Donor Relations & Events Coordinator

Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Team spirit and comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago is seeking a Donor Relations & Events Coordinator to join the Resource Development team. You will manage donor engagement, coordinate fundraising events, and oversee NHS’s CRM donor data to support grants and reporting.

Responsibilities include stewardship communications, event logistics, and cross‑team collaboration. The role requires 1–3 years in fundraising or donor relations, with travel throughout Chicago for events and meetings.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a high school diploma required; an Associate or Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, communications, marketing, or a related field is preferred.
• 1–3 years of experience in fundraising, donor relations, event planning, or related activities; nonprofit/mission-driven experience preferred.
• Familiarity with the nonprofit sector and/or community development is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Maintain donor relationships and stewardship through communications, acknowledgments, and reports.
• Plan and execute in-person and virtual fundraising events, manage sponsorships and registrations.
• Support grant activities including writing, submissions, and reporting to foundations and corporations.
• Maintain donor data in NHS’s CRM, generate fundraising and performance reports.

Skills

MS Office

CRM systems

Raiser's Edge NXT

Database management

Education

High school diploma

Associate or Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management/communications/marketing

Job description

The Donor Relations & Events Coordinator plays a critical role on the Resource Development team by managing donor engagement, coordinating fundraising and stewardship events, and overseeing donor database systems. This position maintains a portfolio of foundation and corporate donors, supports grant writing and tracking, and ensures accurate and timely gift entry and reporting through NHS’s CRM system. The coordinator is also the key liaison to NHS's Metro Board, supporting their fundraising and community engagement activities.

Principal Job Duties & Responsibilities

Donor Relations & Stewardship

• Maintain and enhance relationships with individual, foundation, and corporate donors through regular communication, acknowledgments, and stewardship activities.
• Assist in preparing donor-facing materials including letters, impact reports, and campaign updates.
• Support the execution of donor recognition efforts and personalized outreach.
• Track donor engagement activities in NHS’s CRM system.

Events Coordination

• Plan and execute in-person and virtual fundraising and stewardship events, including logistics, vendor coordination, communications, and sponsor/donor cultivation.
• Solicit and track event sponsorships, donations, and in‑kind contributions.
• Manage event registrations, guest lists, follow‑up communications, and post‑event evaluations.
• Provide administrative and planning support for Metro Board‑led fundraising events.

Grants & Fundraising Support

• Support full range of grant activities, including writing, submitting, and reporting for foundation and corporate sources.
• Research and identify new grant opportunities aligned with organizational priorities.
• Partner with the finance team to gather data and complete budget components and financial reports for funders.
• Track grant deadlines and deliverables using the CRM system.

Data Management & Reporting

• Maintain accurate donor and gift records in NHS’s CRM system, including data entry, donor segmentation, and gift acknowledgment.
• Generate regular fundraising and performance reports, donor lists, and campaign summaries.
• Manage gift processing, matching gifts, recurring donations, and donor acknowledgment letters.

Administrative & Cross‑Team Support

• Coordinate logistics for donor meetings, committee meetings, and internal events (e.g., room bookings, meals, AV, materials).
• Attend and document key meetings, including development committee and Metro Board meetings.
• Support the Resource Development team on special projects and organizational priorities as needed.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

$52,500 annually

• Health, dental and vision insurance
• Paid time off
• NHS offers a comprehensive benefits package. We also offer a team spirit, which strives for excellence in customer service.

Position Qualifications

Education

• Minimum of a high school diploma required; an Associate or Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, communications, marketing, or a related field is preferred.

Experience

• 1–3 years of experience in fundraising, donor relations, event planning, or related activities. Experience in a nonprofit, mission‑driven, or relationship‑management environment strongly preferred.

Desired Skills

• Familiarity with the nonprofit sector and/or community development is a plus.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail, time management, and organizational skills.
• A valid driver’s license and access to a reliable, insured personal vehicle are required. This position requires regular travel throughout the City of Chicago - including to NHS’ target neighborhoods, branch offices, event venues, and donor sites—often on short notice and outside standard business hours. Reliable, independent transportation is an essential function of the role; public transit alone will not satisfy this requirement. Given the regular travel demands of this role across NHS locations, donor sites, and event venues, the incumbent must maintain a valid driver’s license and reliable, insured personal transportation as a condition of employment.
• Some evening and weekend work may be required for events and meetings.
• Technology: Proficiency in MS Office; experience with CRM systems, especially Blackbaud/Raiser's Edge NXT, is highly desired; database management required. Tech‑savvy and quick to learn new systems.

COMPENTENCIES

• Ability to write and edit Donor communications and grants.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines effectively.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to work across departments and with volunteers.
• Ability to interpret and report on financial and donor data.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Regularly required to talk or hear.
• Frequently required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms.
• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate and is of a typical office environment.

REMOTE WORK POLICY

The Donor Relations & Events Coordinator is required to work full‑time in the office for the first 90 days of employment to support onboarding, training, and operational integration. Thereafter, the Resource Department staff work on a 3/2 schedule, requiring a minimum of 3 days in‑office, in addition to any in‑office time as necessary for important meetings, team meetings, all staff meetings, audits, site visits by funders, agency events, etc., including in‑person team meetings.

NHS’ COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, RACIAL EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (NHS) is deeply committed to building and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that reflects the communities we serve. We believe that diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences strengthens our work and advances our mission. NHS provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.