The Donor Relations Manager connects Washington Conservation Action’s mission and policy advocacy with donors who have the capacity to make major gifts. The person in this role cultivates, solicits, and stewards a portfolio of both current and prospective donors. They work closely with policy staff and program leadership to creatively grow engagement and involvement with the organization among donors in their portfolio. The role upholds values based and equitable fundraising practices within the organization.
Key responsibilities for the Donor Relations Manager include:
- Manage and solicit a portfolio of donors and prospects giving $10,000+ annually.
- Build and strengthen the organization’s relationships with its supporters.
- Develop and implement an annual calendar for donor engagement and solicitation.
- Coordinate donor solicitation and stewardship meetings and calls with staff to support a culture of philanthropy across the organization.
- Identify prospects for increased giving and develop strategies for advancing donor relationships.
- Collaborate with development team colleagues to steward donors and ensure timely and accurate acknowledgement of contributions.
- Embrace a Values-Based Fundraising approach in communicating and building relationships with donors and supporters.
- Understand organizational needs and priorities and develop compelling narratives and stories that connect donor interests with aligned programmatic work.
- Participate on a racial equity team.
Required Skills
- 1 – 3 years of experience working with individual donors or supporting a donor management program (could include volunteer experience or comparable experience in sales or client service).
- Strong verbal communication and presentation skills across mediums and audiences.
- Understanding of data management practices and experience using a Constituent Relationship Management platform (Salesforce preferred).
- Strong writing skills and experience producing persuasive written content such as strategic communications plans, proposals, or other written materials.
- A commitment to an ongoing anti-racist learning journey, both personally and professionally.
- A strong desire to be a productive member of a team that is deeply engaged in the work of building power with Black, Brown, and Indigenous people.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and timelines simultaneously and meet deadlines while working across teams.
- Driven to improving systems and solving problems.
- Commitment to working collaboratively and track record working as part of a development team.
- Bachelor’s degree or commensurate work experience.
- Experience using the Microsoft Office suite of tools.
Desired Skills
- Experience organizing and supporting small donor events including briefings and house parties, and large donor events such as fundraising galas.
- Familiarity or experience with grant writing or donor proposal development.
- Customer service or relationship management experience.
- Knowledge of and experience with Community Centric Fundraising or Values-Based Fundraising.