At Student Leadership Network, we believe in the potential of all students and are cultivating a generation of young people empowered to lead. We work with every student, developing their abilities to achieve their educational ambitions. Our nearly 30-year track record demonstrates higher rates of college enrollment and graduation, significantly surpassing national benchmarks.

We are advancing educational equity by increasing access to higher education in under-resourced public schools nationwide. Our Young Women’s Leadership model elevates practices in girls'+ schools that lead to success and is changing the face of leadership. Our co-ed CollegeBound Initiative develops college-going school cultures — creating high expectations and viable pathways for post-secondary success. To learn more, visit our website at www.studentleadershipnetwork.org.

Position Summary: Student Leadership Network is seeking a full-time Director of Individual Giving (DIG) to manage all aspects of our individual giving strategy and operations. Reporting to the Senior Managing Director of Growth Strategy and Development (SMDGSD), the DIG will play a critical role in strengthening our current individual giving program and will significantly contribute to and grow this revenue stream - particularly from gifts originating from new sources. This role will partner closely with the SMDGSD, Chief Executive Officer, Leadership Team, Founder and the Board of Directors, when appropriate, to achieve our current fundraising goals and build the pipeline of future donors. The individual revenue stream plays a key role in helping scale our organizational growth and impact, and the DIG will be responsible for leading initiatives and strategies that drive this vision forward.

The DIG must be comfortable interacting and proactively building relationships with high-net-worth individuals. They should be highly collaborative and creative, persistent and resourceful regarding follow-up and generating innovative engagement strategies; possess superb written and oral communication skills; be technologically savvy; a strong researcher and editor; have strong organization skills and immaculate attention to detail; and be energetic and committed to achieving results. A passion for equalizing educational opportunities for students growing up in diverse, underserved communities is essential. This position is an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to play a leadership role on a team of committed professionals dedicated to educational equity.

Primary Roles and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Individual Donor Strategy and Management

• Partnering with the SMDGSD to set vision, drive strategy, and lead the work of individual giving revenue stream:
  • Work with SMDGSD to set annual revenue goals and analyze progress quarterly
  • Design and execute creative donor engagement strategies to significantly increase funding from existing, lapsed, and new individual donors
  • Translate short- and long-term strategies into targeted actions that drive year-over-year renewals, with a focus on upgrading event donors into annual donors and driving approaches to cultivating new prospects
  • Develop and execute a strategy for gradually increasing individual revenue from completely new sources over the next 5 years

Portfolio Management

• Directly manage a portfolio of individual donors:
  • Develop robust cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans customized for each donor and prospect in the portfolio, with an emphasis on securing new donors
  • Build and manage relationships with individual donors through personalized outreach, meetings, event invitations, and regular communications efforts

Donor Research and Pipeline Development

• Use sophisticated research techniques to expand the individual giving pipeline and identify viable new funding prospects with clear outreach strategies:
  • Identify and screen prospects using various research methods, including iWave or DonorSearch
  • Develop an entrepreneurial approach to move prospects forward and secure their financial support (this might include requesting introductions from current supporters or board members)
  • Utilize move management tools in Salesforce to record and track prospect status
  • Collaborate with team members to align processes and protocols

Campaign Management and Support

• Manage annual fundraising campaigns, including, but not limited to, #GivingTuesday, Year-End Appeal, Spring Campaign, and other special initiatives:
  • Develop and execute comprehensive campaign strategies that draw on best practices and test novel outreach approaches
  • Create and manage dynamic campaign schedules across a variety of outreach methods (e.g., email, direct mail, social media, phone, and/or face-to-face solicitations)
  • Work with the Marketing and Communications team to develop high-impact, compelling materials and messaging
  • Work with external vendors to manage online giving platform as necessary
• Partner with the SMDGSD, Chief Executive Officer, and the Board to help identify and cultivate donors for the Equity in Education Pledge (EEP), our 5-year strategic growth campaign

Event Planning and Coordination

• Plan and execute events, including cultivation events and school tours:
  • Partner with the relevant program teams to develop a year-long strategy and ensure seamless execution of different types of cultivation and stewardship events (eg Cool Careers, TYWLS at the workplace, board hosted gathering, etc.)
  • Support our Annual Breakfast fundraiser by developing prospect lists, soliciting table and ticket purchases, providing on-site logistic support, and acting as an organizational host/ambassador
  • Responsible for designing and executing successful strategies for leveraging these events to identify and cultivate new donors, enlisting the CEO, LT, board members, and others as relevant; this should include piloting new approaches to enhance effectiveness at connecting with different donor segments

Senior Leadership Support

• Support the SMDGSD and CEO in managing a select portfolio of donors:
  • Create materials, write reports, and help develop strategy for all major donors, especially where the SMDGSD and CEO are the primary contact person
  • Partner with the SMDGSD, Chief Executive Officer, and the Board to significantly expand the individual giving revenue stream

Key Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree is required; an advanced degree is preferred
• Minimum of 7 years of nonprofit fundraising experience in roles of increasing responsibility, with a demonstrated track record of soliciting 5-6 figure gifts from high-level individual donors.
• Proven ability to generate revenue growth and meet ambitious revenue goals; highly motivated to identify new funding opportunities.
• Experience creating personalized cultivation and stewardship plans, developing strong relationships with donors, and providing outstanding stewardship and customer service to internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong communicator as demonstrated by exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Innovative thinker, with a track record for translating strategy into action plans and results.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and prioritize while working under multiple deadlines. Commitment to excellence and deadline-driven.
• Knowledge of development best practices, including using data to make informed decisions, and willingness to learn and stay apprised of industry trends/best practices for fundraising.
• Operates effectively as part of a team and independently.
• Energetic, flexible, collaborative, and proactive.
• Excellent computer skills including Google Suite and Microsoft Office; Asana, Salesforce and iWave experience a plus.
• Demonstrated commitment to our organizational mission, vision, and core values.
• A passion for expanding educational opportunities for students from under-served communities and commitment to Student Leadership’s mission, vision, and core values.
• Available evenings and weekends for donor visits and events, on occasion.

Benefits: Student Leadership Network offers a competitive benefits package to eligible employees, including:

• Medical (health, dental, and vision)
• Health Reimbursement Account (up to $14,000 for families)
• Flexible Spending Account (for Medical, Dependent Care and Transit/Parking)
• 401K Retirement Plan with 4% Employer Match
• Generous Paid Family Leave, minimum of 12 weeks based on tenure
• Life Insurance (100% of the insurance premium)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Time Off:
  • Full-time employees earn 17 days per year in the first three years
  • 11 Federal holidays and 2 floating holidays
  • Wellness: 10 sick days per year
  • Annual Wellness Week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
  • Summer Fridays early dismissal
  • Hybrid Work Schedule

Student Leadership Network is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. People of all races, faiths, genders, and abilities, immigrants, veterans, LBGTQIA2S+ people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply to join our team.