Donor Engagement Officer (Development)

Guidelines International; Mission Viejo (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

403(b) retirement plan

Paid holidays

Paid vacation

Sick leave

Job summary

Guidelines International in Mission Viejo, CA is seeking a Donor Engagement Officer to lead a portfolio of 150 donors, grow major gifts, and supervise the Donor Relations Specialist. The role partners with the COO to shape development strategy and increase annual revenue through strategic cultivation, solicitations, and donor events.

Ideal candidates have 7–10 years in fundraising, strong CRM and analytics skills, and a proven track record closing $50k+ gifts, with domestic travel up to 25%.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of progressive fundraising or related experience.
• Proven success cultivating, soliciting, and closing gifts of $50,000+.
• Strong CRM, donor analytics, wealth-screening and prospect-research skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to travel domestically 20–25%.

Responsibilities

• Manage and grow a portfolio of approximately 150 donors with personalized cultivation and close significant gifts.
• Identify major-gift prospects through wealth screening, referrals, and networking; develop relationships with new donors.
• Provide strong donor stewardship and help shape Development strategy with leadership.
• Plan, host and participate in donor events and provide compelling communication of Guidelines' mission and funding needs.
• Maintain CRM records, track pipeline and revenue forecasts, and analyze donor data to inform strategy.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

CRM analytics

Public speaking

Leadership

Communication

Travel

Education

7–10 years fundraising experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

CRM systems

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

For more than 60 years, Guidelines International has shared the message of Jesus Christ with people around the world through practical, Bible-based content. Working with ministry partners, we create, translate, and distribute content in heart languages through radio, podcast, video, and social media.

Our mission is simple: To start conversations that move people toward Jesus.

Job Summary:

The Donor Engagement Officer is a senior fundraising leader responsible for growing donor revenue and deepening donor relationships. The Donor Engagement Officer will personally manage and grow a portfolio of approximately 150 existing mid-level and major donors.

This is a hands-on, relationship-driven fundraising role requiring demonstrated success cultivating, soliciting, and closing significant gifts. The Donor Engagement Officer will also identify major-gift prospects, bring working knowledge of planned, legacy and non-cash giving, supervise the Donor Relations Specialist, and work with the COO to help shape and execute Development strategy.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Major & Mid-Level Giving

• Manage and grow a portfolio of approximately 150 donors.
• Develop personalized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies to deepen relationships and increase giving.
• Personally solicit and close significant gifts, including gifts of $50,000+.
• Identify opportunities for increased, multi-year, and transformational giving.
• Provide strong stewardship that builds donor retention and long-term commitment.

Prospect Development

• Identify and qualify major-gift prospects through wealth screening, prospect research, giving history, referrals, and networking.
• Identify donors below $5,000 annually who demonstrate capacity and potential for significantly greater giving.
• Develop new donor relationships through personal outreach, introductions, events, and professional networks.

Planned, Legacy & Non-Cash Giving

• Maintain working knowledge of planned, legacy and non-cash giving strategies.
• Be knowledgeable about appreciated securities, donor-advised funds, qualified charitable distributions, real estate, estate/bequest gifts and other non-cash assets.
• Identify opportunities to introduce appropriate giving strategies and engage outside professional advisors when specialized expertise is needed.

Donor Engagement & Events

• Build and shepherd trusted relationships by understanding donor interests and connecting them with Guidelines' mission and ministry opportunities.
• Clearly and compellingly communicate Guidelines' vision, impact and funding needs.
• Conduct one-on-one and group donor meetings and confidently make direct financial asks.
• Plan, host and participate in donor events, small-group gatherings and presentations.
• Demonstrate strong public-speaking, storytelling and networking skills.
• Work with the COO to develop and execute annual and long-term Development strategies.
• Establish goals, manage the donor pipeline and maintain accurate revenue forecasts.
• Participate in fundraising campaigns and, as needed, recurring giving initiatives.
• Develop and manage assigned budgets and monitor performance against goals.

CRM & Analytics

• Maintain timely and accurate CRM records of donor relationships, interactions, opportunities, and next steps.
• Use CRM data, analytics, prospect research, and wealth screening to identify opportunities and prioritize activity.
• Track portfolio performance, pipeline, solicitations, and revenue forecasts.
• Demonstrate strong proficiency with nonprofit CRM systems and standard business technology, including Excel and PowerPoint.

Leadership

• Supervise, coach, and develop the Donor Relations Specialist.
• Establish clear priorities, goals, and accountability.
• Help develop effective Development processes and a donor-centered, results-oriented culture.
• Collaborate across the organization to identify funding opportunities and create excellent donor experiences.

Other Duties as Required

Qualifications

• Demonstrated success personally cultivating, soliciting, and closing gifts of $50,000+.
• Proven ability to manage and grow a substantial donor portfolio.
• Working knowledge of planned, legacy, and non-cash asset giving.
• Exceptional relationship-building, presentation, public-speaking and written communication skills.
• Proven networking and prospect-development ability.
• Strong CRM, donor analytics, wealth-screening and prospect-research skills.
• Demonstrated leadership and staff-management ability.
• Strong planning, budgeting, forecasting and organizational skills.
• Christian ministry or faith-based nonprofit experience; experience with fundraising campaigns and recurring giving
• CFRE, CSPG or similar fundraising/planned-giving certification (preferred)

Required Skills/Abilities

• Strong personal commitment to Jesus Christ and Guidelines' Purpose, Mission Statement, Statement of Faith, and Biblical Standards of Faith and conduct. The employee must affirm and uphold these commitments and demonstrate conduct consistent with Guidelines' Biblical beliefs, values, mission and ministry witness.
• Spiritual Stewardship: Views generosity as a God-given gift and an expression of discipleship, with a calling to shepherd and encourage donors in their generosity. Builds trusted relationships through prayer, spiritual encouragement, biblical wisdom, and genuine care, helping donors discern how God may be leading them to steward their resources for Kingdom impact.
• Written Communication: Strong written communication and attention to detail.
• Discretion: Demonstrated ability to handle confidential donor and financial information with a high degree of discretion.
• Tech/Software Proficiency: Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint), Slack (or similar), CRM experience, and willingness to learn new software.
• Connected and collaborative: Works independently while staying actively engaged, communicative, and connected with the team, particularly when working remotely.
• Ability to travel domestically approximately 20–25% of the time, with occasional evening or weekend donor activities.

Education and Experience

• 7–10 years of progressive fundraising or closely related experience, including significant major-gift responsibility.

Desired Characteristics

• Relational and authentic: Builds trust and genuine, long-term donor relationships.
• Confident fundraiser: Comfortable discussing money and directly asking for significant gifts.
• Strategic and proactive: Develops clear donor strategies and consistently moves relationships forward.
• Strong listener: Understands donor interests and motivations before presenting opportunities.
• Results-oriented: Takes ownership of fundraising goals while maintaining strong relationships.
• Natural networker: Builds new relationships, seeks introductions, and expands donor networks.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to travel domestically and attend donor meetings and events.
• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry materials up to 25 pounds.
• Reasonable accommodation will be provided as required by law.

FLSA Classification

• Exempt
• Salary Range: $120-$135K
• Guidelines offers competitive benefits and compensation packages to employees, including but not limited to medical insurance, paid holidays, paid vacation, sick leave, and a 403(b)-retirement plan.

Location

• Mission Viejo, California, is preferred; a remote arrangement may be considered for the right candidate.