Job Description
AMERICAN ACADEMY IN ROME
Manager of Individual Giving
Location: New York, New York
Reports to: Associate Director of Development
Supervises: Development Coordinator
Founded in 1894, the American Academy in Rome is a leading American overseas center
for independent study and advanced research in the arts and humanities. Each year, the
Academy awards the Rome Prize to approximately 30 artists and scholars who join a
dynamic, transdisciplinary residential community on the Academy’s eleven-acre campus
on the Janiculum Hill—enriched further by invited Residents and Visiting Artists and
Scholars, reaching a community of approximately 100 at any given time. Fellows and
Residents have gone on to earn 79 Pulitzer Prizes, 63 MacArthur Fellowships, 5 Nobel
Prizes, and 5 Pritzker Prizes, among many other distinctions.
The Opportunity
The Manager of Individual Giving is responsible for leading and growing the American
Academy in Rome’s individual philanthropy program, including annual giving, mid-level
donor engagement, major gifts cultivation, and board giving initiatives. This position plays a
critical role in building a sustainable culture of philanthropy by identifying, cultivating,
soliciting, and stewarding donors at all giving levels.
Reporting to the Associate Director of Development, the Manager of Individual Giving will
oversee the strategy and execution of annual fundraising campaigns, manage a portfolio of
major donor prospects, coordinate board giving efforts, and help strengthen donor
stewardship across the organization. The position will work closely with senior leadership,
board members, and colleagues across departments to develop meaningful opportunities
for philanthropic investment in the Academy’s mission and programs.
Success in this role will be defined by measurable growth in annual giving revenue, donor
retention and upgrades, increased major gift support, increased board participation in
fundraising, and the establishment of highly effective donor engagement and stewardship
practices.
Key Responsibilities
Working closely with the VP for Development and the Associate Director of Development,
the position will help lead:
Individual Giving Strategy and Program Management
• Develop and implement a comprehensive individual giving strategy that integrates
annual giving, mid-level giving, major gifts, and board giving.
• Contribute to establishing annual fundraising goals and performance benchmarks
aligned with organizational priorities.
• Manage and grow the donor pipeline, ensuring consistent movement of prospects
through identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship stages.
• Analyze donor trends and giving patterns to inform fundraising strategies and
resource allocation.
• Collaborate with organizational leadership to identify funding opportunities that
align donor interests with institutional priorities.
Annual Giving
• Help develop and implement the annual fundraising campaign schedule, including
year-end appeals, Giving Tuesday, special campaigns, donor acquisition efforts,
and monthly giving initiatives.
• Develop and execute multi-channel fundraising strategies utilizing digital
communications, direct mail, social media, and other donor engagement tools.
• Oversee specific campaign planning, messaging, segmentation, execution, and
performance analysis.
• Monitor donor retention, renewal, and upgrade rates and implement strategies to
improve results.
• Work closely with communications team to ensure donor-centered messaging and
consistent brand presentation.
Major Gifts
• Manage a portfolio of individual donors and prospects capable of making significant
philanthropic investments.
• Identify, research, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift donors.
• Prepare individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies for prospective donors.
• Coordinate donor meetings, briefings, and engagement opportunities involving the
President and CEO, board members, and senior leadership in both the United
States and Italy.
• Develop compelling gift opportunities that support both current operations and
strategic initiatives.
• Utilize prospect research and wealth screening tools to identify high-capacity donor
prospects and inform fundraising strategies.
Board Giving and Volunteer Engagement
• Partner with organizational leadership and board members to strengthen the
culture of philanthropy and board engagement.
• Coordinate and support the board’s annual giving campaign and stewardship
activities.
• Support board members in identifying, cultivating, and soliciting prospective donors
within their networks.
• Prepare fundraising materials, prospect briefings, and giving reports for board
leadership.
• Track board participation and provide regular progress updates to leadership.
Donor Stewardship and Relationship Management
• Design and implement comprehensive donor stewardship programs that build longterm
donor loyalty and engagement.
• Ensure timely and personalized donor acknowledgments, recognition, and
reporting.
• Develop meaningful opportunities for donor engagement, including events,
briefings, program updates, and special communications.
• Develop systems to maintain regular contact with donors to deepen relationships
and increase philanthropic support.
• Collaborate with leadership to create custom stewardship plans for key donors.
Data Management, Reporting, and Operations
• Ensure accurate and timely donor record management in the organization’s CRM
system.
• Oversee prospect tracking, fundraising reporting, and data analysis.
• Manage the major donor pipeline tracking document, capturing all moves and
suggested next steps.
• Monitor fundraising performance against goals and prepare regular reports for
leadership and the board.
• Assist the Associate, Development Operations in working collaboratively with
Finance to reconcile gifts, track restricted funding, and ensure accurate reporting.
• Maintain adherence to ethical fundraising practices and all applicable regulations.
Collaboration and Institutional Leadership
• Work closely with senior leadership to integrate fundraising priorities into
organizational planning.
• Collaborate across departments to identify compelling funding opportunities and
communicate program impact.
• Participate in strategic planning and advancement initiatives.
• Serve as an ambassador for the Academy and its mission within the philanthropic
community.
• Support special projects and other special fundraising initiatives as assigned.
Qualifications
Required
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of 5–7 years of progressively responsible fundraising experience,
including annual giving and major gifts.
• Demonstrated success securing five- and six-figure gifts from individual donors.
• Experience managing comprehensive fundraising campaigns and donor
stewardship programs.
• Knowledge of major gift fundraising principles, annual giving strategies, donor
engagement, and prospect development.
• Experience working with nonprofit CRM and fundraising platforms, including
Salesforce or comparable systems.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret donor data and use insights to
drive fundraising performance.
• Strong writing and editing skills with experience producing donor-focused
communications.
• Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills, along with a sense of humor.
• Flexibility to participate in calls in off-hours to accommodate colleagues in Rome,
and work some evenings and weekends as required by events and donor activities.
• Proven ability to build relationships with donors, volunteers, executives, and board
members.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, self-starting, and able to manage multiple
priorities simultaneously.
• Demonstrated commitment to ethical fundraising practices and donor-centered
philanthropy.
• Genuine enthusiasm for the Academy’s legacy and mission.
Preferred
• Advanced degree or CFRE certification preferred.
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will be a relationship-builder who is strategic, persuasive, and
mission-driven. They will possess the curiosity to understand donor motivations, the
discipline to manage a complex fundraising portfolio, and the interpersonal skills
necessary to engage supporters, volunteers, executives, and board members with
authenticity and credibility. They will bring initiative, resilience, sound judgment,
discretion, and a commitment to advancing the Academy’s long-term philanthropic
growth.
Compensation & Location
Compensation: $80,000-$90,000
Salary is based on a range of factors that include relevant experience, knowledge, skills,
other job-related qualifications.
Based in our Chelsea offices, New York. Our hybrid work model allows employees to
optionally work from home on Mondays and Fridays.
To Apply
Candidates should submit a one-page letter outlining their interest in the Academy and the
contributions they expect to make to its mission, along with a current CV. Applications
should be submitted to devcareers@aarome.org with the subject line “INDIVIDUAL
GIVING” and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
The American Academy in Rome is an Equal Opportunity Employer. AAR believes that a
diverse community makes for a stronger institution, and actively encourages applications
from candidates of all backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences. We are committed to
a hiring process that is equitable, inclusive, and free from bias, and to building a leadership
community that reflects the breadth of the artistic and scholarly traditions we support.