Director of Direct Response Marketing
The Position
Americans United for Separation of Church and State seeks a Director of Direct Response Marketing who reports directly to the acting Chief Development Officer and will oversee and administer all aspects of Americans United's (AU) direct marketing, online fundraising, and monthly giving programs as well as membership database management to meet aggressive revenue projections.
The Opportunity
The Director of Direct Response Marketing is responsible for the planning and execution, assessment and refinement of all direct response fundraising campaigns and channels, including collaboration with internal stakeholders and vendor partners. This position will lead the development of optimal strategies and tactics designed to increase revenue, grow the donor base, increase donor participation, and strengthen the pipeline of mid-level and major gift donors.
- Manage the continued expansion of the direct marketing program, implementing systems and processes to build and diversify individual giving to achieve or exceed revenue targets;
- Develop yearly direct marketing campaign calendar in conjunction with development team and consultants;
- Serve as the day-to-day liaison with the consultants and other AU staff members involved in the direct mail and telemarketing program, including the monthly giving and mid-level giving programs;
- Initiate data-driven strategies to increase file health KPIs with particular attention to maintaining above industry standard donor retention;
- Shepherd direct mail packages through the production process including coordinating edits with the acting Chief Development Officer and appropriate AU staff members, approving copy and artwork, working with consultants to determine appropriate segmentation, and testing strategy and working with the Development Operations Manager to provide files for production;
- In consultation with list management broker and agency of record, optimize acquisition program to bring on new donors with a focus on diversifying AU's donor base and reactivating lapsed donors. Closely track investment levels to ensure an acceptable ROI and file growth year over year.
- In conjunction with the Email Marketing Manager, manage the expansion of all aspects of AU's online/email and digital fundraising programs;
- Administer the planning, creation, implementation, maintenance and analysis of online donation capabilities, data, and efforts;
- Coordinate with Communications team and other staff to plan and implement cross-departmental online giving projects and opportunities using social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram;
- Manage the Development Operations Manager;
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- Undergraduate degree, CFRE designation a plus.
- Minimum of 8-10 years of substantive fundraising experience with a track record of outstanding performance and proven success in direct response fundraising positions;
- Hands-on experience with database management, management of direct mail programs, online fundraising experience;
- Polished communication abilities including listening and written communication;
- Excellent organizational and people skills, including supervisory experience.
- Work experience with an advocacy organization, while not required, would be very useful.
Personal Characteristics
- Equal parts smart, savvy, and fun to work with. Culture and performance both matter;
- Tact and diplomacy in building strong working relationships with colleagues, volunteers, and donors;
- Capacity to manage multiple tasks and negotiate several priorities simultaneously;
- Advocate for church-state separation issues with a worldview that aligns with AU's mission.