Manager of Individual Giving

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 Mac Arthur Fellowships, 5 Nobel

Prizes, and 5 Pritzker Prizes, among many other distinctions.

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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Partner with organizational leadership and board members to strengthen the culture of philanthropy and board engagement.
• Coordinate and support the…