Director of Individual Giving

Position Summary

Nature and Culture International (Nature and Culture), an international conservation organization, seeks an exceptional Director of Individual Giving to join our team. Our ideal candidate enjoys working directly with donors and is enthusiastic to play a key role in a rapidly growing and successful international organization. While Nature and Culture is headquartered in San Diego, California, we are considering candidates who live anywhere in the West or West Coast.

Reporting to the CEO and working as part of a three-person team, the Director of Individual Giving is responsible for overall fundraising from individuals. You will be instrumental in growing Nature and Culture's revenue from individual donors. Your strategies, tactics, and messaging will be aligned with and supported by the Director of Foundations and Strategic Partnerships, Director of Marketing, and Office Administrator. Nature and Culture places a high value on teamwork and a positive and supportive work environment. We seek candidates who share this commitment.

As Director of Individual Giving, you will oversee planning and implementation of Nature and Culture's individual giving program, including major, mid-level, and planned gifts. You will spearhead the small but growing annual giving program, with a goal of improving donor acquisition, retention, and moves management processes. You will arrange our cultivation events and donor tours as well as other stewardship activities. You will manage a roster of 125 mid-level donors and partner with the CEO to steward another 25+ major donors.

Your Position with Us

As Director of Individual Giving, you will oversee planning and implementation of Nature and Culture's Individual Giving program, including major, mid-level, and planned gifts, a small but growing annual giving program, and special events and donor tours focused on cultivation and stewardship. The position reports to the CEO with whom you will work closely and collaboratively, particularly on major gifts.

Responsibilities and Duties

Responsible for ensuring Nature and Culture's $2.5 million individual giving revenue goal is met in 2021. With input and support from the CEO, other senior staff, and board, you will devise and recommend strategies for establishing, tracking progress toward, and achieving long-term individual giving growth targets to support the ambitious program goals in our five-year strategic plan. Specific tasks include:

• Oversee the annual development and implementation of a detailed individual giving fundraising plan.
• Identify, qualify, and prioritize prospects through research, screening, and discovery meetings.
• Create annual goals and an engagement plan for each of Nature and Culture's major donors and prospects based on organizational priorities, the individual's interests, history of giving, and other relevant criteria.
• In collaboration with the CEO, successfully engage, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of major donors and prospects (currently about 50 people, with a goal of 125). You will be lead staff for a portion of the major donor portfolio and provide logistic, moves management strategy, and tactical support and advice to the CEO when and where he is the lead.
• Engage, activate, and support the board and other key volunteers as ambassadors, connectors, cultivators, and, where appropriate, askers, for Nature and Culture.
• Collaborate with program and marketing/communications staff to develop compelling funding proposals and accompanying informational materials for individual donors that support organizational priorities. This will require both a broad overview and a detailed understanding of the organization's programs and projects.
• Provide support and mentorship to junior development and program staff as appropriate to develop their skills in donor cultivation and stewardship. Currently, this position has no direct
• supervisory responsibilities. However, that may change as the organization's needs evolve to meet
• revenue growth goals. You and the senior staff team will periodically assess the ideal staff structure.
• Oversee content development for all donor-related communications with significant input from Marketing Director, communications, and program staff. These communications will include major and mid-level donor proposals and reports on programs and projects they have helped fund, other donor engagement materials, planned giving materials, and annual giving campaigns.
• Work with CEO to ensure best practices for donor pipeline, cultivation, stewardship, upgrade, and lapsed donor renewal.
• Make recommendations as to the appropriate CRM (currently Salesforce with 4,800 accounts) to meet Nature and Culture's needs for major gifts as well as donor acquisition and a robust annual giving program. Once selected, oversee the implementation and effective ongoing use of CRM to ensure accurate, actionable data.
• Develop, track and regularly report on meaningful metrics and milestones to CEO and board to ensure progress toward and attainment of fundraising targets (with willingness and ability to recommend course corrections if needed).

Personal Qualities

• Passionate about conservation and other environmental issues.
• Positive and personable.
• Creative and strategic.

• Highly organized and conscientious with ability to prioritize effectively, juggle multiple responsibilities, and meet deadlines.
• Self-motivated and entrepreneurial while being a team player.
• Strong moral compass; able to maintain highly sensitive and confidential donor information.
• Committed to fostering an environment of trust, transparency and mutual respect.
• Appreciation of and sensitivity to a diverse environment, inclusive of staff, donors, and partners from many socio-cultural, economic, ideological, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and at least five years related experience.
• Experience and success building rapport with and maintaining long-term relationships with major and mid-level donors.
• Experience and success in raising major gifts.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with a variety of audiences. Includes one-on-one conversations, proposals and reports, and emails.
• Able to work effectively in a team setting.
• Excellent analytical and strategic thinking skills with ability to develop long-term plans, set objectives, and track and report on progress towards achieving them.
• Experience, coursework, or other training in principles, practices, and procedures of charitable giving, particularly in the areas of major gifts, annual gifts campaigns, and planned giving.
• Able to participate professionally in board meetings and support and empower board members on their development-related goals and activities.
• Travel up to 15% of the time, including to Latin America, with occasional late evenings and weekends.

Desired Qualifications

• Effective leadership, management, and training skills.
• Experience in coordinating with a geographically dispersed team.
• Proficiency in Spanish preferred.
• Experience working in Latin America or other culturally diverse settings.
• Experience in planning and delivering budgetary responsibilities.
• Understanding of best practices in non-profit management.
• Public speaking.
• Experience with CRMs and other fundraising tools and platforms.