Director of Annual Giving Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Director of Annual Giving roles sit squarely in the specialty occupation category, making H-1B visa, E-3 visa, and TN visa the most common visa paths for international candidates. Nonprofits, universities, and hospitals regularly sponsor these positions through PERM or H-1B, and your fundraising metrics and donor portfolio become the core of your sponsorship case.
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Position Summary
The Director of Annual Giving is a key member of the Advancement team and plays a significant role in strengthening Loras College's culture of philanthropy and engagement. This position leads the strategy, development, and execution of a comprehensive annual giving program that inspires alumni, parents, families, friends, faculty, staff, and other members of the Loras community to invest in the College and its students.
This is an opportunity to help shape the future of philanthropy at Loras College. The Director will help tell the Loras story to thousands of constituents and create compelling campaigns and engagement opportunities that connect people to the impact of a Loras education and inspire them to support the College.
The role sits at the intersection of fundraising, marketing, communications, and relationship building. The Director develops audience-centered strategies across direct mail, email, digital platforms, social media, telephone, events, and personal outreach to increase annual giving revenue, donor participation, acquisition, and retention.
Working closely with Development, Alumni Relations, Advancement Services, Marketing and Communications, Athletics, and campus partners, the Director will use creativity, data, storytelling, and collaboration to strengthen the donor experience and expand Loras College's base of philanthropic support.
The ideal candidate is a strategic and creative relationship builder who understands that successful annual giving is about more than making an ask—it is about building connection, telling meaningful stories, creating compelling experiences, and giving people opportunities to be part of the future of Loras.
Occasional evening work and travel are required.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Reasonable Accommodations Statement
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Essential Functions Statement(s)
- Given that the College is a diocesan Catholic college, will carry out your functions of your position in support of the College's Catholic Identity, mission and in support of Church teachings.
Annual Giving Strategy and Leadership:
- Develops and executes a comprehensive annual giving strategy designed to maximize revenue, participation, acquisition, and retention.
- Establishes and evaluates annual goals, strategies, budgets, timelines for annual giving initiatives.
- Leads integrated annual giving campaigns across direct mail, email, digital platforms, social media, telephone, events, and other channels.
- Develops compelling, audience-specific messaging and partners with Marketing and Communications, Athletics, and other campus partners to share stories that demonstrate the impact of a Loras education, donor support, and inspire action.
- Monitors trends in annual giving, digital fundraising, donor engagement, and higher education philanthropy and identifies opportunities to apply emerging practices at Loras.
- Manages a portfolio of approximately 30–50 prospective donors who are not yet ready for major gift solicitation but have the capacity and inclination to make annual gifts of approximately $1,000–$3,500 to the Loras Fund.
- Collaborates with Development team members to identify, cultivate, and solicit leadership-level Loras Fund gifts of $1,000 and above from donors and prospects.
- Works with Advancement Services to identify prospects, analyze giving patterns, improve segmentation, and inform fundraising strategies.
- Provides strategic direction and oversight for the College's phonathon and other direct-response fundraising efforts.
- Point person for Duhawk Day, the College's annual day of giving.
- Oversees reunion giving and the Young Alumni Advisory board.
- Develops and ensures fulfillment of corporate sponsorship opportunities and recognition commitments.
- Serves as the College's liaison to the Iowa College Foundation.
- Represents the Advancement Office at College events, and alumni and community functions.
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS
Competency Statement(s)
- Accountability - Ability to accept responsibility and account for his/her actions.
- Ambition - The drive to achieve personal advancement.
- Assertiveness - Ability to act in a self-confident manner to facilitate completion of a work assignment or to defend a position or idea.
- Communication, Oral - Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken word.
- Communication, Written - Ability to communicate in writing clearly and concisely.
- Competitiveness - Willingness to strive to get ahead as well as finish projects.
- Customer Oriented - Ability to take care of the customers' needs while following company procedures.
- Detail Oriented - Ability to pay attention to the minute details of a project or task.
- Energetic - Ability to work at a sustained pace and produce quality work.
- Enthusiastic - Ability to bring energy to the performance of a task.
- Friendly - Ability to exhibit a cheerful demeanor toward others.
- Goal Oriented - Ability to focus on a goal and obtain a pre-determined result.
- Interpersonal - Ability to get along well with a variety of personalities and individuals.
- Financial Aptitude - Ability to understand and explain economic and accounting information, prepare and manage budgets, and make sound long-term investment decisions.
- Loyalty - Individual demonstrates a consistent alliance to the organization.
- Organized - Possess the trait of being organized or ability to follow a systematic method of performing a task.
- Relationship Building - Ability to effectively build relationships and maintain rapport with internal and external constituents.
Education: Bachelor's Degree (four-year college or university).
Experience: A minimum of one to three years of related work experience in a development office or non-profit environment, with direct experience in fundraising and donor relations.
SKILLSABILITIES
Other Requirements: Skilled in the use of a personal computer and Microsoft Office Suite. Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices involved in developing and maintaining an effective annual giving program. Appreciation for and commitment to Catholic, liberal arts higher education. Demonstrated skills in gift solicitation. Strong organizational and communication skills including the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Demonstrated commitment to teamwork and the ability to motivate prospective donors. Ability to be an articulate spokesperson on behalf of the College. Ability to work independently as well as establish and maintain harmonious relations with a diverse constituency. Ability to lead, be creative, innovative and decisive. Ability and willingness to travel and work evenings and weekends as necessary. Ability to facilitate multiple projects, make decisions and meet deadlines. Ability to identify problems and to develop creative, timely and efficient solutions. Ability to manage and motivate volunteers effectively and efficiently.
The College has reviewed this job description to ensure that essential functions and basic duties have been included. It is intended to provide guidelines for job expectations and the employee's ability to perform the position described. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. This document does not represent a contract of employment, and the College reserves the right to change this job description and/or assign tasks for the employee to perform, as the College may deem appropriate.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Director of Annual Giving Jobs
Frame your credentials around specialty occupation
Annual giving directors need a bachelor's degree in a directly related field like nonprofit management, communications, or business. Document how your degree connects to major gift strategy and donor acquisition, not just general management, so employers can build a defensible specialty occupation case.
Target higher education and health system employers
Universities and hospital foundations file the most H-1B and PERM petitions for fundraising roles. These institutions have dedicated HR and legal teams experienced in sponsorship, so your application encounters fewer internal roadblocks than a first-time nonprofit sponsor would create.
Search verified sponsoring employers on Migrate Mate
Filter Director of Annual Giving roles by employers with confirmed LCA filing history on Migrate Mate. This cuts out organizations that express interest but lack the infrastructure or intent to file, saving you weeks of back-and-forth during offer negotiations.
Benchmark your offer against OFLC prevailing wages
Before accepting an offer, run your job title and location through the OFLC Wage Search to confirm the salary meets DOL's prevailing wage for your level. A below-threshold offer requires the employer to renegotiate or risk LCA certification denial, which delays your start date.
Clarify PERM versus H-1B timing during offer stage
Some nonprofits prefer PERM for permanent sponsorship rather than H-1B, especially if they've hit cap-subject filing limits. Ask directly during the offer whether the employer plans to file for permanent residence concurrently, since PERM labor certification adds 12 to 18 months to the green card timeline.
Use your portfolio metrics as sponsorship documentation
USCIS scrutinizes whether a fundraising role truly requires a degreed specialist. Bring your documented retention rates, campaign revenue figures, and major donor upgrade data to your employer's immigration attorney so they can build a specialty occupation argument grounded in professional complexity, not job title alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Director of Annual Giving role qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Yes, in most cases. USCIS looks for roles that require at least a bachelor's degree in a directly related field. Annual giving directors who oversee donor strategy, campaign analytics, and major gift pipelines typically qualify because the work requires specialized knowledge in nonprofit management, marketing, or communications rather than a generalist background. Employers in higher education and healthcare have the strongest track record building these cases.
Which visa types do employers most commonly use to sponsor this role?
H-1B is the most common path for employer-sponsored candidates, with E-3 available exclusively to Australian citizens and TN available to Canadian and Mexican nationals whose credentials align with the USMCA profession list. Some institutions, particularly universities and hospital foundations, also pursue PERM labor certification to sponsor candidates for a green card directly, bypassing the H-1B cap entirely for permanent roles.
What degree background do employers expect for visa sponsorship purposes?
Most sponsoring employers require a bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, communications, public administration, marketing, or business. The degree field matters for USCIS specialty occupation analysis, so a general liberal arts degree may weaken the sponsorship case unless paired with demonstrated graduate-level coursework or significant professional credentials in fundraising. Some employers accept equivalent experience under a formal three-for-one substitution documented in the LCA.
Are nonprofits likely to sponsor international candidates for this role?
Larger nonprofits, particularly those affiliated with universities, hospitals, or national advocacy organizations, regularly sponsor Director of Annual Giving candidates and have established immigration counsel relationships. Smaller community nonprofits rarely have the legal infrastructure to manage an H-1B petition. Use Migrate Mate to identify organizations that have already filed for roles in this function, which is the clearest indicator of real sponsorship capacity.
How does the H-1B cap affect my timeline for starting in this role?
H-1B is subject to an annual cap and selection process, with rules that have changed recently, so your start date depends on when your petition is selected and approved. Candidates already in H-1B status can transfer to a new employer once the new petition is filed, with no waiting period. Cap-exempt employers such as universities and certain nonprofits can file at any time and begin employment upon USCIS approval, often making them faster options.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Director of Annual Giving jobs?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.