Position Description
Title: Director of Individual Giving and Grants Coordinator
Status: Exempt
Reports to: President
Last Updated: April 8, 2025
To Apply: Please send your cover letter and resume in one (1) PDF file to careers@upliftingathletes.org
About the Job:
Overarching Responsibility:
The Director, Individual Giving and Grants Coordinator leads the implementation, execution, and management of individual giving campaigns and grant administration to support Uplifting Athletes’ mission. This includes developing plans for donor cultivation, retention, and acquisition, collaborating with the communications team, managing fundraising appeals, overseeing donor stewardship, and ensuring data integrity. The Director also supports major gifts through moves management, contributes to event efforts, and works with team members to achieve organizational goals while analyzing campaign performance to drive growth and long-term impact.
Essential Duties:
In collaboration with other Uplifting Athletes team members, lead the management and implementation of Individual Giving fundraising campaigns.
Develop and implement a strategic plan of action with objectives, timelines, and evaluation plans for the individual annual giving program to retain, upgrade, and acquire new annual fund donors through the thoughtful cultivation materials, solicitations, meaningful stewardship, and creative engagement communications and activities.
Create and manage a moves management system that supports Major Gifts initiatives.
In collaboration with the communications team, ensure fundraising content on the website and donate pages are consistent, up-to-date, and optimized toward current fundraising campaign goals and branding.
Regularly track and analyze campaign performance to improve strategy and tactics.
Implement procedures to maintain strong donor relations and increased organization and efficiency through utilization of HubSpot and standard operating procedures for all fundraising activities.
Manage integration of our data systems to provide full profile information of constituents for long term stewardship and communications strategy.
Maximize the use of HubSpot and other key fundraising tools and platforms to effectively segment and track donors and understand donor behaviors.
Ensure development processes and procedures are upheld and adapted as needed.
Perform weekly reconciliation audits and ensure data integrity is consistent and correct.
Manage administration of grant appeals, reports, budgets, etc. in support of the organization.
Partner with colleagues to support Uplifting Athlete’s mission.
Perform any other duties as assigned toward meeting team and organizational goals.
CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT:
Manage distribution of 3-4 annual fundraising appeals and other mailings, as needed.
In collaboration with consultants and staff, maintain a smooth work plan and timeline, including working with the designer, printers, and mail house, segmenting donors, creating mail lists and ask levels, making follow-up phone calls, tracking all gifts, and writing thank you notes.
Working with consultants and development team staff, support the feasibility work and development of a comprehensive campaign plan.
Drive efforts to increase annual giving by understanding our constituents, their interests, trends, and by accessing new and creative channels.
EVENT SUPPORT:
Provide event management support for cultivation events.
Contribute proactive and creative solutions to make each event better than the last.
Qualifications
Five or more years of experience in fundraising and or donor facing work.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
Knowledge of the rare disease space is a plus
Ability to exercise judgment in a position of responsibility and to work with or without supervision.
Ability to act with sincerity, diplomacy, and tact when working with the public and Uplifting Athletes supporters.
Ability to work flexible hours, including some evenings and weekends as needed.
Highly organized and capable of creating effective, efficient systems.
Excellent customer service, communications, writing and presentation skills.
Proficiency in MS Office, Google Suite programs and database applications.
Compensation:
This is a full-time position including salary and benefits. Expected salary range is ($90,000- $120,000). This will be commensurate with experience of the candidate.
Work Environment
– Remote
– East Coast based organization operating on core hours 9:00am to 5:00pm EST.
– This position may require travel up to 10-15% of the time.
About Uplifting Athletes
Uplifting Athletes is a national nonprofit established in 2007 that impacts the rare disease community through connections to sports and athletes. Uplifting Athletes supports people impacted by rare diseases Today through hosting Uplifting Experiences, drives to assist people impacted by rare diseases Tomorrow by raising funds for rare disease research and builds pre-eminent Future leaders and lifeline allies for the rare disease community through our Leadership Development Program.
TODAY – The patients and their families
The Uplifting Experiences program has a top priority of harnessing the power of sport to inspire hope and joy in the lives of people impacted by rare diseases. The objective of each Uplifting event is to provide an opportunity for members of the local rare disease community and athletes to connect. Uplifting Experiences are centered on affording people impacted by rare diseases a unique and memorable experience, while simultaneously allowing athletes to directly connect with the people impacted by a cause they support.
TOMORROW – The research
The Young Investigator Draft is the result of Uplifting Athletes’ commitment to cultivate resources that accelerate scientific advancement for rare disease treatments and potential cures while facilitating the next generation of rare disease researchers. Young Investigator grants fund collaborative basic bench research in order to positively impact treatments and potential cures for the rare disease community. In its first 8 years, the Young Investigator Draft has awarded over $1.2 million to 64 next generation researchers and connected 39 patient advocacy partners to Uplifting Athletes through this process.
THE FUTURE – The rare disease leaders
Uplifting Athletes was sparked by a few student-athletes putting their heads together to use the power of sport to overcome the challenges faced by people diagnosed with a rare disease. Over time word spread and evolved into an opportunity to develop student-athletes into future leaders and forever allies for the rare disease community. These student athletes, through the Uplifting Athletes Leadership Development program, learn professional leadership skills, develop rare disease patient advocacy expertise and business and community networking prowess that will allow them to raise the awareness of rare diseases on their college campuses and beyond. In the last 10 years alone, Uplifting Athletes has trained nearly 500 student athletes across 52 Division 1 colleges and 73 different teams. Uplifting Athletes is proud of the impact that these athletes have had on the rare disease community and sees the endless potential for the expansion of this important program.
To learn more about Uplifting Athletes visit www.upliftingathletes.org
The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. These statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required by personnel so classified. Other duties may be assigned.
Uplifting Athletes is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
