Senior Director, Annual Giving and Operations Overview of Meals on Wheels America Position Summary The Senior Director, Annual Giving & Operations reports to the Chief Development & Marketing Officer (CDMO) and is an Arlington, VA-based hybrid role responsible for leading Meals on Wheels America’s annual giving, mid-level giving and development operations functions. This role will oversee strategies that drive donor acquisition, retention, engagement and revenue growth across annual and mid-level donor audiences while also strengthening the systems, processes and operational infrastructure that support the broader Development team. The Senior Director will play a key leadership role in advancing a modern, data-informed fundraising operation that enhances donor experience, improves organizational effectiveness and supports long-term philanthropic growth. This position will work closely with colleagues across development, marketing, finance and external partners to strengthen operational excellence and fundraising performance. The ideal candidate is a collaborative and strategic fundraising leader with deep experience in annual giving, donor engagement, fundraising operations and team leadership. Duties and Responsibilities Annual & Mid-Level Giving Strategy - Lead the development and execution of integrated annual and mid-level giving strategies to drive donor acquisition, retention, reactivation and revenue growth.
- Oversee direct response fundraising efforts across digital, mail and multi-channel campaigns.
- Develop donor engagement and stewardship strategies that deepen donor loyalty and lifetime value.
- Build and grow a strong mid-level giving program focused on increasing donor engagement and pipeline development for major giving.
- Partner with marketing and communications teams to ensure consistent donor messaging and campaign integration.
Development Operations & Strategy - Oversee development operations, including gift processing, donor database management, reporting, analytics and fundraising systems.
- Strengthen operational processes and infrastructure to improve fundraising effectiveness, efficiency and donor experience.
- Lead the development of fundraising dashboards, performance metrics and reporting tools to support strategic decision-making.
- Partner with finance and operations teams to ensure accurate revenue tracking, reconciliation and reporting.
- Help evaluate and implement operational improvements, technologies and best practices that support organizational growth.
Team Leadership & Operations - Lead, mentor and develop team members responsible for annual giving, donor services and development operations.
- Foster strong collaboration across development, marketing, finance and external partners.
- Support organization-wide fundraising initiatives, campaigns and donor engagement opportunities.
- Contribute to strategic planning and departmental leadership as part of the Development management team.
Qualifications or Skills Required - Minimum of 8 years of progressive fundraising and/or development operations experience.
- Demonstrated experience leading successful annual giving and donor engagement programs.
- Strong understanding of fundraising operations, donor databases, reporting and analytics.
- Experience managing multi-channel fundraising campaigns and donor stewardship strategies.
- Proven ability to analyze fundraising performance data and translate insights into strategy.
- Strong project management, organizational and operational leadership skills.
- Excellent written, verbal and presentation communication skills.
- Experience managing and developing high-performing teams.
- Familiarity with CRM (preferably Every Action) and fundraising technology platforms.
- Passion for the mission of Meals on Wheels America and the Meals on Wheels network.
- Models the Association’s cultural attributes of Collaboration, Accountability, Respect, Empowerment and Service (C.A.R.E.S.)
Candidates meeting 75% or more of the above qualifications are encouraged to apply.
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