Director, Donor Engagement

Depelchin-Children; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

DePelchin Family Services in Houston, TX seeks a Director, Donor Engagement to lead integrated fundraising and donor engagement strategies. The role drives new donor acquisition, increases annual fundraising revenue, strengthens donor retention, and grows long-term philanthropic support across direct mail, digital appeals, events, recurring giving, corporate gifts, peer-to-peer, and tribute giving.

This senior position provides strategic leadership to volunteer services and oversees a

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, marketing, communications, business administration, public relations, or related field.
• Five (5) years’ experience in a nonprofit fundraising environment.
• Management or supervisory experience.
• CFRE a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic oversight and direction for all direct response fundraising efforts in coordination with external vendors, including the editorial development, design, production, and distribution of multichannel campaigns across email, mail, SMS, social media, and digital advertising.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to ensure brand consistency and align with broader messaging, while managing timelines, approvals, and performance outcomes.
• Lead the strategic design, planning, and execution of high-profile special events, including major fundraising events, donor cultivation gatherings, and stewardship events; manage budgets and timelines.
• Design and lead a comprehensive donor stewardship program to increase donor retention and giving levels, overseeing the Stewardship Coordinator.
• Develop strategies to grow revenue through recurring giving, corporate matching gifts, peer-to-peer fundraising, and tribute giving, with oversight to the Donor Communications Specialist.
• Cultivate corporate and community partnerships to secure philanthropic support, including event sponsorships and in-kind contributions.
• Provide strategic oversight and leadership for the volunteer program, ensuring recruitment, management, coordination, and retention of volunteers via the Volunteer Manager.
• Provide leadership for database operations to drive donor acquisition, retention and engagement through data management, analysis, and reporting; supervise the Advancement Database Manager.
• Submit monthly activity and performance reports.
• Represent DePelchin in community events and speak publicly to promote programs and fundraising priorities.
• Lead tours for prospects and groups.

Skills

Strategic planning

Fundraising knowledge

Editorial skills

Project management

Analytical skills

Verbal & written communication

Relationship building

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

CRM systems (donor databases)

Email marketing platforms

Fundraising analytics tools

Job description

Position: Director, Donor Engagement

Classification: Full-time, Exempt

Reports to: Sr. Vice President, Advancement

Company: DePelchin Family Services

Location: Houston, TX

Position Description:
The Director, Donor Engagement is responsible for developing and executing integrated fundraising and donor engagement strategies to drive new donor acquisition, increase annual fundraising revenue, strengthen donor retention, and grow long-term philanthropic support. The role oversees omnichannel fundraising programs including direct mail, digital appeals, special events, recurring giving, corporate matching gifts, peer-to-peer fundraising, and tribute giving. In addition, the Director provides strategic leadership and oversight to volunteer services staff, ensuring volunteer engagement programs and initiatives align with organizational priorities and advance the mission.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide strategic oversight and direction for all direct response fundraising efforts in coordination with external vendors, including the editorial development, design, production, and distribution of multichannel campaigns across email, mail, SMS, social media, and digital advertising. Collaborate closely with the Marketing and Communications team to ensure consistency with brand standards and alignment with broader organizational messaging, while managing timelines, approvals, and performance outcomes.


• Lead the strategic design, planning, and execution of high-profile special events, including major fundraising events, donor cultivation gatherings, and stewardship events. Oversee all aspects of event production by setting clear goals and objectives, developing timelines, managing budgets, and coordinating the efforts of staff, vendors, and volunteers.


• Design and lead a comprehensive donor stewardship program that effectively communicates impact and appreciation across all giving levels, with the goal of increasing donor retention and increasing giving levels; provide strategic direction and oversight to the Stewardship Coordinator responsible for the program’s execution and day-to-day operations.


• Develop and lead strategies to grow revenue through recurring giving, corporate matching gifts, peer-to-peer fundraising, and tribute giving opportunities. Provide strategic oversight and direction to the Donor Communications Specialist responsible for the execution and day-to-day operations of those strategies.


• Cultivate corporate and community partnerships to secure philanthropic support, including event and campaign sponsorships and in‑kind contributions. Identify prospects with major giving potential and refer them to the Donor Relations team.


• Provide strategic oversight and leadership for the volunteer program, ensuring effective recruitment, management, coordination, and retention of volunteers through direct supervision of the Volunteer Manager, aligning volunteer engagement with organizational goals and compliance standards.


• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of database operations to drive donor acquisition, retention and engagement through effective utilization of technology, data management, analysis, and prospect research; supervise the Advancement Database Manager to ensure data integrity, informed decision-making through reporting, and implementation of data-driven automation tools and workflows.


• Provide required monthly reports that accurately reflect activity and performance.


• Participate in regular department and board committee meetings, providing progress updates.


• Represent DePelchin in community events pertinent to the promotion and support of DePelchin programs and projects as assigned.


• Perform public speaking to promote awareness and support of DePelchin programs as assigned.


• Lead tours for individual prospects and/or interested groups.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, marketing, communications, business administration, public relations, or a related field preferred.


• Five (5) years’ experience in a non‑profit, fundraising environment.


• Management or supervisory experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• CFRE a plus.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong strategic planning and critical thinking skills, including the ability to develop long-term strategies, establish measurable goals, identify growth opportunities, allocate resources, and translate organizational priorities into actionable plans that drive fundraising results.


• Demonstrated knowledge of direct response fundraising and omnichannel fundraising strategies.


• Strong editorial skills, including the ability to write, edit, and proofread fundraising appeals, donor communications, campaign materials, and other written content for clarity, accuracy, tone, and effectiveness.


• Comprehensive knowledge of fundraising principles, strategies, and practices, including donor cultivation and solicitation, annual giving, and donor stewardship.


• Strong project management skills, including the ability to develop project plans, manage timelines and budgets, coordinate internal teams and external vendors, oversee approvals, and ensure timely, high-quality deliverables.


• Strong analytical skills and the ability to interpret fundraising data, evaluate campaign performance, identify trends, and use results to inform strategy and improve outcomes.


• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to build relationships, influence stakeholders, and communicate effectively with diverse audiences.


• Ability to provide strategic direction and oversight to staff, establish priorities, monitor performance, and ensure accountability for results.


• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.


• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; familiarity with donor databases (CRM) systems, as well as email marketing and digital communication platforms and fundraising analytics tools preferred.


• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with donors, corporate partners, vendors, volunteers, and community stakeholders.


• Strong public speaking and presentation skills, including the ability to represent DePelchin and communicate its mission, programs, and fundraising priorities effectively

Work Conditions

• Environment: Office


• Range of Schedule: Mon - Fri, 7:00 am to 8:00 pm


• Travel: Occasional (Must have a valid Texas driver license and current auto insurance)

DePelchin is Proud to be an Equal Opportunity Workplace.

DePelchin is committed to selecting and employing the best and most qualified person available for each job opening without unlawful discrimination of any kind. Additionally, DePelchin is committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity), marital or parental status, veteran status, religion, national origin, age, disability, family medical history, genetic information, or political affiliation.