Senior Director Direct Response/Annual Giving

Overview of Position:

Reporting to the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the Senior Director Direct Response /Annual Giving is responsible for driving the overall strategic direction, management, and growth of the Food Depository’s Direct Response and Annual Giving Programs. Leading efforts within Direct Response, Monthly Giving, Special Campaigns, Tribute/Memorial, Workplace and Mid-Level Giving. This position is responsible for an annual revenue goal of $27 million out of the $44 million overall Individual Giving goal. This individual will support and advance key equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts in our overall fundraising. The Senior Director of Direct Response/Annual Giving serves as a member of Development Leadership, the Cross Department Leadership team, and other cross-departmental project teams as needed.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Drive strategy, planning, implementation, and performance of the Food Depository’s Direct Response/Annual Giving Fundraising, translating the organization’s key priorities into actionable fundraising targets leading to sustainable growth across all direct response channels. Use a variety of inputs (e.g., forecasting, segmentation, benchmarking) to set our annual fundraising revenue targets. Ensure a holistic, collaborative, data-driven and equity-centered approach that achieves annual goals and objectives and establishes vision for year over year growth and success.  Define, monitor and track KPIs including but not limited to donor acquisition, retention, income per donor, and band movement. Lead team and external partners to plan, execute, measure, and expand campaigns, to support omni channel fundraising efforts that drive continuous revenue expansion through all channels – with a focus on digital as well as the Food Depository’s overall Development program. Collaborate with Development team colleagues, cross-departmental teams, and external vendors to align annual plans and multi-year strategies for individual donor acquisition, retention, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship and upgrading. Provide leadership and guidance to team members to expand new donor segments beyond mid-level, sustainer, workplace giving and tribute memorial programs. Lead the development of an annual expense budget, including scenario planning against variables impacting expenses and/or unrestricted revenue generation, and lead reforecasting, as needed. Engage with and lead direct reports as they work with agency partners to enhance strategic collaboration, operational effectiveness and efficiency, and resource management. Hold partners accountable to contracted performance results. Collaborate closely with Vice President of Marketing to optimize spend across marketing and advertising channels to maximize return on investment and achieve fundraising targets. Ensure consistency of voice, brand and fundraising offers across omni channel direct response impacts. Collaborate with development and marketing team leaders to drive integrated strategic planning efforts related to front-facing engagement with direct response donors – in an omni channel environment, including but not limited to mail, web, phone, mobile phone text, paid search, and social advertising. Collaborate with cross-departmental and cross-organizational teams to define and drive an integrated and seamless donor journey. Work closely with the Chief Philanthropy Officer, their team, other departmental leaders and external vendors, establish processes and systems that support a cross-team approach to pipeline development and donor moves management including mid-level program success. Supervise a team of five, with 3 direct reports; serving as both a manager and mentor to leverage each individual team member’s talents and support their success. Qualifications 5+ years of managing a complex direct response program that includes mid-level and sustainer programs. Strong experience in building and growing a large 50,000 + donor omni channel direct response/annual giving program. Including working with multiple vendors and leveraging external marketing efforts to deliver on key KPIs. Deep knowledge of lead generation channels and tactics and revenue channels, including direct response, digital giving and peer to peer fundraising Experience in direct marketing, digital commerce, e-commerce with revenue responsibility. Experience planning, executing, measuring, and optimizing multichannel direct response marketing campaigns and leveraging data-driven campaign targeting across a diverse and complex audience or audiences. Experience in forecasting revenue and expenses, budgeting and managing $20M+ budget, including knowledge of best practices in campaign performance measurement and reporting Must be process-oriented, with the ability to transform vision and theory into well-defined goals, strategies, plans and action steps.  Demonstrated initiative and passion for taking on new projects; embraces solution-forward thinking, seeing challenges as opportunities. Excellent written and oral communication skills, and talents for building positive relationships with donors, volunteers, and colleagues. Adaptable and flexible in fast-paced environment, able to multi-task and successfully manage multiple priorities simultaneously. Proficiency in MS Office – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook. Development database experience (Raisers Edge / NXT experience a plus). Exposure: General office environment; limited exposure to warehouse environment. Interacts with GCFD staff, donors, volunteers and general public. Evening and weekend hours are required as needed. Ability to work remotely as needed.