Senior Manager of Annual Giving & Donor Engagement

Senior Manager of Annual Giving & Donor Engagement

The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) is more than just a performing arts organization—it's a cornerstone of creativity, culture, and community in Central Ohio. At CAPA, we are committed to inspiring and transforming lives through the power of the performing arts. With a rich history and a dynamic vision for the future, we manage iconic theaters, host world‑class performances, and foster a love of the arts in audiences of all ages.

• Are you excellent at tying mission to value from a charitable donor’s perspective?
• Are you excited about a role that enables everyone in the Development department to be even more effective at their jobs?
• Are you excellent at planning, organizing, and managing fundraising campaigns including ones where you have accountability for the donor portfolio? Do you find ways to make data usable and available at the right moments to inform donor strategies and measure success? Can you inspire others to do their very best?
• Do you have a passion for the performing arts?

The Senior Manager of Annual Giving & Donor Engagement is responsible for developing and implementing annual giving strategies, donor engagement programs, donor recognition initiatives, prospect development efforts, and donor analytics functions for CAPA and assigned shared‑service organizations. Maintains a portfolio of approximately 50–100 mid‑level donors and prospects and supervises annual giving and donor operations staff. Serves as lead fundraiser and staff liaison for Festival Latino sponsorship fundraising and sponsor engagement activities.

First Month:

• Coordinate with Development and Marketing department team members to gain an understanding of CAPA and Shared Services and how donor stewardship and campaigns serve CAPA’s mission.
• Learn the details of what is contained in CAPA’s donor database and how it is used. Become reasonably proficient at querying the database.
• Meet the Shared Services clients you support.
• Become familiar with the donor profile for which you will be responsible and compile observations, questions, and suggestions.
• Success Indicators
  • Demonstrates working knowledge of CAPA, Shared Services, and development operations.
  • Completes onboarding meetings with key internal and external stakeholders.
  • Demonstrates basic proficiency utilizing donor database information.
  • Reviews assigned donor portfolio and identifies initial observations and opportunities.

First 90 days:

• Manages a portfolio of approximately 50–100 mid‑level donors and prospects through qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities.
• Conducts donor meetings, phone calls, and engagement activities designed to deepen donor relationships and increase philanthropic support.
• Identifies and qualifies prospective donors through research, engagement activities, and data analysis.
• Maintains accurate donor records, contact reports, and moves management activities within the donor database.
• Supervises the Annual Fund Manager, Data & Analytics Coordinator, and Data Entry Associate.
• Establishes goals, priorities, and performance expectations for assigned staff.
• Works closely with the Data & Analytics Coordinator to ensure data integrity and effective use of Tessitura.
• Supports prospect identification, qualification, and portfolio assignment processes.
• Success Indicators
  • Portfolio management activities are underway and documented.
  • Donor outreach, meetings, and qualification activities have commenced.
  • Staff goals and expectations have been established.
  • Data integrity and reporting processes have been reviewed.
  • Demonstrates effective management of direct reports and workflow priorities.

First 6 Months

• Develops and oversees annual giving strategies for CAPA and assigned organizations, including donor renewal, acquisition, retention, and reactivation efforts.
• In conjunction with the Directors of Development, create annual fundraising plans, campaign calendars, and revenue projections in collaboration with fundraising leadership.
• Oversees multi‑channel annual fund campaigns including direct mail,…