Director, Individual Giving

Job Title: Director, Individual Giving

Organizational Unit: Development
Reports To: Chief Development Officer
Supervises: Associate Director, Major Gifts; Manager, Annual Fund & Development Operations

Location: Equality Now is a remote organization. This position may be based in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, or Washington, D.C., with a strong preference for candidates based in New York. 

ABOUT EQUALITY NOW: 

At Equality Now, we aspire to create a world in which women and men have equal rights under the law and fully enjoy their human rights. Our mission is gender equality, and how we achieve it matters.

Founded in 1992, Equality Now is an international human rights organization working to protect and promote the rights of women and girls worldwide. Our campaigns focus on four program areas: Legal Equality, End Sexual Violence, End Harmful Practices, and End Sexual Exploitation, with a cross-cutting focus on the needs of adolescent girls. Our global team includes more than 80 people working across multiple countries and regions. To work here, you will need to share our core values of integrity and accountability, inclusiveness, resilience, and empathy. For more information, visit equalitynow.org.

MISSION OBJECTIVE: 

The Director, Individual Giving plays a pivotal role in advancing Equality Now’s global mission by leading and growing an integrated individual giving program across major gifts, annual giving, gala sponsorships, and donor engagement. In partnership with the Chief Development Officer and Chief Executive Officer, the Director translates Equality Now’s development strategy into actionable fundraising plans, strengthens donor pipelines and systems, and cultivates meaningful relationships with individuals, family foundations, and philanthropic networks. This role spans strategy, donor cultivation and stewardship, portfolio management, fundraising operations, events, executive engagement, and team leadership. It requires an experienced fundraising leader with sound judgment, strong relationship-management skills, cross-cultural fluency, and the ability to translate Equality Now’s complex legal and programmatic work into compelling opportunities for philanthropic investment.

The Director will help shape and strengthen Equality Now’s Individual and Major Giving program during an important period of organizational growth. The successful candidate will be comfortable building systems, navigating complexity, inspiring donors and colleagues, and leading an inclusive, high-performing team focused on securing sustainable revenue to advance legal and systemic change for women and girls worldwide.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The following provides a general outline of the role. It is not exhaustive, and responsibilities may evolve at the discretion of the CDO based on organizational needs and priorities.

Purpose: Innovate for Mission Expansion

• Lead implementation of the Individual and Major Giving strategy, translating Equality Now’s 2026–2030 development strategy into actionable plans, systems, and donor pathways.
• Drive and refine a high-touch major donor growth strategy, including network mapping, Advisory Board and Ambassador engagement, individualized strategies for ultra-high-net-worth donors, and innovative donor and prospect engagement.
• Partner with the CEO and CDO on high-value donor and prospect cultivation, advising on donor motivations, portfolio insights, engagement strategies, and organizational opportunities.
• Align major gifts, gala sponsorships, mid-level giving, and annual giving through cohesive messaging, clear donor journeys, and effective movement between donor segments.
• Strengthen donor qualification, pipeline development, moves management, portfolio tracking, and other systems that improve visibility, efficiency, and accountability.
• Guide the development of compelling cases for support, investment opportunities, and donor-facing materials aligned with Equality Now’s mission and program priorities.
• Ensure annual giving strategies contribute to long-term major donor growth through list building, retention, sustainer programs, and donor-upgrade pathways.

Engagement: Advocate

• Manage a portfolio of high-value donors and prospects, cultivating trust-based relationships with individuals and family foundations capable of giving $25,000 to $500,000 or more.
• Support CEO and CDO engagement with top-tier donors and prospects through strategic briefings, donor intelligence, outreach recommendations, follow-up plans, and tailored cultivation opportunities.
• Oversee the annual giving engagement approach, ensuring grassroots and mid-level donors experience compelling journeys that support retention, upgrades, and major donor conversion.
• Engage Advisory Board members, supporters, and ambassadors to expand networks, cultivate prospects, support events, and strengthen Equality Now’s philanthropic community.
• Represent Equality Now externally, communicating fluently about global women’s rights and human rights while building relationships across philanthropic and peer networks.
• Create mission-driven and community-centered donor experiences, including opportunities to engage with international staff, participate in learning conversations, and attend cultivation events.
• Strengthen collaboration across Development, Programs, Communications, and Finance to ensure donor messaging is accurate, compelling, and aligned with organizational impact.

Delivery: Define Project Cycle

• Lead operational management of the Individual Giving portfolio, including major gifts, gala sponsorships, mid-level giving, and annual giving.
• Oversee donor and prospect planning systems, including portfolio assignment, moves management, forecasting, performance analytics, and pipeline reporting.
• Supervise and partner with the Associate Director, Major Gifts and Manager, Annual Fund & Development Operations to strengthen fundraising performance, direct response, data integrity, analytics, and annual fund growth.
• Contribute to high-impact donor events, including the gala, cultivation salons, and community-building convenings, ensuring that events advance Equality Now’s development strategy.
• Develop individualized donor strategies and annual engagement plans aligned with donor interests, organizational priorities, and leadership involvement.
• Partner with Programs and Communications to produce high-quality proposals, impact updates, donor briefings, reports, correspondence, and leadership messaging.
• Ensure accurate revenue projections and reporting on donor engagement, portfolio movement, and pipeline health.
• Use donor insights, event results, campaign performance, and strategic benchmarks to drive continuous learning and improvement.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position supervises staff and is responsible for providing leadership, guidance, development, and performance management. Responsibilities may evolve based on organizational needs.

Leadership and Team Management

• Provide clear direction, priorities, and performance expectations to direct reports.
• Hold regular check-ins, monitor performance, provide timely feedback, and support professional growth.
• Foster an inclusive, accountable, transparent, and high-performing team culture.
• Address operational and personnel issues promptly, fairly, and in coordination with People & Culture when appropriate.

Performance and Development

• Conduct performance reviews and identify individual and team development needs.
• Coach and mentor staff to strengthen fundraising, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
• Promote cross-functional learning and knowledge sharing.

Operations and Workflow

• Manage workflows, priorities, workloads, leave, and coverage to maintain operational continuity.
• Monitor progress, quality, and outcomes against agreed objectives.
• Hold regular team meetings to communicate priorities, share updates, and address challenges.

Compliance and Collaboration

• Ensure adherence to organizational policies, ethical standards, safeguarding requirements, and applicable laws.
• Facilitate effective communication and collaboration across departments and leadership.
• Model Equality Now’s values of integrity and accountability, inclusiveness, resilience, and empathy.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS AND TARGET SKILLS PROFILE: 

The Director must be deeply committed to Equality Now’s mission and bring substantial fundraising expertise, leadership experience, and the ability to integrate strategy and execution.

Substantive Knowledge

• Deep expertise in major gift fundraising, high-touch donor engagement, and moves management, ideally within a global nonprofit.
• Demonstrated success securing five, six, and seven-figure gifts from individuals and family foundations.
• Experience with event fundraising, annual fund development, direct marketing, and development operations.
• Knowledge of global human rights, women’s rights, or gender equality funding landscapes is highly desirable.
• Experience managing, mentoring, and developing staff.

Communication Skills

• Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in Spanish, French, or Arabic is an advantage.
• Exceptional donor relationship-management, listening, writing, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to translate complex legal, financial, and programmatic information into persuasive proposals, presentations, cases for support, and donor communications.
• Ability to engage effectively with high-net-worth donors, senior leaders, partners, and colleagues across cultures and geographies.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and facilitate collaboration across Development, Programs, Communications, and Finance.

Execution Skills

• Demonstrated leadership experience focused on strategic delivery and operational excellence.
• Proven ability to recruit, manage, mentor, and develop high-performing and inclusive teams.
• Strategic and creative thinking, with a record of translating vision into measurable results.
• Strong project-management skills and the ability to deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent organization, judgment, adaptability, and attention to detail.
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge NXT or a comparable donor database.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally, including occasional travel on short notice.

Targeted Specialized Knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant professional experience required.
• Advanced study, continuing education, or certification in a relevant field is highly desirable, including nonprofit management, international relations, public policy, law, human rights, or CFRE certification.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including substantial independent donor-facing work and staff or program management.
• Experience in a global human rights, gender equality, or related international NGO is preferred.

COMPENSATION: 

At Equality Now, our compensation philosophy reflects our commitment to advancing the human rights of women and girls through lasting legal and systemic change. We approach pay holistically, recognizing base salary as one part of a broader total rewards package designed to support employee wellbeing, growth, and long-term engagement.

• Base Salary Range: $105,000–$130,000 USD

The final offer will be based on factors including geographic location, relevant experience, demonstrated skills, and qualifications. Equality Now also offers a comprehensive total rewards package that includes health and retirement benefits, generous leave, and professional development opportunities.

HOW TO APPLY:
Applicants must submit a resume or CV and a cover letter. Incomplete applications will not be considered. The application period will close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 2026. Due to the anticipated volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Equality Now is strong because it is diverse. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Equality Now is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employees are selected based on their qualifications and ability, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, language, political or other opinion, nationality, ethnic or social origin, disability, pregnancy, mental status, HIV status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other status protected by applicable law. We welcome and value all forms of diversity.