Regional Associate Director of Philanthropy - Eastern & Central

Position Summary

The Associate Director, Individual Giving – Eastern & Central Region is a frontline fundraising professional responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual donors and prospects across a defined multi-state territory. The Associate Director will primarily manage donors and prospects with annual giving capacity of $2,500 to $24,999, building meaningful relationships that increase philanthropic support for the Epilepsy Foundation of America (EFA) and create a strong pipeline for future major gifts.

Reporting to the Vice President of Major Gifts, the Associate Director will manage a portfolio of approximately 150 to 200 donors and prospects and will work closely with Regional Directors of Individual Giving, Affiliate Executive Directors, and other members of the Development team to identify and engage individuals with the interest and capacity to deepen their support of EFA.

This position requires a relationship-centered fundraiser who is comfortable initiating new donor relationships, making direct solicitations, and representing EFA's mission with warmth, professionalism, and a strong commitment to the epilepsy community.

Territory

The Eastern & Central Region includes Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Portfolio Management and Fundraising

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 150 to 200 individual donors and prospects, primarily within the $2,500 to $24,999 giving range.
• Develop and execute individualized strategies for donor identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Meet or exceed annual individual giving revenue and activity goals established in partnership with the Vice President of Major Gifts.
• Conduct regular donor outreach through personal meetings, phone calls, virtual meetings, written communications, events, and other meaningful engagement opportunities.
• Make direct philanthropic solicitations and develop appropriate asks based on donor interests, capacity, and relationship with EFA.
• Identify donors with the capacity and inclination to make major gifts and partner with Regional Directors and the Vice President of Major Gifts to transition qualified prospects into the major gifts portfolio.
• Reengage lapsed and under-engaged donors with demonstrated potential for increased giving.
• Maintain accurate and timely donor records, contact reports, moves management activity, and portfolio information in EFA's CRM.

Donor Engagement and Stewardship

• Build authentic relationships with donors by connecting their philanthropic interests to EFA's mission, programs, research, advocacy, education, and services.
• Develop personalized stewardship strategies that demonstrate the impact of donor support and encourage increased and sustained giving.
• Identify opportunities to engage donors through EFA events, National Walk activities, educational programs, advocacy initiatives, research and innovation programs, and other mission experiences.
• Partner with Development and Marketing and Communications colleagues to ensure donors receive timely, relevant, and compelling communications.

Affiliate and Regional Partnership

• Develop strong working relationships with Affiliate Executive Directors and regional teams throughout the assigned territory.
• Partner with Affiliate Executive Directors to identify individuals with the potential for deeper philanthropic engagement with EFA.
• Coordinate donor outreach appropriately to provide a consistent and positive donor experience while respecting established relationships within the network.
• Serve as a resource to affiliates by helping identify opportunities to cultivate and engage donors and prospects within their communities.
• Maintain regular communication with Regional Directors of Individual Giving to ensure alignment on prospects, relationships, and opportunities across the territory.

National Walk and Peer-to-Peer Pipeline

• Partner with the Institutional Giving and National Walk teams to identify Walk participants, team captains, volunteers, and peer-to-peer fundraisers with the potential to become individual donors.
• Develop relationships with high-potential Walk participants and supporters beyond the event experience, creating pathways for year-round engagement with EFA.
• Help convert event-based supporters into annual and mid-level donors and identify individuals with potential for future major gift relationships.

Collaboration and Organizational Leadership

• Work collaboratively across Development, Marketing and Communications, Research and Innovation, Advocacy, Engagement, and the affiliate network to provide donors with meaningful opportunities to connect with EFA's mission.
• Participate in portfolio reviews, prospect strategy meetings, Development team meetings, and other organizational meetings as appropriate.
• Represent EFA professionally at donor meetings, affiliate events, National Walk activities, conferences, and other events.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of EFA's fundraising and organizational priorities.

Performance Expectations

• Success in this position will be measured through achievement of annual revenue goals, portfolio activity and movement, donor retention and upgrades, number and quality of donor meetings and solicitations, development of qualified major gift prospects, accuracy of CRM documentation, and effective collaboration with affiliates and Development colleagues.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Minimum of 3 to 5 years of fundraising, development, donor relations, sales, or relationship management experience, preferably within a nonprofit organization.
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships and successfully solicit individual donors.
• Experience managing a donor or prospect portfolio and working within a moves management fundraising model preferred.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to engage effectively with donors, volunteers, affiliate leaders, colleagues, and community members.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage a large geographic territory and multiple donor relationships simultaneously.
• Experience using a fundraising CRM and maintaining accurate donor records.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a collaborative national Development team.
• Commitment to EFA's mission and to improving the lives of people affected by epilepsy.

Travel

• This position requires regular travel throughout the Eastern & Central Region for donor meetings, affiliate engagement, National Walk activities, and other EFA events. Approximately 30 to 40 percent travel is anticipated, with additional travel as organizational needs require.