Annual Giving and Donor Engagement Manager

Description

Handel and Haydn Society is looking for an Annual Giving and Donor Engagement Manager to join our team. Please note, applications must include a resume and cover letter to be considered.

About Us:  

Boston’s Grammy-winning Handel and Haydn Society performs Baroque and Classical music with a freshness, a vitality, and a creativity that inspires all ages. Called “one of the most exciting ensembles of historically informed performances in the world” (OperaWire), H+H has been captivating audiences for 211 consecutive seasons (the most of any performing arts organization in the United States), speaking to its singular success at welcoming new audiences to this extraordinary music, generation after generation.

About the Role:

The Annual Giving and Donor Engagement Manager plays a central role in building meaningful relationships between H+H and its community of supporters. This position leads H+H’s annual giving efforts, creates memorable donor experiences, and helps grow a culture of philanthropy that sustains the oldest continuously performing arts organization in the United States. Working collaboratively across the organization, the Annual Giving and Donor Engagement Manager combines strategy, creativity, relationship-building, data analysis and strong project management to inspire philanthropic support for H+H in service to our mission: To inspire the intellect, touch the heart, elevate the soul, and connect us all with our shared humanity through transformative experiences with Baroque and Classical music. This is a hybrid position, requiring in-office work, at our Boston office, several days per week. 

Requirements

Primary Responsibilities:  

• Develop and implement multi-channel solicitation, stewardship, and engagement strategies that grow annual fund revenue and increase donor retention. 
• Lead efforts to broaden H+H’s individual donor base, including cultivating engagement among members of H-squared, H+H’s young professionals community, and the families and alumni of the H+H Youth Choruses.
• Manage day-to-day operations of the individual fundraising program including direct mail, fundraising phone campaigns, e-mails, benefit fulfillment, donor cultivation and stewardship, and the department’s use of Donate2, our online giving platform. 
• Analyze campaign performance and recommend strategies to increase donor acquisition, retention, and upgrading.
• Serve as the primary project manager for development communications, partnering with the Marketing and Communications team on messaging, channel, audience segmentation, production schedules, and campaign execution to ensure greatest impact. 
• Lead the planning and execution of donor cultivation, stewardship, and recognition events from concept through evaluation, including budgeting, logistics, invitations, staffing, vendor coordination, and post-event assessment.
• Steward and grow Continuo, H+H’s monthly giving program, incentivizing long-term engagement and increasing donor contributions and retention.
• Become one of the subject matter experts in our CRM, Tessitura, to maintain constituent records, enter and track data, execute ticket and merchandise sales, prepare patron lists, process and acknowledge gifts and pledges, and prepare reporting.
• In collaboration with the Patron Experience team, provide outstanding service to patrons by   participating in scheduled phone coverage and assisting with ticketing and donor inquiries. 
• Provide support for all H+H subscription concerts by welcoming patrons, supporting cultivation activities, assisting with hospitality, and contributing to an exceptional audience experience. 

Qualifications:  

H+H respects every individual's unique journey through life and will welcome personal statements that can deepen our understanding of any candidate's qualifying experiences. An equivalent combination of education and experience may satisfy these minimum qualifications. We appreciate all interest in this opportunity and look forward to responding to candidates whose experience most closely aligns with this position description.

• A passion for sharing music with all people. 
• Energy, curiosity, flexibility, willingness to take initiative, and strong enthusiasm for customer service and fundraising.
• Bachelor's degree and at least three years of fundraising experience are required, some marketing experience preferred. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities independently. 
• Event management experience.
• Comfort using fundraising data to inform decisions. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. 
• Strong project management skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgement and discretion, maintaining the highest level of patron confidentiality. 
• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Suite, Asana, and Tessitura or another CRM/database strongly preferred. 
• Evening and weekend work is required along with availability to work onsite in the Boston area at H+H concerts and events. For the 2026-2027 season this is approximately 10 weekends per year including the weekend of Thanksgiving for H+H’s annual performances of Handel Messiah.

The Handel and Haydn Society is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity in the workplace by maintaining a staff that represents the traditions and voices of contemporary Boston.