Development Manager

Development Manager

Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork, and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, biodiversity, and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples, and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.

POSITION SUMMARY - This position is based in Arlington, VA

Conservation International is seeking an Individual Giving Manager who is an independently motivated individual to help raise critical funds from new and existing donors through a multi-channel fundraising approach. This individual will excel at managing both people and processes to assess current plans for annual donors, implement improvements, and focus on the growth and retention of our annual donor community.

This position reports to and works closely with the Senior Manager, Individual and Planned Giving to develop and implement donor acquisition, upgrade, and retention strategies for the annual giving donor community. The Individual Giving Manager assists with the expansion of the offline giving program from annual, midlevel, and monthly donors. In partnership with an external vendor, this position is responsible for ensuring the timely implementation of all donor touchpoints and managing the project plan from creation to evaluation stages. This position requires a strong attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple projects and work within a fast-changing environment.

This position will act as a collaborative relationship manager, working with the Brand & Communications team and external agency partners to develop donor communication products that showcase Conservation International's mission and brand to build a case for support for our global efforts.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Program & Project Management

• Develop an organized strategic planning framework, including management of direct mail campaign kick-offs, campaign documentation and strategy feedback.

• In partnership with internal teams and external vendors, manage the end-to-end implementation project plan for Annual Giving donor communications to include strategic planning for fundraising appeals and donor stewardship/engagement products.

• Manage the full mail production process including but not limited to content and theme strategy for acquisition and retention, copy review, pulling of mailing lists, and collaboration with direct mail partners on art and versioning needs. Also assist in the review and proofing process and manage the quote process with the mailshop and agency partners, all while looking for cost-saving opportunities.

• Develop and own the full Annual Giving calendar to ensure timely, cost-effective communications and an overall robust donor experience with a best-in-class donor experience program to increase retention, revenue and move donors up the pipeline.

• Collaborate with the Digital Fundraising team on upcoming email strategies, themes for Annual Giving audiences, and plan cross-channel communications.

• Help develop, monitor, and reproject the direct mail expense and revenue budgets.

• Update offline revenue projections, expenses, and metrics, compile final results from each campaign, and provide recommendations to the team, allowing for data-driven decision-making.

• Assist in developing the Annual Giving fiscal year budget on an annual basis.

Data & Program Analysis

• Prepare ongoing analysis of the Annual Giving marketing program, including the timing, volume, and types of response to each marketing initiative. Share relevant analyses with the marketing team and vendors to inform future projects. Incorporate industry best practices and provide strategies for program improvements to ensure goals are met.

• Provide regular reporting to the Development Leadership Team. This includes but is not limited to match campaigns, progress and projections on new donor counts, sustainer statistics, and highlights of successes and challenges in the Annual Giving program.

• Ensure data integrity and that critical donor information/contacts/moves are reflected in the CRM.

• Track and analyze effectiveness of all new donor acquisition and retention campaigns. Interpret giving statistics, donor behavior, trends, successes, testing, and outcomes, working with the Annual Giving team and program partners to create strategies and tactics to optimize short- and long-term donor value and achieve program performance goals.

• Partner with the Development Operations Team to accurately import offline campaign data to ensure accurate gift processing.

Cross-Channel and Planned Giving Support

• Organize and moderate quarterly meetings between Development, Brand & Communications, and partners to develop, review, and improve cross-channel strategies, upcoming communications, revenue, and results from recent campaigns.

• Manage the production and distribution of all planned giving mailings including but not limited to a biannual newsletter, annual survey, and prospect appeals.

• Provide subject matter expertise to the Development Division for print materials and work with external mailshop vendors.

• Additional support as needed with donor communications via phone and email.

• Manager may be called upon to support or collaborate on ad hoc projects and mailings that support the full Development Division.

Other duties as assigned by supervisor. All members of the Development team regularly serve as back-up to colleagues who are away from the office for short periods of time or on projects with tight deadlines.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This will be a hybrid position, with 3 days based out of the Arlington, VA office.

• Typical office environment. Equipment (laptop) and on-the-job training will be provided.

• Flexibility in the work schedule to accommodate time differences with HQ and field programs may be necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor's degree or up to four years of college-level work.

• 4 to 6 years of related work experience in annual giving, direct mail fundraising and acquisition, or project management.

• Must be self-motivated, self-managed, able to handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment, have outstanding organizational abilities, good judgment, strong ethics, and a keen attention to detail.

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.

• Proficiency in using a computer database and PC software is highly desirable. Experience with Raiser's Edge or similar fundraising database software.

• Ability to communicate confidently and effectively with colleagues, program leaders, donors, and prospects.

To apply for this position please submit a resume and cover letter.

See all Conservation International Career Opportunities HERE

Conservation International is an equal opportunity, affirmative action, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility-committed employer. We are proud to have a diverse, global workforce where employment decisions are based on qualifications, experience, position requirements, business needs, market conditions, merit, and other legitimate nondiscriminatory factors.

As a science-based organization, CI follows CDC recommendations for COVID-19 and other vaccines. Accordingly, for the health and safety of our employees, their families, and our community, subject to applicable local law, all Conservation International staff are expected to be vaccinated against COVID-19. However, vaccination is no longer a mandate or condition of employment and employees are not required to provide proof of vaccination. This means we will not require an individual to be vaccinated to enter a CI office, attend CI events or travel on CI-related trips. This applies for our community partners as well. This vaccine expectation applies to all team members working remotely, in a hybrid work arrangement, and on-site. Job applicants are NOT required to state their COVID-19 vaccine status in their application.