Description

Title:                   Individual Giving & Engagement Manager

Reports to:       Development Director

Job Type:          Full time and Exempt 

Salary Range:  $90,000 to $96,000 

Mission: 

Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) cultivates transformative experiences through story and language with readers and writers of all generations.

We invite you to join our fun, book-loving team of 16 to fulfill the mission of SAL as our Individual Giving and Engagement Manager. SAL offers thoughtfully curated experiences through programs that are intergenerational in nature, bolstering both emerging and established literary artists, and inviting change and new perspectives in our audience. We envision a community where stories are treasured, creative and critical thinking brings us together, and everyone reads. Our work both internally and externally is guided by our core values: joy, equity, curiosity, community, and accessibility.

SAL Program Overview:

SAL fulfills its mission through educational, public, and community programming, in-person and online. Our public literary events bring the most talented and thought-provoking writers of our times to speak about and read their work. Our free Summer Book Bingo program (co-presented with The Seattle Public Library and the King County Library System) inspires our community to reconnect with the joy of reading through a series of fun challenges. Our arts education programs include Writers in the Schools (WITS) and the Seattle Youth Poetry Fellowship (YPF) program. WITS places local, professional writers in public school classroom residencies to inspire K-12 students to tell their stories as they develop lifelong writing skills. YPF elevates the powerful voices of local youth poets committed to community engagement, education, and equity in our region.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Access:

All staff actively participate in SAL’s ongoing efforts to become an anti-racist organization and embody an organizational culture that supports and reinforces our inclusion, diversity, equity & access goals. Our 2026 Strategic Plan and SAL’s Equity Accountability Reports are available on the SAL website under “About.” This commitment and understanding should be demonstrated throughout the performance of the Individual Giving and Engagement Manager’s responsibilities and staff activities.

Position Overview: 

The Individual Giving & Engagement Manager leads Seattle Arts & Lectures’ individual giving program. The role carries a personal portfolio of approximately 100 donors and prospects with direct responsibility for qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship; directs SAL’s annual giving campaigns toward a $500,000 goal; and serves as SAL’s subject matter expert on portfolio and moves management, establishing the practices and rhythms that support donor relationships across the organization. Working closely with the Development Director and Executive Director, this individual contributor position also maintains the data and operational processes that allow SAL to track progress and make informed fundraising decisions.

Responsibilities: 

Portfolio Management & Individual Fundraising (45%)

•       Manage a robust portfolio of individual donors and prospects (~100 active portfolio members), with direct responsibility for qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
•       Build meaningful, long-term relationships with donors through personal meetings (3+ meetings per week), calls, correspondence, events, and other individualized engagement, and personally solicit philanthropic gifts.
•       Develop and maintain clear, individualized strategies and next steps for donors within the portfolio, using disciplined moves-management practices to ensure consistent relationship development.
•       Identify, qualify, and research prospective donors — assessing capacity, affinity, connections, and opportunities for deeper engagement — to build SAL’s individual giving pipeline.
•       Partner with the Development Director, Executive Director, and other portfolio holders to develop donor strategies, identify appropriate next moves, prepare for meetings and solicitations, and support timely follow-through.
•       Facilitate monthly portfolio strategy and major donor meetings focused on donor movement, opportunities, challenges, and next actions, and identify opportunities for SAL leadership, Board members, and other organizational ambassadors to meaningfully engage donors and prospects.

Individual Giving Campaigns & Donor Engagement (30%)

•       Lead SAL's annual individual giving campaigns toward a $500,000 annual goal, in partnership with the Development Director and Executive Director. This includes year-end, fiscal year-end, re-subscribe, and GiveBIG campaigns.
•       Develop campaign strategies that connect broad-based annual giving with donor acquisition, retention, and upgrading, and that move appropriate donors from broad-based communications into more personalized cultivation and the major gift pipeline.
•       Gather and help translate stories, impact information, donor insights, and program outcomes into compelling donor communications, in partnership with colleagues across mail, email, social and other channels.
•       Analyze campaign and donor results to understand performance, identify opportunities, and continually improve individual giving strategies.
•       Develop SAL’s annual donor stewardship strategy in partnership with the Development Director — coordinating donor recognition, impact reporting, special communications, events, and leadership outreach.

Portfolio Systems, Analysis & Fundraising Operations (15%)

•       Ensure SAL’s CRM supports effective portfolio management, moves management, campaign execution, and fundraising analysis, and maintain accurate, timely records of significant donor interactions, strategies, solicitations, and next steps.
•       Partner with the Development Associate and Development team to maintain donor research, gift information, and acknowledgements, and to develop donor lists, portfolio reports, dashboards, and fundraising reports that enable the team and organizational leadership to evaluate progress and make informed decisions.
•       Use donor data, research, giving history, and engagement information to identify trends and opportunities for acquisition, retention, upgrading, and major-gift development, and promote consistent portfolio-management practices among colleagues.

Organizational & Team Engagement (10%)

•       Work collaboratively as an active member of SAL’s Development team, contributing to shared fundraising goals and supporting colleagues across individual, institutional, event, and other fundraising efforts.
•       Participate in and support SAL development events, literary receptions, public programs, WITS programming, and other opportunities to build relationships with donors and develop strong knowledge of SAL’s programs, priorities, impact, and community.
•       Contribute to a culture of philanthropy in which staff, Board members, and organizational leaders understand their roles in building strong relationships with SAL supporters.

Diverse Workforce statement:

SAL values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture in all areas of our work and culture. SAL is an equal opportunity employer. We recognize that opportunities in the arts have historically excluded and continue to disproportionately exclude Black and Indigenous people, people of color, people from working class backgrounds, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ people. We strongly encourage individuals with these identities to apply. Strong candidates will bring a diverse set of skills, characteristics, and experiences, both professional and lived. SAL focuses on a holistic view of potential candidates and understanding that no single candidate will offer every desired skill and characteristic. The following offers an aspirational view of the ideal candidate profile, and we encourage applications from candidates with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications: 

•       At least 4 years of direct experience managing an individual donor portfolio, with personal responsibility for donor qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
•       Experience working with individual donors across a range of giving levels, from annual fund donors through major gifts.
•       Experience developing and executing successful annual giving campaigns, including strategies for donor acquisition, retention, and upgrading.
•       Demonstrated ability to use CRM data, donor research, and fundraising results to inform strategy and measure performance.

Desired Qualifications:

•       Deep working knowledge of portfolio and moves management practice to develop individualized donor strategies that consistently move relationships forward.
•       Experience with principal gift donors or prospects with the capacity to give $1M+.
•       Experience serving as a resource and partner to colleagues managing donor relationships, including helping others prepare for donor meetings, solicitations, and follow-up.
•       Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including comfort engaging donors in person, by phone, in writing, and at events.
•       Strong organizational skills and the ability to balance an active donor portfolio with campaign leadership, strategy, and collaborative responsibilities.
•       Experience with PatronManager, Salesforce, or a comparable fundraising CRM.
•       Experience in arts, culture, education, or literary nonprofits, and genuine enthusiasm for books, reading, and literary community.

Additional Considerations:

•       Evening and weekend hours are required, typically 3 to 5 times per month, September through June. Flex time is available to offset these commitments.
•       This is a hybrid position based in Seattle, WA. During a three-month orientation period, you will be required to be in the office 3–4 days per week. After that period, SAL currently expects Development staff to work in-office at least three days per week, schedule permitting.
•       Relocation assistance is not provided for this position.
•       A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation are required for regular donor meetings throughout the Seattle area. Mileage is reimbursed.

Essential Functions:

This position requires regular travel to donor meetings throughout the Seattle area, attendance at evening and weekend events, extended periods of computer and telephone work, and the ability to communicate effectively in person, in writing, and by phone. SAL will engage in an interactive process to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Benefits Overview:

•       Generous paid time off, including 20 vacation days/year starting your second year (15 days in year one), as well as 7 wellness days, 3 personal days, and holidays.
•       SAL covers 100% of medical, vision, and dental insurance premiums for employees. Long-term disability and group life insurance are also covered, including an Employee Assistance Program.
•       403(b) retirement plan with a 3% gross salary contribution funded by SAL, plus an optional employee pre-tax contribution.
•       Flex time as appropriate.
•       Support and budget for professional development and growth.

Application Instructions:

•       Send a resume and a cover letter that tells us why this position is a good fit.
•       Submit applications electronically in one PDF document to salhr@lectures.org, with the subject line “Individual Giving & Engagement Manager.”
•       Open until filled. For best consideration, please submit no later than September 28, 2026.
•       Applications submitted without a cover letter will not be considered.
•       If you need an accommodation to apply or to participate in the interview process, please contact salhr@lectures.org and we will work with you.

Hiring Process:

•       Finalists will be invited to a third round of interviews with the hiring team and will be given a written exercise to complete. Finalists are paid a $250 stipend for completing the exercise.