Director, MidLevel Giving
The Director, Midlevel Giving is a member of the Development Leadership Team, reporting to the Vice President of Development, and leads the strategy, execution, and team responsible for the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ midlevel giving program. This role drives revenue growth, donor retention, and pipeline development, while also managing a portfolio of midlevel donors as a frontline fundraiser. The Director sets clear priorities, leads and develops the midlevel giving team, and ensures strong program performance through effective stewardship and disciplined moves management. This work builds a robust pipeline of donors ready to transition into Major Giving while advancing best practices to strengthen donor engagement and overall program impact. Primary Responsibilities: The following are representative of the duties and responsibilities associated with this position and are not meant to be an all-inclusive list:
- Lead the midlevel giving strategy and program performance
Provide direction and oversight for a comprehensive Midlevel Giving strategy that delivers a personalized donor experience across a large portfolio. Establish clear priorities, segmentation, and consistent processes to drive strong retention, revenue growth, and a robust pipeline to Major Gifts.
- Manage and develop the Midlevel Giving team
Set clear goals and expectations, provide guidance and performance management, and reinforce consistent portfolio and moves‑management practices across the team. Identify opportunities to leverage team strengths and advance continual improvement.
- Manage a personal portfolio of donors
Serve as a frontline fundraiser for a portfolio of approximately 100 midlevel donors (generally giving $10,000–$25,000, up to $50,000 depending on donor), with accountability for retention, upgrades, and qualification.
- Execute disciplined donor engagement and moves management
Develop and implement individualized donor strategies, ensure timely follow‑up and stewardship, and track actions and outcomes to move donors forward with intention and consistency.
- Plan and align donor touchpoints and solicitations
Develop and manage an annual, segmented calendar of cultivation, stewardship, and solicitation touchpoints for midlevel donors. Coordinate timing and messaging with Development, Marketing/Communications, Events, and Major Gifts to ensure alignment and effectiveness.
- Qualify and transition donors to Major Gifts
Identify donors with readiness and capacity, partner closely with Major Gifts to facilitate smooth transitions, and document donor context to support continuity and long‑term relationship management.
- Strengthen cross‑functional collaboration and operational rigor
Partner with internal teams to align messaging, cultivation opportunities, reporting, and data quality. Maintain accurate documentation in CRM to support shared visibility, institutional knowledge, and data‑informed decision‑making. Essential Qualifications:
- 6–8 years of progressive fundraising experience, including at least 3 years managing midlevel or individual giving donors ($10,000–$50,000 range)
- Minimum 2 years leading fundraising staff, including setting goals, providing coaching, and managing performance
- Demonstrated success executing donor strategies that drive retention, upgrades, and qualification
- Experience developing or leading midlevel giving strategy, including segmentation and donor pathways
- Experience qualifying and transitioning donors into major giving portfolios or similar pipeline development
- Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with a track record of effective donor engagement
- Proficiency with CRM systems and fundraising reporting; commitment to accurate documentation
- Applied experience using performance metrics to inform execution and adjustment
Position Specifics:
- Location: Columbia, MD or Chicago, IL or Denver, CO preferred (relocation not provided)
- Work Model: Home-based, with occasional travel for meetings, events, and team coordination
- Schedule: Full-time, exempt
- Compensation: Budgeted salary range of $120,000–$130,000 annually, commensurate with experience and aligned with geographic market considerations and internal equity
- Additional Compensation: Eligible for an annual incentive bonus of up to 8%
- Reporting Relationship: Reports to the Vice President of Development
- People Management: 2 direct reports