ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY:
The Director of Individual Giving is a newly created role that will develop, lead, and implement an individual giving program for GWI. The Director will be pivotal in growing GWI’s fundraising capacity by creating an ambitious strategic individual giving plan that builds on the existing fundraising efforts. This role is a front-line fundraiser who will focus on identifying, cultivating, and soliciting individual donors, managing the organization’s annual gala, designing and conducting individual donor cultivation events, implementing individual giving strategies such as a major gift and annual giving program, and developing systems and processes to support individual giving.
The Director will report to and partner closely with the Head of Partnerships and Giving, as well as partnering with the CEO and Board of Directors where appropriate. This role manages and partners with the Manager, Giving and Engagement, supporting them in their fundraising goals. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of GWI’s development efforts especially as the organization celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2025.
Key Responsibilities
Fundraising:
- Establish, manage and drive a fundraising plan with ambitious fundraising revenue goals through individual contributions including major gifts, events, annual giving, digital giving, and planned giving.
- Conduct prospect research to build a pipeline of new donors, with a focus on high-net-worth individuals.
- Cultivate, solicit, and steward relationships with a portfolio of individual donors, ensuring personalized engagement and recognition, and an emphasis on 5, 6 and 7 figure gifts.
- Partner with the Head of Partnerships and Giving, CEO, and select Board and Advisory Board members to leverage their networks for donor cultivation and solicitation.
- Design and implement an annual giving, digital giving, and planned giving program.
- Create a culture of philanthropy with our Ambassador and alumni networks.
Events Management and Execution:
- Plan and implement a calendar of annual fundraising and cultivation events that ties into the donor pipeline and engagement strategy to broaden the pool of high-net-worth individual donors.
- Lead the planning and execution of GWI’s annual gala, with a special emphasis on community building, relationship cultivation, and fundraising.
- Manage and ensure smooth execution of other current signature events around donor cultivation.
- Partner with internal teams and vendors to deliver high-impact events that maximize fundraising outcomes.
Internal Management:
- Provide regular updates to key stakeholders on individual giving progress and outcomes.
- Manage and mentor the Manager, Partnerships and Giving, a front-line fundraiser, in cultivating their own portfolio, developing giving campaigns, and ensuring their professional development and career enhancement.
- Design and implement a moves management system with tools and processes to launch and sustain a robust individual giving program; Ensure full adoption of Salesforce.
- Ensure timeliness, accuracy and standards for all fundraising research, reporting, and systems management including tracking donor interactions and gifts in Salesforce for accurate and timely documentation.
ABOUT THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE
GWI seeks an experienced and ambitious front-line fundraiser who is excited to lead, build and drive a new giving program. The successful candidate will be proactive, dynamic, and entrepreneurial with a proven track record in designing and executing multiple individual giving strategies. They will thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment and be excited to work cross-functionally with people who are passionate about their work and mission.
A strong candidate would bring/be:
- 12+ years of fundraising experience in roles of growing complexity and impact focused on individual donors, major gifts, and events; significant experience with high-net-worth individuals from the financial services sector preferred.
- Proven experience designing and implementing individual giving strategies such as a major gifts program, annual fund, digital giving, and planned giving.
- A front-line fundraiser who has successfully cultivated and closed 6-, 7-figure gifts and managed all stages of the major gift pipeline independently.
- Previous success conceptualizing and executing high-level cultivation events including a gala.
- Experience managing fundraisers and leading them to meet and exceed revenue goals while also working as an individual contributor.
- A data-driven approach with experience designing and implementing fundraising systems and processes and ensuring accurate data collection and reporting.
- Strategic, analytical, and results-oriented; able to envision and achieve short- and long-term objectives.
- A team- and collaborative-orientation with exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
- Excellent project management and problem-solving skills and able to manage multiple priorities and demands with short lead-times in a fast-paced environment.
- Passion for GWI’s mission and community.
LOCATION: New York, NY. This role is hybrid in-office 2-3 days a week.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:
Girls Who Invest (GWI) is a powerful community dedicated to transforming the investment management industry by attracting and advancing women investors, change-makers, and leaders.
GWI supports first- and second-year college students through tuition-free education programs, while also providing career advisory services, community-building initiatives, and lifelong alumni support. Our comprehensive approach focuses on fostering long-term professional development, retention and advancement.
The GWI community is made up of thousands of investors, industry leaders, supporters, and 120 Partner firms dedicated to advancing and retaining talent. At our core are over 3,200 GWI Alumni educated and trained in just 9 years, with more than 75% staying in the industry.
To learn more, visit GirlsWhoInvest.org .