Overview

Title: Director of Individual & Annual Giving
Reports to: Chief Revenue Officer
Location: San Francisco

About the Organization
Upwardly Global helps foreign-born skilled job seekers transition to quality, thriving-wage careers through customized programs and a holistic approach to integrating skilled immigrants into the US job market. It is a data-driven, innovative organization with a diverse and inclusive culture that values every voice.

Position Overview
The Director of Individual Giving will be a key member of the development team, responsible for identifying, cultivating, and soliciting individual donors annually at the $1,000-$50,000 level to support Upwardly Global’s mission. This is a new position reflecting the growth of the individual giving program. The role builds and scales a robust program, including annual giving, mid-level giving, donor acquisition, and retention. Direct mail and digital fundraising will be done in partnership with the Communications team. The goal is to maximize revenue, deepen donor engagement, and create a sustainable base of individual supporters feeding into major gifts and legacy pipelines. The organization seeks an extraordinary individual who is highly professional, organized, resourceful, self-motivated, and eager to make a significant impact.

Informed by guidance and strategic direction from the Chief Revenue Officer, the Director will:

• Co-create and implement an updated and innovative individual gift program for Upwardly Global, informed by prospect research and current prospect lists.
• Co-create and implement an updated donor solicitation strategy for individual giving prospects.
• Work with the National Leadership Council to provide guidance on their giving and increase corporate giving, working with the staff member who currently manages this group.
• Collaborate with the Director of Stewardship to implement and operate a donor stewardship program for individual donors.
• Maintain accurate donor profiles on Salesforce.

Responsibilities

Donor Qualification and Research (20%)

• Research and qualify potential annual and mid-level donors through qualitative and quantitative data.

Donor Cultivation, Solicitation, and Stewardship (60%)

• Cultivate and maintain relationships with individual donors, including National Leadership Council members and secondary connections of current and past Board members.
• Partner with the Communications Team to create personalized communication plans, including regular updates, impact reports, and invitations to events.
• Collaborate with the Development Associate to interpret quantitative data to inform strategies.
• Support the development of meeting agendas, fundraising proposals, and pitch decks.

Core Functions: Campaign Execution

• Oversee the design, launch, and management of direct mail appeals, email campaigns, digital/social giving campaigns, crowdfunding, and recurring giving programs.
• Manage segmented donor communications, A/B testing, optimization, segmentation, and welcomes/thank-you journeys.
• Oversee the annual giving calendar, including appeals at key times (end-of-year, giving days, events).

Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Lead and mentor a team of individual giving professionals (mid-level officers, communications/digital specialists).
• Partner with communications/marketing, data/analytics, CRM, and donor services to coordinate strategies, messaging, segmentation, and reporting.
• Develop cross-functional initiatives to integrate individual giving with major gifts and stewardship programs.

Donor Engagement & Retention

• Ensure timely acknowledgment, recognition, and upgrade opportunities for individual donors.
• Develop strategies for donor loyalty, engagement, surveys, segmentation, and lifetime value.
• Monitor metrics such as donor retention rates, average gift size, upgrade/downgrade rates, donor lifetime value, and conversion from small to mid-level to major gifts.

Data, Analytics & Tools

• Work with data/analytics to segment, score, and prioritize individual donors for acquisition, upgrade, and reactivation.
• Use Salesforce to manage pipeline, segmentation, and performance dashboards.
• Oversee testing, analytics, attribution models, A/B experiments, and continuous optimization.

Budget & Metrics Accountability

• Own revenue and budget targets for individual giving segments.
• Monitor channel-level performance (digital, mail, peer-to-peer, monthly giving), forecast, and adjust tactics as needed.
• Report regularly to leadership and the board on program performance, insights, and opportunities.

Fundraising Growth Strategy, Planning, & Event Participation (20%)

• Partner with CRO to define individual and annual gift goals, campaign priorities, and multi-year plans.
• Develop and refine investment strategies for donors at the individual/annual gift level ($1K+, $10K+, $25K+).
• Oversee segmentation, portfolio assignment, capacity modeling, and goal-setting methodologies for individual donors.
• Assist in planning and executing donor engagement opportunities to strengthen donor relationships.
• Partner with the CRO to develop a multi-tiered individual giving strategy aligned with overall fundraising goals.
• Set acquisition, retention, uplift, reactivation, and upgrade targets; model ROI across channels.
• Innovate segmented appeals, peer-to-peer, digital campaigns, donor challenges, matching gifts, and donor journey mapping.
• Represent the organization at community events, meetings, and networking opportunities to enhance donor engagement.

Knowledge and Skills Required

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field preferred
• Minimum of 10 years of nonprofit fundraising, with a strong focus on donor prospecting, gift solicitation, and donor relationship management
• At least 7 years of frontline fundraising experience with demonstrated success in cultivating, soliciting, and securing four- and five-figure gifts
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills to articulate the mission and impact and build stakeholder relationships
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Proficient in donor database systems and fundraising software (e.g., Salesforce)
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with limited supervision
• Strong attention to detail
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); SharePoint preferred
• Passion for Upwardly Global’s mission is essential

Work Environment/Physical Requirements

• Requires the ability to travel locally and regionally
• Must be available to occasionally work at evening events and weekend sessions
• Must have reliable transportation, depending on the region

Salary

Salary Range Disclaimer
The base salary range represents the low and high ends of the Indeed salary range for this position. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The listed range is just one component of Upwardly Global’s comprehensive total compensation package for employees. Benefits include a paid time-off policy, a hybrid or remote work schedule, medical/dental/vision insurance, short-term disability insurance, life insurance, and a retirement plan with employer match.

Salary Range Transparency: $125,000- $150,000
Upwardly Global is deeply committed to building a workplace where inclusion is not only valued but prioritized. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment.

Upwardly Global is deeply committed to building a workplace where inclusion is not only valued but prioritized. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment.