Director of Individual Giving

Job Description

Job Description

ServeMinnesota seeks a strategic, relationship-driven, and entrepreneurial Director of Individual Giving to build and lead a major gifts program. This newly created role is a key component of ServeMinnesota’s organizational strategy to expand philanthropic investment in national service, educational opportunity, workforce development, and community impact across Minnesota.

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Director of Individual Giving will build and manage a portfolio of donors and prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000+ annually while building systems, strategies, and culture necessary for long-term individual giving growth.

This position will supervise the Donor Relations Manager and partner closely with organizational leadership, board members, and teams to strengthen ServeMinnesota’s culture of philanthropy and donor engagement efforts.

The ideal candidate will be:

• Relationship-centered, mission-driven, and strategic

• Aligned with ServeMinnesota’s values: Community, Partnership, Innovation, and Accountability

• Entrepreneurial and motivated to build a growing fundraising function

This position is based in downtown Minneapolis and currently working a hybrid schedule. The Director of Individual Giving is required to be in the office a minimum of 2 days per week.

Essential Job Functions

Individual Giving Strategy

• Build and lead ServeMinnesota’s major gifts program, including strategy and systems

• Develop and implement donor pipeline strategies that support long-term philanthropic growth

• Support a culture of philanthropy across the organization

• Partner with the Chief Development Officer to establish annual and multi-year major gifts goals and fundraising strategies

• Contribute to department-wide planning, forecasting, and strategy

Portfolio Management

• Manage an active portfolio of 30+ major donors and prospects with capacity to give $25,000+ ($100,000 over three years)

• Conduct donor discovery, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities through meetings, calls, events, and personalized outreach

• Develop written strategies and plans for cultivation, stewardship and solicitation meetings with donors

• Gathers, records, and properly stores information about suspects, prospects and donors utilizing the Prospect Tracking System in Serve’s database of record

• Build meaningful relationships with current and prospective donors; coordinate and participate in suspect, prospect and donor meetings, visits and trips.

• Utilize donor data, analytics, and relationship mapping to identify new major gift opportunities

• Prepare donor proposals, briefing materials, and personalized communications

• Partner with executive leadership and board members to advance donor relationships and philanthropic opportunities

• Work closely with the CDO to develop planned gift strategies where appropriate and develop an understanding of the principles and techniques associated with planned giving and financial and estate planning

• Work closely with DRM to identify, qualify, and “move up” mid-level donors with the capacity to make a major gift

• Performs other duties as assigned

Leadership & Collaboration

• Supervise and support the Donor Relations Manager, including goal-setting, coaching, and professional development

• Collaborate with ServeMinnesota’s program and communications teams, as well as our implementation partners, to develop compelling donor-centered fundraising messages and materials

• Play a leadership role in donor cultivation events and gatherings

• Represent ServeMinnesota at meetings, events, and community gatherings

Other Job Functions

• Perform special projects or assignments as directed.

• Provide services that consistently support ServeMinnesota’s ability to inclusively engage Minnesotans from a diversity of backgrounds as grantees, service recipients, AmeriCorps members and partners.

Job Qualifications

Minimum

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience

• 8+ years of progressive fundraising experience, including major gifts and individual donor relationship management

• Demonstrated success cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors at the $25,000+ level, including multi-year gifts

• Experience managing donor portfolios and meeting fundraising goals and activity metrics

• Strong understanding of moves management and donor pipeline development

• Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building, and communication skills

• Strong writing and storytelling abilities, including proposal and donor communication development

• Experience working collaboratively across teams and engaging senior leaders or volunteer boards in fundraising efforts

• Proficiency with donor CRM systems

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines

Preferred

• Experience building or scaling a major gifts program

• Familiarity with planned giving

• Experience in education, workforce development, public service, youth development, or community impact organizations

• Knowledge of Minnesota philanthropic networks and communities

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary range of $100,000 to $120,000 depending on experience.

• Comprehensive benefits package including 403b retirement plan

• Hybrid work environment with flexibility

• Meaningful work with a mission-driven team

• Opportunities for professional development and advancement

• A welcoming culture of learning and collaboration

About ServeMinnesota

ServeMinnesota is an innovation engine that creates programs that meet communities where they are to improve lives in Minnesota and across the country. We know because we invest in the data to prove it. Our research focus sets the standard for national service. All programs are tested, proven and tested again, verifying that they do what they are supposed to do. Our outcomes boost education, stabilize housing, aid recovery and allow communities to do more.

ServeMinnesota is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment united by our shared mission.

AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni are encouraged to apply.