Donor Relations Manager (TNC)

The Nature Conservancy; Illinois; On-site; USD 65,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Nature Conservancy in Illinois is seeking a Donor Relations Manager I to identify and qualify major and planned gift prospects and to cultivate donors through personal outreach. S/he coordinates efforts to build the Legacy Club and works with fundraising staff to meet annual goals.

Responsibilities include building a donor pipeline, managing a portfolio with gifts up to $50,000, and traveling statewide for donor engagement and training opportunities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 2 years’ experience or equivalent combination.
• Experience building relationships with staff, customers or similar.
• Experience generating reports and interpreting the data.
• Experience in business writing, editing, and proofreading.
• Experience working across teams.
• Experience, coursework, or other training in fundraising principles & practices.

Responsibilities

• Drive donor pipeline building through primary focus on discovery and qualification of prospects identified as capable of making major and deferred gifts.
• Annual fundraising goal of $100,000 or more, along with a goal for bequest notifications.
• Build and manage a modest portfolio of middle donors with the capacity to make annual gifts up to $50,000.
• Coordinate Legacy Club efforts with goals to build membership in Illinois and coordinate stewardship activities for current members.
• Coordinate projects with several variables, work within a defined timeline and budget.
• Does not supervise any staff, but may supervise interns, volunteers, and/or temporary staff.

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Founded in 1951, the Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. One of our core values is our commitment to diversity. Therefore, we strive for a globally diverse and culturally competent workforce. Working in 72 countries, including all 50 United States, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.

Your Position at TNC

The Donor Relations Manager I (DRM I) is responsible for the identification and qualification of major and planned gift prospects and assists in cultivating and soliciting donors through direct contact. S/he conducts initial exploratory meetings with donors and prospects to determine capacity for giving. The DRM I will coordinate efforts to build the Legacy Club.

Essential Functions

The Donor Relations Manager I (DRM I) focuses primarily on pipeline development and discovery through conducting initial exploratory meetings with donors and prospects to determine inclination and capacity for major and deferred gifts. S/he moves prospects capable of major gifts to the prospect pool for management by senior fundraising staff and integration into the Relationship Management process. The DRM I assists in cultivating and soliciting donors by engaging in direct personal contact with prospects and donors using personal visits, telephone, email, appropriate events, and tours. S/he helps to build the Legacy Club program.

S/he is responsible for attaining activity measures related to performance including number of personal interactions and visits each month, as well as an annual fundraising goal. S/he works collaboratively with the fundraising team to achieve annual chapter fundraising goals.

The DRM I may be responsible for staffing volunteers engaged in fundraising or related donor engagement projects. Such responsibilities include organizing and managing volunteer meetings and coordinating follow-up tasks.

S/he uses the Conservancy’s fundraising management system to update donor information, produce reports, perform analyses, and track and cultivate donors. The DRM I works on a variety of activities, including providing program information to prospects and drafting routine correspondence and acknowledgements. The DRM I identifies the correct contacts to go to for information on gifts of assets. S/he effectively communicates and distributes information to assist staff in making decisions, solving problems, and improving workflow.

Must be willing to travel state wide for donors and farther at times for TNC-related training opportunities and donor/prospect visits.

Responsibilities and Scope

• Drive donor pipeline building through primary focus on discovery and qualification of prospects identified as capable of making major and deferred gifts.
• Annual fundraising goal of $100,000 or more, along with a goal for bequest notifications.
• Build and manage a modest portfolio of middle donors with the capacity to make annual gifts up to $50,000.
• Coordinate Legacy Club efforts with goals to build membership in Illinois and coordinate stewardship activities for current members.
• Coordinate projects with several variables, work within a defined timeline and budget.
• Does not supervise any staff, but may supervise interns, volunteers, and/or temporary staff.
• Ensure compliance with TNC policies and procedures and external (donor/legal/IRS) requirements.
• Financial responsibility includes working within a budget and meeting fundraising goals for local and worldwide conservation.
• Persuasively convey the mission of TNC to diverse groups who are important to the organization’s overall prosperity.
• Act independently on assigned tasks and exercise independent judgment based on analysis and experience.
• Demonstrated high-level verbal and written communication.
• Refers difficult questions and unusual problems to supervisors.
• Travel and work flexible hours.
• Work environment involves only infrequent exposure to disagreeable elements and minor physical exertion and/or strain.
• Work is diversified and may not always fall under established practices and guidelines.
• Work within scope of program’s strategic goals.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 2 years’ experience or equivalent combination.
• Experience building relationships with staff, customers or similar.
• Experience generating reports and interpreting the data.
• Experience in business writing, editing, and proofreading.
• Experience working across teams.
• Experience, coursework, or other training in fundraising principles & practices.

Desired Qualifications

• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
• Ability to determine an individual’s interests, capacity and potential for helping the Conservancy meet its goals, and act appropriately to tie those interests with the Conservancy’s work.
• Ability to implement individualized cultivation, solicitation and recognition plans.
• Ability to use existing technology to achieve desired results.
• Experience in managing and tracking multiple prospects and donors.
• Experience with database administration and spreadsheet software.
• Knowledge of current trends in the specific field.
• Strong organization skills, accuracy, and attention to detail.
• Valid driver’s license.

Build Relationships:Builds productive relationships by interacting with others in ways that enhance mutual trust and commitment.

Collaboration and Teamwork:Works collaboratively with stakeholders across levels, geographies, backgrounds, and cultures to improve decisions, strengthen commitment, and be more effective.

Develop Others:Takes ownership to help develop others' skills, behaviors, and mindsets to help them maximize their workplace contributions.

Leverages Difference:Demonstrates commitment to harnessing the power of differences strategically; consistently sees, learns from, and takes strategic action related to difference; and demonstrates the self-awareness and behaviors to work across differences of identity and power respectfully and effectively with all stakeholder. Actively seeks to build and retain a diverse workforce and fosters an equitable inclusive workplace by drawing upon diverse perspectives.

Systems Leadership:Demonstrates commitment to harnessing the power of differences strategically; consistently sees, learns from, and takes strategic action related to difference; and demonstrates the self-awareness and behaviors to work across differences of identity and power respectfully and effectively with all stakeholders. Actively seeks to build and retain a diverse workforce and fosters an equitable inclusive workplace by drawing upon diverse perspectives.

Posting deadline of July 16, 2019.