Donor Relations Coordinator

lifewisecareers; Kentucky; On-site; USD 41,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Retirement plan, including employer 
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Unlimited PTO for qualified employees

Job summary

LifeWise Academy is seeking a Donor Relations Coordinator to join our fundraising and donor stewardship team in Ohio. You will ensure accurate gift processing and timely acknowledgments, while collaborating with local chapters and Finance to reconcile records.

The ideal candidate has 3+ years of donor support experience, strong communication, and proficiency with Salesforce and Google Workspace. This full-time role emphasizes compliance, gratitude, and donor engagement.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3+ years in ministry or high interpersonal skills-based role.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Experience with Salesforce and Google Workspace is preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to balance multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

• Respond promptly and professionally to donor inquiries by phone and email.
• Process gifts accurately and issue timely acknowledgments and statements.
• Maintain donor records and assist local chapters with donation processing.
• Reconcile donation records with deposits and accounting with Finance.
• Produce routine donation reports and assist with analysis.
• Support year-end giving activities and periods of higher donation volume.
• Ensure compliance with policies and applicable charitable-giving requirements.
• Train staff and local chapter representatives on donation procedures.
• Protect confidential donor, financial, and organizational information.
• Identify process issues and suggest practical improvements.
• Document procedures and maintain training materials.

Skills

Donor relations

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Salesforce

Google Workspace

Job description

About You

You love Jesus and are passionate about helping the next generation know Him. You understand that serving donors with excellence is an important part of advancing the LifeWise mission.

As the Donor Relations Coordinator, you are dependable, organized, and attentive to detail. You process gifts accurately, maintain reliable donor records, and respond to donors and local chapters with professionalism, gratitude, and care. You handle sensitive financial and personal information with discretion and understand the importance of accuracy, timeliness, and consistent follow-through.

You are a clear communicator and a collaborative problem-solver. You work well with donors, local chapter leaders, Finance, IT, and other internal teams to resolve questions and ensure donation processes run smoothly. When you encounter an exception or an unfamiliar issue, you take initiative to understand the underlying cause and help identify a practical solution.

You are comfortable balancing routine responsibilities with urgent requests and periods of high donation volume. You look for ways to improve processes, strengthen donor service, and ensure every giver is appropriately acknowledged and appreciated.

Most importantly, you see this position as more than administrative work. Every gift you process and every donor you serve helps make it possible for more students to hear the gospel during the school day.

About the Job

We are looking for a gospel-centered, dynamic, and organized Donor Relations Coordinator to join the LifeWise team. This role will play a critical role in the fundraising and donor stewardship process. The full-time position will operate out of our headquarters in Hilliard, Ohio (just outside of Columbus).

Responsibilities

• Respond promptly and professionally to donor inquiries by phone and email.
• Process gifts accurately and issue timely acknowledgments and annual giving statements.
• Assist local chapters with donation entry, processing, corrections, and related questions.
• Maintain accurate and complete donor records, preferences, and communication instructions in the donation management system.
• Research and resolve donation discrepancies, duplicate records, returned payments, missing information, and processing errors.
• Coordinate with Finance to reconcile donation records with deposits and accounting records.
• Process recurring gifts, matching gifts, donor-advised fund gifts, stock gifts, and other nonstandard contributions.
• Coordinate with other departments to support donor stewardship, engagement, appreciation, and recognition.
• Produce routine donation reports and assist with donation-related analysis.
• Support year-end giving activities and other periods of increased donation volume.
• Ensure donation processing and acknowledgments comply with organizational policies and applicable charitable-giving requirements.
• Identify recurring system or process issues and recommend practical improvements.
• Document donation procedures and maintain current training materials.
• Train and support staff and local chapter representatives involved in donation processing.
Protect confidential donor, financial, and organizational information.
• Provide backup support for other donation-processing functions as needed.
• Perform other administrative and donation-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• A mature personal Christian faith consistent with the LifeWise Statement of Faith

• 3+ years in a ministry or other high interpersonal skills based position (required)
• 3+ years of donor support or administrative assistant experience(preferred)
• Bachelor’s degree (preferred)
• Experience with using Salesforce (preferred)
• Proficient computer skills, including Google Workspace (formerly G Suite)
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Comfortable with routinely shifting demands
• High degree of attention to detail

Salary and Benefits

• From $45,000 per year
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for qualified employees
• Retirement plan, including employer match
• Unlimited PTO for qualified employees

LifeWise Academy's hiring practices and EEO Statement are fully in compliance with both federal and state law. Federal law creates an exception to the "religion" section of employment discrimination laws for religious organizations and permits them to give employment preference to members of their own religion. LifeWise Academy is in that category.