Donor Relations Manager

ROME GROUP; Quebec; Hybrid; CAD 65,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The Director of Community Engagement plays a crucial role in enhancing donor relations and securing support for Nine PBS. This position focuses on relationship-building and strategic engagement to ensure continued financial backing and community engagement, fostering a culture of support for public media.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years experience in development and major giving preferred.
• Must demonstrate skills in donor CRM and donor research tools.
• Knowledge of the St. Louis region giving community encouraged.

Responsibilities

• Cultivating relationships with donors to secure financial support.
• Managing a portfolio of major donors giving $2,500 or more.
• Executing strategic engagement plans to enhance donor experiences.

Skills

Communication

Collaboration

Problem-Solving

Detail-Oriented

Emotional Intelligence

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

CRM systems

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Job description

Nine PBS: Director of Community Engagement

Who We Are: As an essential community institution, Nine PBS magnifies and deepens understanding of our community to help our region flourish. We convene meaningful conversations, we share thought-provoking content, and we host events that engage and inspire our region. Our unique facilities and connections offer opportunities for memorable experiences for audiences of all ages.

Our History: We are a community-licensed public media station. For 70 years, we have been a foundational pillar in the St. Louis community by providing trusted, community-centered content and resources. Our core purpose is to magnify and deepen understanding of our community to help our region flourish.

Our Values: Nine PBS is rooted in our four values: Community, Trust, Equity, and Learning. These guide every aspect of our work – both in how we interact with one another as teammates, as well as how we engage with the community.

Our Culture: Nine PBS is an equal opportunity employer with a leadership team and culture that prioritizes a welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Our Team: One of our strategic goals is to create and sustain a positive, high-performing, and connected culture that prioritizes the well-being and belonging of every member of our team. Get to know the amazing individuals you will be working alongside if you are selected for this position: https://www.ninepbs.org/ourteam/.

Position Description: The Donor Relations Manager plays a vital role in securing financial support for Nine PBS by aligning donor interests and passions with meaningful giving opportunities. This individual fosters relationships with donors, encourages contributions, and ensures donor retention and growth in support of Nine PBS.

Working closely with the Senior Director of Major Giving and the Individual Giving team, the Donor Relations Manager identifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards major donors and prospects to fund station operations, capital projects, special initiatives, and programming. Additionally, this role is responsible for developing and executing strategic engagement plans that enhance donor experiences while advancing the mission and objectives of Nine PBS.

Primary Responsibilities: The following primary responsibilities are vital to successfully meeting the expectations of this position in an effective and efficient manner. This is not an exhaustive list and areas of focus may fluctuate between the primary and secondary responsibilities, as needed.
-Work collaboratively to ensure that annual revenue targets in major giving are met/exceeded.
-Qualify and manage assigned portfolio of major donors and major donor prospects.
-Serve as primary relationship manager for donors giving $2,500 or more per year and high-quality prospects to reach or exceed annual funding goals.
-Work independently and collaboratively with donors and prospects through all stages of the development process (identify, research, qualify, cultivate, solicit, steward).
-Create and manage individual goals for each person on the caseload.
-Create a plan for each donor that is driven by that donor’s passions, interests, and communication preferences to execute the plan.
-Conduct touchpoints with donors through calls, emails, invitations to events, and visits.
-Secure appropriate project information, including budgets, and create offers, proposals and requests.
-Write/draft/collaborate on proposals and stewardship reports.
-Create weekly and monthly reports on caseload progress.
-Record activities, research, and donor information in CRM.

Secondary Responsibilities: These are additional activities that are expected to be performed with this position.
-Draft major donor communication emails and letters, including invitations, quarterly letters, program updates and related touchpoints, etc. for use by major and planned giving team.
-Evaluate, identify, and assign prospects to build the prospect pipeline for stewardship.
-Keep up to date on Nine PBS projects, develop communications, and identify meaningful touchpoints.
-Pull lists to segment and scrub for mailings and mass communications.
-Update portfolios by updating and purging prospects.
-Be of service and resource to colleagues.
-Attend professional development activities, learn about opportunities for growth for our program, and continuously improve donor engagement, how we can improve our work, best serve donors, and increase major giving.

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree required, 3-5 years or more of experience in development and major giving preferred. Proficient in Excel, PowerPoint, Word and other MS Office applications. Must demonstrate skills in donor CRM (such as Rev CRM, Salesforce, Blackbaud) and donor research tools (Donor Search, etc.). Knowledge of the overall St. Louis region giving community and CFRE certification is encouraged. Excellent writing and communication skills, and high emotional intelligence. Traits should include detail-oriented, collaborative, curious, self-driven, persistent, strategic, excellent at gratitude, can handle rejection/resilient, strong problem-solving skills, and a passion for public media.

Hybrid Schedule: This position is eligible for a hybrid schedule, typically working 2-3 days in the office each week. On-site work includes in-person team meetings when requested, regularly attending donor meetings and events when and where needed, and presence may be required on certain days of the week for collaboration.

Additional Expectations and Core Competencies: Success in this role is not only measured by meeting the expectations outlined above, but also in how the work is performed. The following competencies are required for this role.
-Approach all interactions solution focused.
-Is open to feedback and demonstrates a growth mindset.
-Provide respectful feedback to others, as needed.
-Share knowledge, resources, and expertise openly to support team and organizational success.
-Effectively and proactively communicate important information to supervisor.
-Demonstrate effective time management.
-Demonstrate good judgment.
-Demonstrate effective working relationships with others that are collaborative and welcoming.
-Behave in a professional manner and represent the values of Nine PBS at all times.

Application Instructions
Company: Nine PBS
Vacancy Type: Full-Time
Job Location: St Louis, MO, US
Salary Range: $65,000-$70,000
Application Timeline: June 13th – June 27, 2025
Application Process: For a candidate to be considered for employment, the following materials must be submitted as a complete application to [e-mail]:
-Resume
-Cover Letter
-3 Professional References (will not be contacted unless an offer is being made)

Provide a word document that includes responses to the following three questions:
What have you read in this job posting that is interesting and inspiring to you? (no more than 150 words)
How are you uniquely qualified to enhance the Nine PBS team and our work? (no more than 150 words)
What would success look like for you in this position? (no more than 150 words)

Nine PBS
As an essential community institution, Nine PBS magnifies and deepens understanding of our community to help our region flourish. We tell stories that move us. We meet people where they are the most comfortable consuming content. Nine PBS’s platforms include four distinct broadcast channels (Nine PBS, Nine PBS KIDS, Nine PBS World, and Nine PBS Create), ninepbs.org, social media, the free PBS Video App, streaming services, live and virtual events, and the Public Media Commons. Since 1954, Nine PBS has accepted the community’s invitation into their homes, schools, and businesses. Follow Nine PBS on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.