Assistant Director Of Programs Jobs in Springfield, VA

Assistant Director of Individual Giving

Reports to: Director of Development

Functional Area: Advancement Department

FLSA Status: Exempt

Job Location: Ward 5

Employment Type: Full-Time

Classification: Manager

Direct Reports: 1 (Individual Giving Specialist)

The Assistant Director of Individual Giving plays a central role in growing and diversifying Academy of Hope's (AoH) revenue base by building a strong, sustainable individual giving program. This role is especially important as AoH strengthens the day-to-day systems that support consistent donor engagement and stewardship.

Reporting to the Director of Development, the Assistant Director of Individual Giving will develop and implement AoH's individual giving strategy and annual plan — in partnership with, and subject to approval by, the Director of Development — manage performance against goals, and maintain a disciplined moves-management and stewardship cadence in Salesforce CRM.

The Assistant Director will directly supervise and coach the Individual Giving Specialist, oversee the Annual Fund strategy and results, and oversee donor engagement event logistics.

This role also partners closely with the Director of Development and Chief Growth Officer — providing donor data, portfolio analysis, and prospect research that inform prioritization decisions and help prepare AoH leadership for high-impact donor engagements. The ideal candidate brings an entrepreneurial mindset: someone who can build systems and processes that don't yet exist, test and refine approaches, and help AoH grow individual giving in a way that is measurable, repeatable, and sustainable.

Individual Giving Strategy, Pipeline Growth & Moves Management  (35%)

• Develop and implement AoH's Individual Giving Plan (annual fund through leadership-level gifts), in partnership with and subject to approval by the Director of Development, aligned with AoH's strategic priorities and revenue-diversification goals.
• Establish and maintain a practical moves-management cadence (e.g., weekly next-step review, monthly portfolio refresh, quarterly pipeline health check) that drives measurable movement and reduces stalled relationships.
• Partner with the Director of Development to identify, qualify, and cultivate high-capacity prospects, and support portfolio strategy and donor-movement decisions.
• Track performance and pipeline health using Salesforce dashboards and regular reporting (pipeline value, donor movement, retention, attrition, upgrades, solicitations, and outcomes by segment).
• Maintain consistent processes and data standards in Salesforce so individual giving data is reliable for forecasting, decision-making, and leadership reporting.
• Manage a personal portfolio of donors and prospects with giving potential up to $25,000, using clear moves management (stages, next steps, timelines) to advance relationships over time.
• Drive AoH's leadership annual giving program (the tier just below major gifts), including segmentation, cultivation, stewardship, and annual targets, in coordination with the Director of Development.
• Participate directly in solicitations for the leadership annual giving and mid-level tiers, including strategy prep, donor meetings, proposal-drafting support, follow-up, and documenting outcomes in Salesforce within agreed-upon timelines.

Mid-Level Giving & Donor Relationship Management  (20%)

• Oversee a portfolio of mid-level donors ($1,000–$9,999), partnering with the Individual Giving Specialist on day-to-day cultivation and stewardship execution while retaining accountability for strategy, segmentation, and upgrade identification.
• Support the Director of Development in preparing senior leadership and board members for donor engagement and solicitation by developing donor and prospect briefing materials tailored to the meeting purpose (cultivation, stewardship, renewal, upgrade, or ask).
• Build and maintain meeting-prep toolkits for donor visits (contact history, giving/engagement summary, affinity and interests, proposed talking points, "the ask," roles in the meeting, and next steps).
• In partnership with the Director of Development, develop board toolkits to strengthen annual fund execution and donor stewardship (call scripts, email templates, segmented call lists, talking points, and tracking instructions).
• Ensure donor experiences are consistent, personal, and aligned with AoH's mission and culture.

Annual Fund Oversight  (20%)

• Oversee and manage the Annual Fund program, including strategy, calendar, segmentation, and performance tracking across direct mail, email, digital, and stewardship.
• Ensure campaign execution is consistent and measurable (e.g., Giving Tuesday, end-of-year, back-to-school, and spring campaign).
• Draft and coordinate annual fund messaging and stewardship communications to ensure alignment, tone, and outcomes-based storytelling, with final approval from the Director of Development.

Donor Engagement Events & Cultivation Moments  (10%)

• Oversee donor engagement opportunities that strengthen relationships and move donors toward deeper investment (small cultivation gatherings, site visits, graduation touchpoints, and tailored experiences).
• Partner with internal teams to build authentic engagement moments tied to AoH programs and strategic priorities.
• Ensure every event has a defined fundraising purpose (stewardship, upgrade, prospecting, or cultivation) and a clear follow-up plan in Salesforce (attendance logged, portfolio routed, next step set within a defined timeframe).

Management, Cross-Team Coordination & Budget Oversight  (15%)

• Supervise, coach, and support the Individual Giving Specialist — setting clear priorities, conducting regular one-on-ones and an annual performance review, and supporting their professional growth.
• Partner with Development Operations/Salesforce support to maintain data integrity and reporting discipline across individual giving.
• Manage vendor relationships tied to individual giving (mail, printing, platforms, event support) as needed.
• Support budget planning and monitoring for individual giving activities, ensuring spending aligns with approved budget levels.

• Bachelor's degree and/or 5–7+ years of progressive fundraising experience with demonstrated success in individual giving (annual fund, mid-level, and/or major gifts).
• Proven experience building and managing a donor pipeline using moves-management best practices.
• Demonstrated success designing and executing multi-channel fundraising campaigns (email, direct mail, digital, events).
• Strong experience with donor stewardship strategies that improve retention and drive upgrades.
• Management experience (supervision, coaching, performance support) or clear readiness to supervise a direct report.
• Experience using fundraising CRMs; Salesforce preferred.
• Experience supporting or participating in a capital or comprehensive campaign is a plus, but not required.
• Working knowledge of the adult education and workforce development landscape is a plus.

• Excellent relationship-building skills with donors and internal stakeholders; strong judgment and discretion with sensitive information.
• Strong writing and editing skills for donor communications (appeals, stewardship, impact updates, event invitations).
• Comfort using data to drive decisions (segmentation, performance reporting, retention, and upgrade analysis).
• Strong project management and execution discipline, including running a donor communications calendar, managing solicitation campaigns, and ensuring follow-through across multiple workstreams (deadlines, approvals, launches, and next steps).
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and communicate clearly with diverse audiences.
• High integrity, strong follow-through, and the ability to build systems that hold under real workload pressure.
• Familiarity with Washington, DC's philanthropic community is a plus.
• Alignment with AoH's mission and belief in adult education as a path to economic mobility and dignity is essential.

• The typical schedule is Monday-Friday (8-9 hours per day), with some early mornings, evenings, and weekends as necessary.
• This position is currently hybrid, requiring 1-2 days per week in the office. All staff are required to be in person Monday through Thursday during Fall enrollment.
• Must be able to withstand extended viewing of computer screens.
• This position will sit in an open/shared office environment with moderate noise.
• AoH has sites in Wards 5 and 8. This position's office will be located at the Ward 5 site. Both sites are air-conditioned, wheelchair accessible, and near public transportation.

This is a full-time, exempt position. The annual salary range for this role is $68,424.00 - $99,680.00, commensurate with experience. 

AoH offers excellent benefits, including flexible schedules, vacation, sick leave, health/dental coverage, short-term disability coverage, and the opportunity to participate in a retirement plan.