Associate Director of Annual Giving

Associate Director of Annual Giving

Position Category: Full-time, Regular

Employee Type: Salaried, Exempt

Reports to: Sr Director of Development & Community Engagement

Direct Reports: Development Coordinator

Work Schedule: Mon-Fri, 9 am – 5 pm; event driven evening and weekend hours required. This is an in-person position.

Salary: $ 70,000–$72,000

Organization:

Literary Arts is a community-based nonprofit arts organization located in Portland, Oregon. Our mission is to engage readers, support writers, and inspire the next generation with great literature.

Our programs create opportunities for readers and writers of all ages and walks of life to engage with stories. We provide programs in concert halls, classrooms, our community space, and on the radio. Literary Arts is committed to remaining a dynamic and responsive organization that will continue to evolve with our community’s needs and deepen our equity work across all our programs

The Position:

The Associate Director of Annual Giving is a key member of the Literary Arts team, and is the primary role responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and growing individual giving from donors at the $50 to $2,500 level, as well as providing support on major gift cultivation throughout the year. This position also supervises and mentors the Development Coordinator and will work directly with our Marketing & Communications Director and Program Directors to oversee all printed and digital collateral for development campaigns and activities, implement the acknowledgement recognition policy, and ensure a cohesive engagement approach across giving categories and donor levels. This position will be responsible for the overall creation and implementation of plans that raise funds from individual donors through annual direct mail and email solicitations, working heavily in the organization’s CRM and reporting both internally and externally on fundraising metrics. This position will also serve a vital role in developing new individual giving strategies that integrate Literary Arts’ transformative identity expansion, with

the opening of public-facing retail operations in our Bookstore and Cafe at our new headquarters in Southeast Portland, and the Ursula K. Le Guin Writers Residency.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Individual Giving

Manage creation of annual fund solicitations in accordance with the annual development strategic plan.
Collaborate to support development team on creation of solicitation lists, design segmenting, and personalization strategies.
Develop and implement strategies to broaden Literary Arts’ donor base for gifts of $500 and below, and create messaging that emphasizes the importance of the value of gifts of $25, $50, $100, etc.
Directly supervise the Development Coordinator. Support, coach and mentor the Development Coordinator by communicating clear goals and identifying opportunities for growth.
Partner with the Senior Director of Development & Community Engagement and the entire development team to establish a calendar of cultivation and stewardship activities for individual donors.
Regularly attend evening and weekend program events, and staff donor engagement events, as required.
Serve as internal primary point of contact with Marketing and Communications to ensure individual donors are recognized appropriately across all public-facing recognition, and that our funder recognition policy is implemented across all giving categories and donor levels.

Events

In collaboration with Assoc. Director, Development Events & Corporate Sponsorships, support Literary Arts’ annual calendar of fundraising and donor stewardship events, including Portland Arts & Lectures patron receptions, author dinners, and an annual gala.

Other/General

Work with Senior Director of Development & Community Engagement to identify and cultivate new donor prospects, as well as support team in donor relations at each level of giving and within each giving category (foundation, corporate, and individual).
Represent Literary Arts at events to increase awareness of Literary Arts’ programs.
Other duties as assigned by the Senior Director of Development & Community Engagement.

Qualifications:

We will consider any combination of relevant work experience, volunteering, education, and transferable skills as qualifying, unless an item is labeled as required. Please be clear and specific about how your background is relevant.

Minimum Qualifications/Transferable Skills

5 or more years of development experience with a proven track record of successful individual donor relationship management.
Demonstrated understanding of basic fundraising principles and the development cycle.
Experience in effectively nurturing and maintaining relationships with donors, supporters, community partners, and staff.
Ability to develop, manage, and meet budgets.
Exceptional project management skills, including the ability to set and meet deadlines and manage multiple tasks.
Experience using a donor database system to track contacts, or equivalent preferable.
Demonstrated ability to appropriately manage highly confidential information.
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
Superb attention to detail.
Excellent customer service skills.
Ability to interact positively with people of diverse backgrounds.
Creative problem-solving ability.
Commitment to the mission of Literary Arts.

Job Conditions

Benefits: Literary Arts currently pays for health, dental, and vision coverage for each FTE employee, and offers a 401K program with employer match. Literary Arts also fully pays for short- and long-term disability insurance. All full-time employees begin with three weeks of paid vacation time, which increases to five weeks after five years of employment. We also provide three additional paid personal days off, in addition to observing approximately 12 paid holidays. As a registered nonprofit, the organization qualifies for public service loan forgiveness. Information on additional benefits is available upon request.

Office Layout is open concept with flexible meeting rooms and hoteling work stations.

Equipment Used: Laptop, copier/printer, postage machine, and other standard office equipment. Literary Arts provides an adjustable office chair; a standing desk can be requested.

Physical Demands: Long periods of sitting are required at the computer or in meetings. Some concentrated periods of computer keyboarding may be required throughout the work week. However, this position does accommodate breaks from sitting as needed. Lifting and moving of boxes is required; boxes in excess of 25 pounds should be lifted with assistance.

Application Information

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter to applications@literary-arts.org. We will begin formally reviewing applications on March 21, 2025.

After you submit your application materials, you will be invited to participate in a voluntary survey. Literary Arts is committed to DEI initiatives, and data collected from these surveys allows us to measure and show the progress we are making in a concrete way.

Literary Arts is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment for our employees and volunteers. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

For more information about Literary Arts, visit www.literary-arts.org.