Development & Donor Relations Coordinator

YWCA Metropolitan Chicago; Illinois; Hybrid; USD 55,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Development & Donor Relations Coordinator to join their Strategic Engagement team. This role is pivotal in managing annual fundraising campaigns, enhancing donor relations, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the organization. You will collaborate with various stakeholders, including individual donors and board members, to craft engaging strategies for donor cultivation and stewardship. If you are passionate about making a difference and possess strong interpersonal and communication skills, this opportunity is perfect for you. Join a mission-driven organization dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women, and help drive impactful fundraising efforts.

Qualifications

• 1-3 years experience in nonprofit fundraising is required.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills are essential.
• Proficiency in MS Office and CRM databases is highly desired.

Responsibilities

• Manage annual fundraising campaigns and donor relations.
• Collaborate with staff and stakeholders for donor engagement.
• Oversee donor recognition and stewardship processes.

Skills

Nonprofit Fundraising

Interpersonal Skills

Communication Skills

Critical Thinking

Organizational Skills

Customer Service Orientation

Team Collaboration

Public Speaking

Adaptability

Negotiation Skills

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Raiser’s Edge

Job description

POSITION TITLE: Development & Donor Relations Coordinator
STATUS: Exempt, FT
GRADE: 4

DEPT: Strategic Engagement
SALARY: $55,000K

REPORTS TO: Vice President of Development

SUMMARY: The Development and Donor Relations Coordinator is an integral member of the Strategic Engagement (development and marketing) team who manages all aspects of the annual fundraising individual giving campaigns for the YWCA. This work will include research of individual donors and prospects, as well as the planning, implementation, management, and coordination of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities with the goal of securing increased individual support year over year. The Development and Donor Relations Coordinator will play a crucial role in helping build a pipeline of major donors and will help to ensure the long-term sustainability of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, driving forward its mission of eliminating racism and empowering women for decades to come.

This individual also serves as the primary staff liaison for the YWCA Ambassador Council, YWCA’s young professional's board, and a key support role for the Alumni Council of past YWCA Board members.

COLLABORATES WITH: Reporting to the Vice President of Development, the Development and Donor Relations Coordinator collaborates with Strategic Engagement staff members and YWCA staff members across the enterprise, and external stakeholders including individual donors, past YWCA Board members and members of the Ambassador Council (an engaged and dedicated group of young professionals who advocate, volunteer, and fundraise for the organization).

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Annual Fund Management and Administration:

1. Partner closely with the VP of Development to design, execute, manage and evaluate the YWCA’s Individual Giving Annual Fund Campaigns including but not limited to end of year appeals, e-appeals, YWCA’s annual Giving Day and other focused fundraising campaigns.
2. Implement additional fundraising strategies for individuals through personal cultivation/solicitation, planned giving vehicles, and special events for individual donors.
3. Help develop a strong understanding of the YWCA's mission and programs among prospects/donors, maintaining collaborative working relationships with all departments to craft messages for annual fund and major donor program support and partnerships.
4. Develop and maintain an active schedule of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship touchpoints for individual donors and prospects capable of leadership annual fund-level gifts in the $1,000 - $5,000 range, with key benchmarks and annual goals.

Donor Recognition & Stewardship:

1. Oversee and administer the gift acknowledgement process to ensure that donors are acknowledged in a personal and time-sensitive manner, ensure accurate acknowledgement language. Draft, print, mail and send donor acknowledgment letters and emails.
2. Assist with donor gift entry and finance reconciliation as needed.
3. Review and update fundraiser portfolios, as appropriate.
4. Provide exceptional donor relations management to a variety of supporters, serve as primary first point of contact for YWCA development department.
5. Write and edit documents including solicitation letters to donors and prospects; briefings and debriefings; pledge reminder letters; and other documents.

Volunteer Management:

1. Serve as the enterprises’ primary staff liaison for the Ambassador Council and support VP of Development in the cultivation and stewardship of YWCA Board Alumni Council.
2. Develop strategies to grow and diversify both Councils membership base and organizational impact and revenue.
3. Collaborate with the chairs and members on meetings, events, and other activities to advance the group’s fundraising and engagement goals.

Prospect & Donor Identification:

1. Assist all stakeholder members associated with the Strategic Engagement team, officials, volunteers, and others associated with the YWCA in the evaluation, research, identification, cultivation strategies and solicitation of the highest-potential major gift prospects.
2. Prepare donor research and briefings to prepare the CEO and other senior leaders for meetings.

Other Duties as Assigned:

1. Actively participate in departmental events and activities, and in enterprise-wide events.

NON-ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Participate in administrative and program meetings, as appropriate.

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. 1-3 years direct experience in nonprofit fundraising is required.
2. Experience working with individual donors and volunteers on collaborative activities is highly desired.
3. Experience developing and implementing annual fund campaigns, major and legacy giving strategies, and events, with proven results is a major plus.
4. Understanding and demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in fundraising practices and work environment.
5. Discretion with confidential information and the ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with a broad spectrum of people (donors, staff, volunteers, board members) is required.
6. Demonstrated initiative and desire to take on new projects.
7. Superb interpersonal skills and the ability to actively listen.
8. Excellent written and oral communication skills.
9. Effective presentation and negotiation skills.
10. Highly organized & attentive to detail.
11. Adaptable and flexible, with ability to handle several priorities simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
12. Team-oriented and collaborative with the ability to work independently.
13. Proficiency in MS Office – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.
14. Development and/or customer relationship management database experience highly desired (Raiser’s Edge experience a plus).

Core Competencies:

1. Accountability: Effectively manages own work, and work of teams when relevant, ensuring delivery of high-quality work.
2. Communication: Uses effective written and oral communication with internal staff, teams and community served; demonstrates empathy and listening. Exhibits high degree of comfort with public speaking.
3. Critical Thinking: Consistently identifies, gathers, and applies relevant information to his/her work.
4. Customer-Service Orientation: Recognizes needs of diverse stakeholders and approaches relationships with a service-orientation, to ultimately maximize impact.
5. Growth Mindset: Views growth as important for personal and professional development; seeks out opportunities to expand skills, even if change is required.
6. Development Planning: Breaks down projects and tasks into process steps, while considering appropriate stakeholders, and executes them effectively; adjusting timelines and prioritizing as necessary.
7. External Relationship Builder: Invests in and builds strong, trusted relationships with partners. Builds market position by locating, developing, defining, and closing business relationships.

EDUCATION REQUIRED:

1. High school diploma or GED required.

CERTIFICATION(s) REQUIRED: N/A

OTHER REQUIREMENTS: N/A

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The primary work environment includes dedicated desk space within a downtown Chicago office. This position may also require travel to other YWCA offices or off-site locations for special events. The noise level is usually moderate. Movement requirements include walking, stooping, or kneeling. There may be a need to reach, lift, or move objects, such as packages, supplies, and computers. Normal (or corrected) vision range; The ability to see color and to distinguish letters, numbers, and symbols are necessary to the work, which may require close viewing. Occasionally they may need to lift and/or move up to 30 pounds. Communication needs include seeing, hearing, and speaking. While in the office, there will be periods of sitting, holding a telephone, and using computers. Reasonable accommodation may be made for an incumbent to meet the essential responsibilities of the position.

WORK SCHEDULE: HYBRID – Work from home 2 days a week, in the office 3 days a week. Normal working hours are Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM. This position will require work on some evenings and weekends. The schedule can vary depending on the needs of the agency.