Director of Individual Giving

<p><strong><em>This role is open as either a full-time hire or an 8-month fractional contract engagement at 4 days/week.</em></strong></p> <p><strong>About Pursuit&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>Pursuit is a workforce development nonprofit that creates economic transformation for adults with the most need and potential. We train low-income New Yorkers to launch tech careers that propel them into the middle class — and we measure our success in lifetime earnings gained, not just jobs placed. Our graduates triple their incomes within a year of graduation and have now generated more than $1 billion in lifetime wages.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>About the Role&nbsp;</strong></p> <p><em>This role is open as either a full-time hire or an 8-month fractional contract engagement at 4 days/week.</em></p> <p>Pursuit is hiring a Director of Individual Giving to build and lead our individual donor program at one of the most consequential moments in our organization's history. We are in the early stages of a multi-year campaign with a directional goal of&nbsp;<strong>$45 million over the next three years</strong>, and individual giving is central to that plan.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Director of Individual Giving will own Pursuit's full individual donor pyramid — from high-net-worth principal and major gift donors at the top, down through the mid-level individual giving program — and will serve as the senior fundraising partner to the CEO and Chief Development Officer on Pursuit's most important individual relationships.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>This role's primary focus is high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and major gifts </strong>— carrying a portfolio, building cultivation pathways, and closing 5-, 6-, and 7-figure gifts.</p> <p><strong>What You'll Own&nbsp;</strong></p> <p><strong>The HNWI portfolio and major gifts pipeline&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>You will build and run a year-round strategy for individual giving at the major and principal gift levels. This includes identifying and qualifying new prospects, designing donor journeys, running 1:1 outreach, and creating cultivation moments — salons, dinners, site visits, intimate convenings — that move donors toward meaningful commitments. You will personally carry a portfolio of high-capacity individuals and partner with the CEO and CDO on Pursuit's top donor relationships.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>The AI Jobs Institute (AIJI) campaign — individual giving track&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>Pursuit is launching the AI Jobs Institute, a new institute focused on equipping low-income adults with the skills, credentials, and pathways to succeed in the AI economy. To launch AIJI, Pursuit is running an <strong>8-month, $45M campaign </strong>spanning foundations, corporations, and individual donors.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Director of Individual Giving will own the individual giving track of the AIJI campaign. In practice, that means:</p> <ul> <li>Designing the giving structure for individuals — including <strong>naming opportunities</strong>, <strong>giving tiers</strong>, and a <strong>principal gift framework </strong>for the largest commitments&nbsp;</li> <li>Identifying, cultivating, and soliciting HNWI prospects against the campaign's individual giving target&nbsp;</li> <li>Partnering with the CEO and CDO on the closes that require executive engagement&nbsp;</li> <li>Building the donor materials, briefings, and stewardship plans that make principal-level asks possible&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>Our flagship annual Gala</strong></p> <p>Bash is Pursuit's signature cultivation and fundraising event each November and the largest individual giving moment of our year. The Director of Individual Giving will own Bash <strong>end-to-end </strong>— strategy, donor cultivation, table sales, and sponsorship. You will use Bash as a platform to deepen and convert HNWI relationships throughout the year, not only the night of the event.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Who You Are&nbsp;</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>5–6 years </strong>of fundraising experience with a focus on high-net-worth individual giving and major gifts • Demonstrated track record of closing <strong>6- and 7-figure </strong>individual gifts&nbsp;</li> <li>Existing HNWI relationships you can bring to the work, plus the discipline to build new ones quickly&nbsp;</li> <li>Comfortable owning a portfolio independently and partnering with a CEO and CDO on top relationships&nbsp;</li> <li>Strong written and verbal communicator — equally fluent in donor-facing materials, internal strategy memos, and event execution&nbsp;</li> <li>Excited about Pursuit's mission and the opportunity to shape a fast-growing development function during a once-in-an-organization moment&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>Logistics&nbsp;</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Reports to: </strong>Chief Development Officer&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Location: </strong>New York City, NY — 3 days/week in office minimum&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Structure: </strong>Full-time, or 4-day-a-week contract&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Compensation: </strong>$140,000-160,000 base salary, plus performance bonus eligible&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>• Start date: As soon as possible</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>