Manager, Sustainer Giving

Position Overview:

Main Areas of Focus: Recurring Giving Program within the Annual Fund

• Acquisition, Upgrade, and Recapture of Recurring Donors 
• Donor Engagement, Stewardship, and Retention 
• Program Strategy, Analytics, and Revenue Growth

As part of the Digital Giving team within Annual Giving and the broader Philanthropy department, the Manager of Sustainer Giving will lead strategies to acquire, engage, retain, upgrade, and recapture recurring donors, helping to grow a sustainable source of unrestricted revenue for the National Park Foundation.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Digital Giving, the Manager of Sustainer Giving is a new role responsible for overseeing the full lifecycle of NPF's recurring giving program, including monthly, quarterly, and annual donors.

This position will play a crucial role in strengthening a high-priority fundraising channel that has received significant investment and is now a key driver of long-term donor value, sustainable growth, and achievement of the Digital Giving team’s annual $31+ million unrestricted revenue goal. The Manager will work cross-functionally with the Annual Giving, Donor Engagement, Constituent Services, and Operations teams to create, execute, and monitor the success of campaigns that acquire, engage, retain, upgrade, and recapture recurring gift donors. 

The ideal candidate will be strategic, data-driven, donor-centric, and adept at acquiring and retaining donors at a large scale.

Essential Functions/Duties/Tasks:

Acquisition, Upgrades & Recapture:

• Develop and implement innovative strategies to acquire new recurring donors through multi-channel Annual Giving campaigns, including digital, direct mail, canvassing, and potentially telemarketing outreach.
• In coordination with digital and direct mail fundraising teams, design and execute sustainer acquisition, upgrade, and recapture campaigns that communicate the ongoing impact of donor support.
• Manage the development and utilization of premium offers and incentives to support acquisition and upgrade strategies, coordinating fulfillment with the Annual Giving team.
• Identify and evaluate emerging platforms, tools, and industry trends to uncover new opportunities for recurring donor acquisition, upgrades, and recapture.
• Test and optimize messaging, gift structures, offers, and donor journeys to improve conversion, upgrade, and recapture rates.
• Optimize campaign performance through data analysis, audience segmentation, and A/B testing to increase donor acquisition, upgrades, and long-term revenue.

Donor Engagement & Stewardship:

• Create and manage donor journeys that deliver meaningful and timely communications, fostering deeper engagement and long-term donor loyalty.
• Partner with the Donor Engagement team to explore recognition and stewardship opportunities tailored specifically for recurring donors.
• Collaborate across teams to pilot innovative donor engagement strategies that strengthen recurring donor relationships and increase lifetime value.
• Develop stewardship touchpoints and milestone acknowledgment strategies that reinforce donor commitment and connection to the National Park Foundation's mission.

Retention, Reactivation & Donor Experience:

• Develop and oversee the implementation and optimization of the sustainer retention program to increase donor retention, reduce churn, and grow recurring revenue.
• Develop and manage reactivation strategies, including lapsed donor recapture efforts and donor rescue initiatives.
• Partner with Constituent Services to ensure a seamless donor experience through prompt acknowledgment, donor inquiry resolution, and effective cancellation prevention strategies.
• Monitor and improve key retention metrics through ongoing testing, analysis, and optimization of donor experiences and communications.

Strategy, Analytics & Program Management:

• Collaborate with the Associate Director, Digital Giving, Senior Director, Annual Fund, and Senior Director, Champions Society to establish program goals, budgets, KPIs, and growth strategies for recurring giving.
• Lead the planning, execution, and analysis of recurring giving campaigns in collaboration with cross-functional Annual Giving teams.
• Analyze donor behavior and program performance, including retention, engagement, churn, and lifetime value metrics, to inform strategic decision-making.
• Prepare and present regular reports on recurring giving performance, including revenue, retention rates, donor growth, and campaign outcomes.
• Partner with Data and Operations teams to ensure accurate gift processing, reporting, and campaign tracking.
• Provide subject matter expertise on recurring giving trends, best practices, and opportunities to support broader fundraising strategies.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations governing recurring donor programs.
• Coordinate program needs with external agencies, vendors, and platform partners that support recurring donor acquisition, retention, and engagement efforts.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, nonprofit management, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 4 years of experience in fundraising, direct marketing, digital marketing, donor relations, or a related field, with at least 2 years focused on annual giving, recurring giving, donor retention, or donor engagement programs.
• Experience managing projects and campaigns within mid- to large-scale fundraising programs.
• Strong understanding of direct response fundraising, donor lifecycle management, and multi-channel marketing strategies.
• Proven ability to use data, analytics, segmentation, and testing to optimize campaign performance, improve donor retention, and increase revenue.
• Experience working with CRM and eCRM fundraising platforms such as Raiser’s Edge NXT, Salesforce, Engaging Networks, Luminate Online, EveryAction, or similar systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop compelling donor-facing communications and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong organizational, project management, and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritize competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work effectively in a highly collaborative, cross-functional team environment and build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Hands-on experience managing recurring giving, sustainer, subscription, membership, or donor loyalty programs.
• Demonstrated success acquiring, retaining, upgrading, and reactivating recurring donors.
• Expertise in developing donor-centric engagement and stewardship strategies that increase donor loyalty and lifetime value.
• Experience using audience segmentation, A/B testing, and donor journey optimization to improve fundraising outcomes.
• Innovative and resourceful mindset, with a track record of identifying and implementing new opportunities for fundraising growth.
• Familiarity with the national park, conservation, education, civic engagement, or museum sectors.