Jobs : Director of Individual Giving & Membership

DIRECTOR OF INDIVIDUAL GIVING & MEMBERSHIP

This is a Remotely Based Position, Accommodating Telecommuting.

Frequent Visits to San Antonio from May to September will be required.

Management Recruiters - Mid Hudson Valley is an executive search firm focused solely in serving the nonprofit sector.  We have a national practice and the large majority of our placements are executive leadership and senior fundraising professionals.

Our client is Bat Conservation International (BCI – www.batcon.org). BCI’s mission is to conserve the world’s bats and their ecosystems to ensure a healthy planet. They are dedicated to the enduring protection of the world’s 1300+ species of bats and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity. In pursuit of this vision, during the next five years BCI will work worldwide with local, regional, national and multinational partners to deliver conservation impact.

BCI has engaged us to recruit and place a Director of Individual Giving & Membership (Director) with them.

Position Overview

Reporting to the Chief Development & Communications Officer, the Director of Individual Giving & Membership will oversee the BCI membership program and guide strategy for all membership communications and for individual donors who give less than $5k annually to BCI.  The Director is primarily responsible for growing the donor base; and for implementing creative, innovative appeals for members as well as annual supporters.  The successful candidate for this role will take ownership of the position, have a proven track record of conducting effective appeals, foster continued engagement from our donor base, and exhibit a proactive donor-centered approach. S/he must thrive in working with individual donors and demonstrate a drive for excellence within the field of fundraising.

The Director helps ensure, as one of his or her highest priorities, that BCI’s fundraising campaigns are effective, well-coordinated, delivered according to plan, and that current and new audiences are engaged in BCI’s mission. 

The Director of Individual Giving & Membership supervises the Development Services Associate.

Key Responsibilities

=         Oversee all aspects of developing, strengthening and maintaining the membership program, including developing an annual membership plan including long and short-term membership benchmarks and budgets; strategically grow BCI membership through analysis of data and trends, and annually refine and advance processes that drive member satisfaction and revenue.

=         Ensure that a culture of service to members and supporters is preserved and promoted throughout BCI and respond to inquiries from current and prospective members in a timely manner, tracking all contact results. Manage on-line and phone communication with constituents utilizing excellent oral and written skills with attention to detail, quality-assurance and accuracy.

=         Increase the size of and revenue generated by our membership base by employing industry best practices in new member acquisition, direct-mail fundraising appeals, membership renewals and online fundraising campaigns, while maintaining an 80% or better membership renewal rate. Fundraising appeals include all membership drive campaigns, and targeted appeals (fall & spring). S/he will seek to engage target audiences, ultimately convert supporters to members, and take additional priority actions that support BCI’s mission.

=         Develop and track the membership and appeals revenue and expense budgets and assist with the development of annual materials for membership promotion and fulfillment.

=         Work closely with the development and communications staff to segment and customize communications with various groups within the membership base as needed. Coordinate gift processing and membership fulfillment, ensuring that all gift entry and acknowledging/receipting is completed accurately and efficiently.

=         Establish effective working relationships with mail houses, printers, and other vendors as required. Maintain sufficient inventory of materials needed for in-house fulfillment and programs. 

=         Oversee the newly emerging BCI Young Professionals Group, including managing annual events (Austin & San Antonio), establishing policies and procedures for the formation and governance of this group, and ultimately increase the membership of young professionals to BCI. Goals and metrics for the formation of this group should be included within the membership annual plan.

=         Select, coordinate, and work with volunteers as applicable, with ability to document new processes and train staff and volunteers in best practices.

=         Serve as BCI’s representative with external constituents as needed.

Qualifications

=         A four-year undergraduate degree, plus five (5) years or more of membership and/or annual fund experience required, ideally in a non-profit setting, for a membership or annual fund program with thousands of members.

=         Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to write quickly and accurately on deadline. Experience in communicating conservation information preferred. 

=         Ability to communicate and work well with all levels of staff, vendors, members, donors, conservation partners and others.

=         Superior organizational skills and ability to handle a multitude of tasks, including experience in project management and setting and adhering to deadlines.

=         Experience in Raisers Edge; proficiency with OLX highly desirable and the use of custom web forms and membership tools is a plus. Strong computer skills (MS Word, MS Excel) are required.

=         Actively follows best practices in nonprofit communications and is highly collaborative, organized, adaptable and team-oriented.

=         Ability to work independently with limited supervision and high motivation. S/he should provide a visionary approach to the work; must be a self-starter with the ability to refine processes and increase efficiency.

=         Effective problem-solving skills, with a solutions-based approach, high emotional intelligence, and superior interpersonal skills.

=         Willingness to travel (current expectation is 10-15%). Travel includes visits to Bracken Cave regularly during the bat flight season to meet with members and visitors (May – September). Additional travel may include visits to Congress Avenue Bridge, annual staff retreats, training sessions, and professional development activities.

=         Successful candidates will have a solid track record assisting with events; two (2) years of direct oversight in event management is a plus.

This is a full-time salaried position. BCI offers a very competitive salary, as well as a comprehensive benefits package.

BCI is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected categories covered under local law.

If you are interested in this excellent career opportunity, please email your resume and cover letter (Word documents only, please) to:

Tom Damewood

Owner / Manager

Management Recruiters – Mid Hudson Valley

tdamewood@mrmhv.com

Phone 845-227-3161