Senior Development Officer, Individual Giving

Status: Full-Time/On-Site/Benefits Eligible/Exempt

Location: Paper Mill Playhouse (Millburn, NJ)

Reports to: Associate Director of Major Gifts

Position Overview

Reporting to the Associate Director of Major Gifts, the Senior Development Officer, Individual Giving (SDO) plays a key role in cultivating meaningful relationships with individual donors and expanding Paper Mill Playhouse’s community of supporters. The SDO is responsible for managing, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of donor households and prospects, with a focus on growing annual support and strengthening the donor pipeline.

Working closely with the Associate Director of Major Gifts, the SDO oversees the full Annual Fund renewal process and helps design and execute multi-channel fundraising and stewardship campaigns. The ideal candidate brings strong communication and organizational skills, a collaborative spirit, and a genuine passion for engaging donors in Paper Mill’s mission to entertain, inspire and enrich lives.

• Manage a personal portfolio of approximately 150-200 donors and prospects annually.
• Execute all phases of the donor lifecycle—identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship—to grow annual support and encourage donor upgrades.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for Annual Fund donors giving up to $3,000, providing exceptional customer service and personalized communication.
• Conduct personalized outreach (phone, email, in-person) to renew, retain, and deepen donor relationships.

• Oversee the full Annual Fund renewal process in partnership with the Associate Director of Major Gifts, ensuring timely and accurate solicitations, reminders, acknowledgments, and benefit fulfillment.
• Partner with the Associate Director of Major Gifts to plan and execute annual giving campaigns across direct mail, email, web, and social media channels.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to craft donor-centered storytelling that reflects Paper Mill’s mission and impact.
• Track and report on campaign performance, renewal rates, and donor engagement metrics to identify trends and opportunities for growth.

• Identify and cultivate new donor prospects from ticket buyers, education families, and other audience segments to expand the Annual Fund.
• Support and attend donor engagement and cultivation events including donor receptions, opening nights, backstage tours, and more.
• Collaborate with Development colleagues to ensure thoughtful handoffs and pipeline transitions between giving levels.
• Contribute ideas and feedback for evolving donor engagement strategies that enhance connection, retention, and satisfaction.

• Maintain accurate and timely donor records, activity notes, and gift tracking in Tessitura (CRM).
• Assist in preparing donor lists, reports, and segmented data for campaigns and appeals.
• Assist the Development Operations staff on gift entry, acknowledgments, and benefit delivery as needed.
• Contribute to the culture of philanthropy across the organization by fostering collaboration, shared accountability, and stewardship excellence.
• Participate actively in department meetings and contribute to a collaborative, mission-driven culture rooted in stewardship excellence.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant on-the-job experience; CFRE certification a plus.
• Minimum of 4–5 years of frontline fundraising experience, ideally in an arts, education, or cultural nonprofit setting.
• Proven ability to cultivate, solicit, and steward individual gifts, including experience managing donor pipelines and personal portfolios.
• Experience managing donor circles or giving societies is highly desirable.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with a strong commitment to donor stewardship and customer service.
• Experience with CRM systems (Tessitura preferred) and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced,…