Donor Relations Director - Northern Region of WA State

The Salvation Army is a branch of the Christian Church and the ultimate goal of all programs is spiritual regeneration of all people.

The Salvation Army is an equal opportunity employer.

MISSION STATEMENT: The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by love for God. Its mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

JOB SUMMARY: 

The Donor Relations Director (DRD) plays a key and integral role in the success of the Northwest Division’s fund development efforts, specifically through ongoing and proactive relationship management, strategic communications plans, gifts cultivation and solicitation activity with an assigned caseload of qualified major donors and smaller group (10%) of assigned, qualified major gifts prospects. In this role, the DRD will identify, qualify, be assigned, cultivate, solicit and steward major gift donors (90%) and prospects (10%), acting as the primary contact between The Army and the assigned caseload, with an emphasis on securing gifts of $5,000 and much higher, increasing major gifts to The Salvation Army while retaining and strengthening existing giving.  This individual will focus on raising funds in the Northern region of Washington State including, but not limited to King and Snohomish counties, Anacortes, Bellingham, Bremerton, Everett and Marysville.

COMPENSATION:

$80,000 - $90,000 per year

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must embrace, support and reflect well on The Salvation Army’s mission and values through one’s professional responsibilities and behavior at all times.
• Bachelor’s degree or comparable experience, plus a minimum of five years of experience in a non-profit fundraising role with a proven track record of major gifts success.
• Effective interpersonal, conversational and presentation skills, demonstrating emotional intelligence, situational awareness, excellent writing abilities and strong case development and pitching skills.
• Proven expertise in developing and maintaining positive relationships with diverse individuals, including executives, leadership volunteers and wealthy donors, as well as internal stakeholders and leadership.
• The selected individual should enjoy problem solving, think strategically and creatively, and take initiative with consistent follow through.
• A high level of comfort with direct donor interaction is a must, including discussions of personal and family finances and asking for major financial commitments.
• Team Player, able to check ego at the door, with an ability to collaborate effectively with officers, staff and volunteers for successful achievement of position and department goals.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly. Valid Driver’s License required.
• Able to work independently in a fast-paced environment without extensive administrative support. Must be highly organized and able to effectively manage multiple projects and competing priorities with professionalism and grace. Must keep good documentation through contact reports and activity tracking, using the Portfolio database according to Salvation Army protocols.
• Demonstrated goal-orientation, with a drive to achieve agreed upon goals within agreed upon timeframes.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• The DRD establishes, managers, and fulfills a caseload communications plan, including individual fundraising goals and personalized strategies, to effectively steward, educate, cultivate and solicit gifts from major donors each fiscal year, with an emphasis on gifts of $5,000 and higher.
• Manages a caseload of 150 assigned and qualified major donors. Maintains and seeks to engage with a small additional prospective donor ‘watch list’ as assigned. Creates and follows an agreed upon communications plan that is specific to each donor or prospect. As appropriate, works with donor leadership volunteers to secure visits with donors in the assigned caseload.
• Works diligently to meet agreed upon monthly and annual activity and income production goals and is purposeful about every visit and communication to achieve the desired outcome.
• Leads in one-to-one solicitation, gift acknowledgments and stewardship communications. Travels as necessary, establishing and maintaining excellent donor relations, providing written proposals to donors as needed, and includes Army and/or volunteer leadership as appropriate.
• Leads the development of team solicitation strategies and facilitates the team planning process for peer-to-peer cultivation and solicitation approaches, involving leadership volunteers and internal leadership, as deemed appropriate. Develops research and briefing memorandums in preparation for team discussions. Works with prospect research manager at THQ and local staff who are trained in researching donor profiles to inform ‘moves management’ strategies and planning conversations.
• Meets regularly with supervisor and territorial major gifts management (in person and/or via phone) to discuss and refine caseload plans, donor strategies and progress tracking. Also, receive coaching as requested or needed and works to keep open lines of communication at the divisional level and territorial level.
• Participates in recommended professional trainings as budget allows, conference calls with other major gifts staff, conference kindred sessions and other professional development opportunities.
• Works in close conjunction with other development staff and officers, pursuing and contributing to harmonious collaboration between direct marketing, social media, foundation, corporation, and planned giving activities for optimal integrated strategies.
• Works in close collaboration with local officers, program, finance, development and marketing and communications, and administrative support staff to develop a portfolio of giving opportunities (cases for support) that document funding needs. Cases outline program costs, how dollars impact people, outcomes being achieved and outcomes which could be achieved, shortfalls and exciting mission advancement opportunities. Presents these opportunities to donors to effectively match donor interests with Army’s strategic plans.
• Makes it a priority to take donors on site visits to tour Army programs and to facilitate face-to-face briefings of donors by Army leaders.
• Supports and contributes to, as requested, overall territorial policies, business practices and strategies to continually increase major gifts revenue and program growth.
• Keeps management apprised of all significant interactions, inputting contact reports to the Portfolio donor database system as required, sharing a continually updated itinerary, fulfilling all monthly and other reporting requirements, and consulting with leadership when needed to understand organizational priorities, to develop strategies that benefit both donor and the Army and to troubleshoot challenging situations.
• Stays driven toward goals and focused on caseload, but makes effective use of volunteerism opportunities, events and other initiatives to engage with assigned donors, to bring them closer to the Army, and to deepen their awareness of the impact of our work, especially in areas of interest to them. Participates in such opportunities alongside caseload donors. Works with other staff and leadership and leadership volunteers to develop new major donor/prospect cultivation events, such as private receptions, dinners in homes, or seminars, targeted toward those with high philanthropic capacity.
• Manages all office systems related to DRD duties, including maintaining updated Portfolio donor files, tracking spreadsheets, correspondence and gift acknowledgments, etc., in keeping with department policies and procedures. Documents all donor interactions through Portfolio contact reports and according to established business practices. Carries out any office and computer-related tasks important to fulfilling the goals of the position.
• Ensures excellent customer service is provided to donors through accessibility to staff and leadership (as granted), timely responsiveness, quality in all interactions and personalized communications.

OTHER FUNCTIONS:

Performs other related duties as assigned by Divisional Director of Development.

MENTAL DEMANDS:

• Work under stressful conditions
• Interact with others with courtesy and tact
• Manage and prioritize multiple projects in an organized and efficient manner to meet tight deadlines
• Respond to crisis situations in a calm and effective manner
• Complete projects on schedule
• Maintain confidentiality
• Maintain regular and punctual work attendance

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The position requires sitting; climbing and/or balancing; stooping, kneeling, bending, stretching, crouching and/or crawling; standing; walking; manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination; use of vision; driving a vehicle; pushing/pulling/lifting/carrying 25 pounds; traveling by airplane; both outdoor and indoor navigation settings.

COMMUNICATION DEMANDS:

The position requires professionally communicating verbally with co-workers, other departments and program staff, clients, vendors, donors, volunteers, board members, philanthropic decision-makers, and officers; written communication; talking on the telephone; responding to written or verbal requests; training/giving verbal and written instructions; receiving verbal and written instructions; writing/composing written language, reading; visiting/working at other worksites and non-worksite locations; communication via the latest technologies.

SKILLS/TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE:

• Valid driver’s license required
• Travel as necessary
• Computer proficiency, including Microsoft Office tools and familiarity with donor management software and email applications

EQUIPMENT NEEDS:

Use office equipment such as computers, photocopiers, scanners, calculators, smartphone, etc.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Divisional Headquarters, 111 Queen Anne Avenue North, Seattle, driving to various Army locations and donor locations, as well as occasional telecommuting.

NOTES:

The information in this job description indicates the general nature and level of work performed by an employee in this classification. It is not to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory, or all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of employees assigned to this job. Management has the right to add to, revise, or delete information in this description. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. Employee will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by management.

This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an ‘at will’ employment relationship

Qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential duties of the position with or without accommodation.  A qualified person with a disability may request a modification or adjustment to the job or work environment in order meet the physical requirements of the position.  The Salvation Army will attempt to satisfy requests as long as the accommodation needed is a reasonable and no undue hardship would result.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Women/Disabled/Minorities/Veterans