Director of Individual Giving - American Kidney Fund (AKF)

From prevention through post-transplant living, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) is dedicated to ensuring kidney patients have someone fighting by their side—changing lives, delivering hope, and building a better future for more than 35 million Americans living with kidney disease. As Director of Individual Giving, you’ll strengthen the fundraising program that makes this work possible by engaging donors who have already shown a commitment to AKF’s mission and helping them take the next step in their giving.

AKF’s Individual Giving program has grown into a $6.5MM portfolio spanning online and offline channels, with roughly 18% year-over-year growth as the program has matured. As part of that growth, the mid-level Circle of Champions giving society has expanded by 10% or more each year, creating a stable donor pool for progression into major gifts. You will work closely with the Senior Director of Individual Giving to build on that foundation, creating reliable multi-channel offline strategies to further grow the mid-level donor base and move supporters toward deeper, longer-term commitment to AKF and the kidney patients and families it serves.

A key part of your role will be building leadership capacity in the Individual Giving program team. You will supervise and mentor the Associate Director, partnering closely on person-to-person engagement to match donor interests with AKF giving opportunities, elevating the team’s approach to planned giving conversations, and ensuring campaigns are executed effectively.

This is a highly engaged, strategic, and hands-on position in which you will balance donor pipeline and engagement strategy development with direct donor outreach, team leadership, and collaboration with colleagues across AKF. You’ll be stepping into a well-developed function with data-driven, results-focused leadership and the resources you need to be successful in your work.

Work Environment, Salary, and Benefits

• This role offers a hybrid schedule, with an average of 1 day each week at AKF’s North Bethesda, MD, office. We currently support employees in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Occasional travel may be required (less than 5%).
• The budgeted salary range for this position is $130K - $135K. AKF offers comprehensive benefits, including a matching 403(b) retirement plan, health, dental, vision, and life insurance, short- and long-term disability, flex spending, and generous leave.
• Additional perks include paid underground parking, Metro subsidies, employee-led recognition and social events throughout the year, and shorter workdays on Fridays.
• You are joining a diverse team of open, collaborative, and supportive colleagues who care deeply about our mission, the people we serve, and each other. AKF is financially secure and has been recognized five times as one of the “Best Nonprofits to Work For,” most recently in 2026.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and day-to-day supervision for the Associate Director of Individual Giving, ensuring alignment with individual giving and institutional fundraising priorities.
• Develop and implement integrated strategies to grow AKF’s mid-level donor program, with a focus on upgrading donors in the $100–$999 range into the Circle of Champions giving society. Leverage data, personalized outreach, and targeted segmentation to drive donor retention and increased giving.
• Oversee the Circle of Champions giving society, implementing coordinated cultivation, stewardship, and targeted mass solicitation strategies to deepen donor engagement and strengthen philanthropic support among donors and prospects with giving capacity up to $10,000 annually. Work collaboratively with Major Gift Officers and the Senior Director of Individual Giving to identify donors demonstrating increased engagement, philanthropic interest, or capacity for higher-level giving, and support the strategic qualification and transition of appropriate donors into Major Gift Officer portfolios for individualized cultivation and solicitation at the $10,000+ level.
• Partner with the Senior Director of Individual Giving and the Individual Giving team to design and implement multi-channel campaigns—including renewals, stewardship communications, and engagement tactics such as robocalls and handwritten notes—to strengthen donor connections and increase mid-level giving.
• Collaborate with the Associate Director and Senior Director of Individual Giving to support Planned Giving efforts, including the development and execution of marketing campaigns, estate administration, and identifying opportunities to engage donors in planned giving conversations as they arise.
• Manage relationships with external vendors and consultants supporting mid-level donor engagement, annual giving, and stewardship efforts, ensuring deliverables align with campaign goals, timelines, and budget parameters.
• Oversee workplace giving and thrift partner relationships, ensuring accurate tracking, promotion, and stewardship of these giving channels to maximize revenue and donor engagement.
• Contribute to the development, implementation, and tracking of the annual Individual Giving budget, ensuring fiscal responsibility and alignment with strategic revenue goals.
• Support the Senior Director of Individual Giving in the development of the annual Strategic Operating Plan, with an emphasis on growing mid-level donor engagement, strengthening stewardship practices, and deepening relationships with family foundations and other community-based funders.
• Contribute to the development and management of donor pipeline strategies in collaboration with the Major Gifts, Planned Giving, and Digital Fundraising teams to ensure seamless donor movement between giving levels and maximize long-term donor value.
• Support cross-departmental collaboration, including working closely with Marketing, Communications, and Finance to ensure alignment on campaigns, messaging, and revenue tracking related to individual giving.

Qualifications

• 6-8 years of experience in fundraising, including success in managing individual giving programs, renewing and upgrading mid-level donors, and reaching new donors through multiple channels. 2-3 years of supervisory experience.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze donor, campaign, and engagement data to identify trends, evaluate performance, and inform strategic fundraising decisions. Experience using performance metrics to strengthen donor cultivation strategies, optimize fundraising outcomes, and support revenue growth across individual giving programs.
• Demonstrated project management and program development skills with a high level of attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple competing priorities and deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills, a team-oriented disposition, a high regard for accountability and outcomes, and the ability to adapt to changing needs and situations with professionalism, integrity, and diplomacy.
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint) and experience with fundraising database software (Raiser’s Edge or similar).
• Experience managing planned giving programs and building a pipeline of bequest notifications is preferred.
• A bachelor’s degree in a related field is preferred.
• Experience in a nonprofit health or voluntary health organization is a plus.

About the American Kidney Fund

The American Kidney Fund fights kidney disease on all fronts as the nation’s leading kidney nonprofit—no kidney organization impacts more lives than AKF. We are grateful to our big-hearted donor community that makes all of this work possible. From prevention through post-transplant living, we are proud to be there by the sides of patients through every challenge that comes their way.

AKF’s vision is a world without kidney disease. Until that day comes, we believe that every kidney patient should have access to health care, and every person at risk for kidney disease should be empowered to prevent it. Ninety-six cents of every dollar we spend goes to patients and programs. One of the nation’s highest-rated nonprofit organizations, AKF has held Charity Navigator’s highest 4-star rating for 20 years running and holds the Candid (formerly GuideStar) Platinum Seal of Transparency.

Staffing Advisors is committed to reducing bias in every aspect of the hiring process. We have long recommended a competency-driven approach to hiring. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. We encourage you to apply even if your experience is not a 100% match with the position description; we will consider people from a variety of backgrounds and career experiences.