Leadership Annual Giving Manager

Position Summary

The Leadership Annual Giving Manager is a key member of the Philanthropy team, responsible for cultivating, retaining, and stewarding donors giving at the leadership annual level (typically $100–$4,999). This hybrid role combines portfolio management with strategic stewardship execution to deepen engagement, increase donor retention, and build long-term philanthropic relationships.

This role will manage a portfolio of loyal and newly engaged donors, ensuring they feel valued and inspired to continue their support. In parallel, it will support stewardship efforts across the giving pipeline to ensure all donors receive timely, thoughtful, and personalized acknowledgment. This position is ideal for a relationship-driven and organized professional who thrives in both donor-facing work and behind-the-scenes operational excellence.

This role will help ensure every donor—from first-time supporters to long-time champions at their giving capacity—feels meaningfully connected to our mission and the impact of their giving.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities

• Demonstrate a passion for crushing lung disease and embody CHEST values: honor the team, act with integrity, leverage strengths, cultivate innovation, and have serious fun.

Leadership Annual Giving (50%)

• Manage a portfolio of 100–200 donors and prospects giving at the leadership annual level, with a focus on retention, reactivation, and incremental growth.
• Conduct personalized outreach, including phone calls, handwritten notes, emails, and occasional in-person meetings or virtual visits.
• Partnership with the Director of Philanthropy to develop individualized engagement plans that align with donor interests, lifecycle stage, and giving capacity.
• Identify donors with potential for increased investment and partner with the Director of Philanthropy to develop advancement pathways.
• Maintain detailed records of interactions and donor activity, and organize regular donor acknowledgements and communications.

Donor Stewardship (50%)

• Design and execute donor stewardship strategies to recognize, retain, and reengage annual donors—especially those with active pledges or capped giving levels.
• Ensure timely acknowledgment of gifts and pledge payments; develop customized messaging and impact updates as appropriate.
• Serve as the internal operations lead for pledge monitoring and gift tracking, collaborating closely with Finance to ensure timely payments, accurate reconciliation, and reporting.
• Support annual stewardship campaigns, including giving milestones, year-end outreach, and special donor touches tied to organizational priorities.
• Champion a culture of gratitude and responsiveness by embedding donor stewardship best practices across the department.
• Utilize CHEST’s fundraising management systems to update donor information, producereports, perform analyses, and track and cultivate donor relationships.
• Other duties as assigned