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ResponsibilitiesSummary: Leads the development and execution of a strategic omnichannel annual giving program to grow broad-based donor support for Ascension’s non-hospital initiatives, including Ascension Foundation, Ascension Living, Dispensary of Hope and Community Health Ministries. Manages multi-channel fundraising campaigns, direct response, and digital fundraising, stewardship journeys, and donor segmentation to build a scalable base of annual supporters while building and maintaining a donor database. Partners across teams to craft compelling donor messaging, oversee stewardship events, and ensure timely acknowledgments, with a focus on donor acquisition, retention, and long-term engagement. Working closely with cross-functional teams, the Manager will ensure that all campaigns and donor touchpoints are data-informed, creatively compelling, and aligned with Ascension's mission and philanthropic goals.
The Ascension Philanthropy Services team reports to the national philanthropy team in Ascension System Office.
Core Responsibilities:
Reports to the Senior Director, Philanthropy Strategy and proactively collaborates with the Development Directors of Ascension Living, Dispensary of Hope, and Community Health Ministries to build an annual giving program and plan for Ascension that raises annual fund dollars across the non-hospital Ascension programs, defining revenue, donor count, acquisition, retention and upgrade goals.Provide guidance, support and execution of annual giving programs, collaborating with the Director of Development Operations to leverage best in class technologies, platforms, and vendors to design, build and manage a comprehensive omnichannel direct response (digital, social, email and mail channels) program and mid-level giving program that builds a base of small sum donors for Ascension programs.Develop and manage a year-round annual giving calendar, production timelines, budget and vendor/agency management for annual giving programs, including digital agencies, mail houses, printers that help to implement donor acquisition, renewal, lapsed re-engagement and sustainer campaigns.Manage an active portfolio of annual donor prospects and develop identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies in line with priorities across Ascension’s non-hospital programs.Working with the Development Operations team and Development Communications team, build a data-driven and test-and-learn approach that drives acquisition, renewal, retention and upgrade strategies, with responsibility for segmentation, timing, personalization, and messaging. Collaborate with a cross functional team to continually grow and refine the program.Manage donor stewardship journeys for first-time, lapsed, monthly and milestone donors, hostinghigh-impact virtual and in-person donor events tailored to entry- and mid-level donors. Oversee annual fund engagement and stewardship events, ensuring that all in-person events and experiences that donors have are of the highest caliber and create opportunities for deeper engagement with the Ascension Foundation, Dispensary of Hope, Community Health Ministries and Ascension Living.Partner with the Development Operations team, build the donor databases for all Ascension programs, maintain donor records in the CRMs, lead testing and optimization strategies that drive A/B testing and donor modeling, including data segmentation based on giving behavior, affinity recency and capacity, list pulls, maintaining coding, tagging, tracking, and developing data analytics.Partner with the Development Communications team to develop audience-specific messaging and campaign assets, appeals, donor stories, impact reports and acknowledgement letters. Ensure there is a policy for acknowledging all gifts in a timely manner.Monitor all annual giving campaign performance metrics and prepare regular reports on donor engagement, retention and revenue outcomes in alignment with annual giving program goals.Advise leadership on fundraising trends, donor insights, and philanthropy sector developments to inform strategy and resource planning, including the strategic application of AI tools in annual fundraising.Requirements
Education:
High School diploma equivalency with 3 years of cumulative experience OR Associate'sdegree/Bachelor's degree with 2 years of cumulative experience OR 7 years of applicable cumulative job specific experience required. 3 years of leadership or management experience preferred.Additional Preferences
Key Attributes:
Annual giving, direct mail, digital strategy, segmentation and CRM tool experience, strong analytical skills and campaign reporting ability, proficiency in analytics platforms, knowledge of digital fundraising trends and best practices, excellent project management and cross-team communication skills. Bachelor's degree required.Proven success managing integrated fundraising campaigns with a focus on donor acquisition and retention. Proficiency in CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge) and digital tools (email platforms, donation forms, analytics dashboards). Strong analytical skills and ability to translate performance data into actionable strategy. Excellent organizational, communication, and project management skills. Mission-driven with a passion for expanding access to health and equity-focused initiatives.
Ascension is a leading nonprofit Catholic health system with a culture and associate experience grounded in service, growth, care and connection. We empower our 99,000+ associates to bring their skills and expertise every day to reimagining healthcare, together. Recognized as one of the Best 150+ Places to Work in Healthcare and a Military-Friendly Gold Employer, you’ll find an inclusive and supportive environment where your contributions truly matter.
Equal Employment Opportunity EmployerAscension provides Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) to all associates and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, lactation, breastfeeding, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, all as defined by applicable law, and any other legally protected status or characteristic in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. For further information, view the EEO Know Your Rights (English) poster or EEO Know Your Rights (Spanish) poster.
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