Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) is seeking a Full-Time Annual Giving Specialist to join our Major Gifts and Foundations team. This position is based at our New York City Office.
The Annual Giving Specialist at Amnesty International USA is responsible for strategically increasing revenue from individuals and private family foundations who make any single contribution in the $500 to $9,999 range annually. This group of approximately 3,000 mid-level donors, known as the Amnesty Leadership Group (ALG), is a highly valuable community of supporters and potential source of significant growth for the organization.
A key function of this role will be working in collaboration with the National Director of Major Gifts to develop and implement systems and processes that continually identify annual giving supporters with capacity and inclination to contribute $10,000+ donations to the organization. This position will be responsible for engaging these identified supporters through a comprehensive mail, cultivation and stewardship program that is based on data and analytics. Additionally, the Annual Giving Specialist will provide personal attention and outreach, including strategic phone calls, emails, and thoughtful stewardship, recognition and understanding of the impact of their gifts with the goal of upgrading as many annual giving supporters as possible to the major donor level.
In collaboration with the Direct Marketing team, this position will understand the mass marketing program; including data on upgrades and downgrades of annual giving donors in the mail, data on mail performance and audience behavior, and areas for improvement/opportunities. This position will create systems to identify donor behaviors in mass marketing program that signal opportunities for upgrade or personal contact.
- Collaborate with the National Director of Major Gifts and the National Director of Marketing to develop and monitor an annual plan and budget for the annual giving program that meets the needs of Amnesty International USA.
- Manage systems that identify potential major supporters from the annual giving program and work closely with the major gifts team to develop and track strategic plans and interactions related to this portfolio.
- Build strong relationships that upgrade annual giving donors through strategic phone calls, personalized email communications, ongoing written contact, and holding events, at times.
- Develop mass-market as well as individualized outreach and stewardship plans that demonstrate appreciation, recognition and engagement of annual giving donors.
- Set, track and report on KPIs related to the outreach, cultivation, and upgrade solicitations of qualified portfolio of potential major donors.
- Manage the annual giving program as a true “feeder program” by providing the best possible donor journey, which will involve working collaboratively across programs, and recognizing that success will include significantly increasing revenue for other programs in addition to the annual giving budget.
- In collaboration with the direct marketing and major gifts teams, participate in analysis of mid-level trends throughout the year to assess results, and interpret data to recommend and implement adjustments in strategy.
- Work closely with the direct marketing team to strategically cultivate and upgrade current sustaining donors into the annual giving program.
- Collaborate on design, messaging and data segmentation for annual giving prospecting mailings.
- Act as the primary contact for incoming phone calls and email requests from annual giving donors, tracking all interactions in the database.
- Other duties as assigned.
Amnesty International USA is very open to candidates with various backgrounds and experience with the following skills:
- Superior interpersonal skills that require empathy for donor situations, and a pleasant, friendly style to handle complaints and complex issues with patience and tact.
- Proven ability to strategically engage with a wide variety of supporters, both verbally and in writing, through moves management that leads to increased contributions and involvement.
- Knowledge and understanding of annual giving strategies and key performance indicators, including appeals, renewals, stewardship, upgrades, retention and attrition.
- Self-awareness during conversations with supporters and ability to practice active listening.
- Understanding of direct marketing programs, including audience segmentation, performance reporting, and fundraising and marketing data and analytics. Ability to interpret reports and create strategic plans based on results.
- Collaborative team player able to work effectively in cross-functional teams.
- Ability to move projects from conceptual stages to launch and manage multiple and competing deadlines.
- Familiarity with ROI and/or other donor databases.
- Creative and innovative with problem-solving.
- High standards of ethics and confidentiality, assuring discreet handling of donor records and organizational information. Adheres to AFP standards of practice for gift officers.
- Face-to-face fundraising is a plus