Senior Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts

Senior Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts

Reports to : Chief Development Officer

Team : Development

Supervisory Position

FLSA Status : Full-Time, Exempt

Location : Washington, DC

Telework : Yes

Timeline : The review process of applications will begin on October 7, 2025.

Salary Range : $100,000 to $125,000

Location : This position is based in Washington, DC.

Who We Are

Americans for the Arts (AFTA) strengthens the arts from the ground up – supporting advocacy that empowers communities, develops arts leadership, and produces field-informed research. We shape national arts policy to reflect the realities and aspirations of artists, organizations, businesses, and communities nationwide. We champion the arts as a unifying and essential force in American life.

An Overview of the Development Team

Managed and led by the Interim Chief Development Officer (CDO), the Development Team oversees and guides AFTA’s fundraising efforts, leading and scaling our comprehensive fundraising strategy in support of our organizational mission. Committed to raising significant gifts to support our innovative, equitable, and impactful programmatic goals, Development ensures that AFTA is actively engaged with our diverse and dynamic communities.

In addition to raising money to support our various cross‑functional programs, the Development Team works in coordination with our affiliate 501(c)4 organization, the Arts Action Fund (AAF), to streamline our outreach and engagement with key audiences, including policymakers, local arts agencies, grassroots advocates, and the public.

This team also produces events to strengthen and leverage our ability to convene and empower key initiatives. Through strategic partnerships, relationship building, and coordinated growth objectives, this team works to educate and engage each member of our portfolio on the benefits of supporting the arts and culture sectors across America.

The Development Team is comprised of an Interim Chief Development Officer, a Director of Individual Giving and Membership, and a Manager of Development Data, and external development consultants. We anticipate additional internal growth soon.

An Overview of the Role

The Senior Director of Individual Giving and Major Gifts plays a critical role in leading and implementing a comprehensive individual and major gifts strategy, utilizing an innovative approach to growing philanthropic support for AFTA. Working closely with the CDO, you are responsible for raising funds by managing a portfolio of individual donors and prospects, with a focus on those capable of making annual gifts of $10,000 or more.

This role will spend a significant amount of time interacting directly with donors, managing and strengthening their relationships, evaluating various gift opportunities, and coordinating and facilitating communications to ensure cohesive donor cultivation and stewardship efforts. These duties will culminate in increased revenue from individual donors and the development and retention of our donor relationships.

The Senior Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts manages the Director, Individual Giving and Membership. This role is associated with travel, which may include participation in weekend events.

Division of Labor between 501(c)3 and 501(c)4

This role is considered a matrixed role, responsible for duties that support both Americans for the Arts (501(c)3) and the Arts Action Fund (501(c)4), which are legally two separate entities. You will be responsible for tracking your time worked across both organizations. It is anticipated that the role will assist in a limited capacity in fundraising for the c4, having some responsibility associated with collaborative mission‑driven fundraising between AFTA and the AAF (within legal and tax parameters). Approximately 30‑40% of your hours worked will be allocated to the 501(c)(4).

Your Key Responsibilities

Major Donor Strategy & Relationship Management

• Independently build and manage a portfolio of major gift donors and prospects, through all phases of the moves management process from introduction to ongoing giving and engagement.
• Lead cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for individual donors at the $10,000+ level, to meet annual goals and build a healthy donor pipeline.
• Design and implement strategies to identify, cultivate, and upgrade grassroots and midlevel donors into major gift prospects, ensuring a clear pathway of engagement, stewardship, and solicitation that deepens their investment over time.
• Prepare compelling donor materials, briefings, and proposals, ensuring tailored and personalized donor communications and stewardship plans that align with their interests and priorities.
• Develop organizational impact reports that detail progress made because of a particular funding campaign, and donors' impact progress reports detailing the impact resulting from their gifts.
• Partner with the CDO, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Board members, and senior leadership to support high‑level donor engagement, including staffing donor meetings and call time.
• Conduct prospect research to identify new individual donors aligned with our strategic goals.

Donor Engagement & Events

Systems, Reporting & Collaboration

Leadership & Team Management

The Experience and Skills That Matter Most

More About Americans for the Arts and the Benefits Available to Staff

The State of AFTA

Following a period of significant organizational change, AFTA is continuing to evolve in ways that will increase its effectiveness and trust within the field.

The onboarding of our new CEO in March 2025 laid the foundation for steady long‑term leadership and trust building to meet the needs of our staff, members, stakeholders, and the public. The hiring of the Senior Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts is the next step to equip AFTA with the framework necessary to meet the challenges ahead.

This position is essential to establishing AFTA as a leader in the current and future economic, political, and cultural environment of America in 2025 and beyond.

Work Hours & In‑Office Requirements

AFTA is open weekdays, operating on a 37.5‑hour work week (7.5‑hour day), with the core business hours of 10 : 00 – 4 : 00 pm ET. Our in‑office policy requires employees to work from the office at least one day a week.

Compensation and Benefits

The compensation range for this position is $100,000 to $125,000 and will be commensurate with the scale and scope of experience. The total compensation package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, 403(b) employer contributions, and a generous time‑off package, including paid parental leave. Employees are also eligible to participate in short‑ and long‑term disability, life insurance, Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and professional development opportunities.

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