Membership & Individual Giving Director - Bridge Michigan

Are you passionate about building meaningful relationships and advancing the mission of high-impact nonprofit organizations? The Center for Michigan, the publisher of Bridge Michigan and BridgeDetroit, is seeking a strategic leader to serve as their Membership & Individual Giving Director.

In this key leadership role, you'll drive individual fundraising efforts, grow donor engagement, and play an integral role in sustaining their mission to deliver trusted, high-quality journalism to Michigan communities. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will lead donor strategies that inspire action, deepen connections, and generate over $1.5 million annually.

Key Responsibilities:

Individual Fundraising:

• Develop and Execute Membership Fundraising Strategies: Building upon the Center's strong membership systems, in partnership with News Revenue Hub, create strategic cultivation plans to educate donors about their mission and gradually increase engagement and giving level.

• Lead Membership Campaigns: Plan and execute 3–4 annual membership campaigns for each newsroom, including goal setting, scheduling, and writing appeals. Leverage various communication channels to effectively engage readers and convert them into donors.

• Strengthen Donor Relationships: Develop and implement strategies to maintain and grow relationships with members, fostering long-term donor loyalty.

• CRM Management: Utilize Salesforce CRM to manage donor information, track campaign performance, and optimize fundraising efforts.

• Analyze and Report on Fundraising Progress: Collect, assess, and analyze data to track progress toward revenue goals. Collaborate with leadership to implement effective, data-driven strategies that ensure financial success.

• Oversee Power Circle ($1,000+ Donors): Develop and execute annual strategies to engage and grow this critical donor segment through personalized cultivation and stewardship opportunities.

• Craft Compelling Proposals: Prepare persuasive materials that showcase the organization's mission, impact, and value to secure mid- and major-level gifts.

• Identify and Engage Prospective Donors: Use data analysis and donor profiling to research, prioritize, and outreach to high-potential donors.

• Lead Solicitation Efforts: Conduct strategic donor meetings to build relationships, present impactful appeals, address concerns, and secure significant contributions.

Member/Donor Engagement:

• Cultivate Relationships: Manage a portfolio of current members and engage new donors to sustain and grow annual individual giving.

• Enhance Member Experience: Oversee personalized communication, member benefit fulfillment, and strategies to recognize and support members and mid/major donors across all channels.

• Drive Engagement Events: Plan and execute membership events, including Culture Club, to boost donor retention and increase giving through strategic marketing.

• Manage External Partner: Partner with News Revenue Hub to optimize membership best practices, fundraising initiatives, and Salesforce reporting.

• Collaborate with Leadership: Work with the CEO and COO to identify and execute strategies to grow individual giving and develop revenue-generating activities.

• Align Membership with Growth Goals: Coordinate with the growth strategy director to integrate membership efforts into broader organizational objectives.

• Support Community Engagement: Assist the executive editor of innovation in planning and executing community-focused events.

Why This Role is Special:

• Mission-Driven Impact: Your work will empower Michigan communities by supporting trusted journalism that informs and inspires.
• Leadership Opportunity: As a member of the executive team, you will develop strategies that drive financial sustainability and long-term growth.
• Professional Growth: Collaborate with dynamic teams and external partners while developing innovative fundraising approaches.

Qualifications:

• A minimum of 6–8 years of professional experience in fundraising, membership management, engagement programs, or related areas, preferably within the nonprofit or association sector.

• Leadership experience, including managing teams and cross-functional collaboration.

• Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to inspire trust and support.

• Experience managing CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) and leveraging data to inform decisions.

• A passion for journalism, civic engagement, and nonprofit missions.

Benefits at the Center for Michigan include:

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance
• Minimum three weeks paid time off per year
• 401(k) with match
• Eight paid holidays
• 4-6 weeks of maternity/paternity/adoption leave
• Monthly phone stipend
• Annual professional development and subscription allowances

Compensation:

The Center for Michigan offers competitive salaries, eligibility for an end-of-year performance bonus, and flexible work arrangements. This position's expected base salary range is $90,000 to $130,000 annually.

About The Center for Michigan

Founded in 2006, The Center for Michigan is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to make Michigan better through high-quality, nonpartisan journalism and engagement. The Center publishes Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news publication that provides passionate and rooted Michigan readers with honest, fact-driven journalism on the state's diverse people, politics, and economy. The Center also publishes the editorially independent BridgeDetroit, a nonprofit news and engagement publication focused on lifting up the issues that Detroiters themselves identify as important to their lives.

Their offices have a casual environment and respect work-life balance. The person will work at the Center for Michigan's Ypsilanti office in a hybrid work-from-office/work-from-home environment, spending approximately two (2) days a week in the office working with other Center staff.

The Center for Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity in its workforce, creating an inclusive environment, and building an organization that better reflects its communities, and encourages members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including people of color, women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and people with disabilities.

All qualified applicants will be considered for employment. The Center for Michigan will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant's race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), age, disability/handicap, height, weight, marital status, familial status, veteran status, citizenship, or any other classification protected by federal or state law or local ordinance.

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