Donor Relations Specialist

The Little Light House Central Kentucky, Inc.; Louisville (KY); On-site; USD 25,000 - 50,000; Part time

Job summary

The Asclepius Initiative seeks a Part-Time experienced, strategic, and entrepreneurial Donor Relations Specialist to build and oversee the organization’s comprehensive fundraising program. This role will establish TAI’s donor engagement strategy, including an annual giving program, major gifts program, and grant prospecting.

The person in this role will serve as TAI’s primary donor strategist—setting fundraising direction, managing donor relationships, and partnering closely with the CEO and

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive development experience, including success in annual giving, major gifts, and donor recruitment and retention.
• Demonstrated ability to build fundraising programs from the ground up.
• Proven track record securing 5–6 figure individual gifts.
• Excellent communication, storytelling, and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a multiyear fundraising strategy to grow contributed revenue across individual donors, including annual giving, major gifts, and identification of institutional grants (private, state and federal).
• Create annual fundraising goals, budgets, KPIs, donor pipelines, and stewardship plans.
• Establish systems and processes for an innovative development operation, including donor segmentation, calendar planning, and reporting.
• Collaborate with the CEO and Board to promote and strengthen a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization.
• Identify, develop and manage a portfolio of donors and prospects capable of 4–6 figure gifts.
• Lead proactive identification and vetting of private foundation, corporate, and government grant opportunities.
• Oversee donor data integrity, gift processing workflows, and CRM usage.

Skills

Donor relations

Fundraising strategy

CRM systems

Storytelling

Communication

Tools

CRM software

Job description

About The Asclepius Initiative

The Asclepius Initiative’s goal is to educate, inspire, and mobilize the public to advocate for a universally accessible, affordable, equitable and high-quality healthcare system. At the core of our mission is the belief that healthcare is a fundamental right.

Based in Louisville, Kentucky, TAI empowers residents across the state through healthcare coverage literacy, advocacy, and public education efforts.

Position Summary

The Asclepius Initiative seeks a Part-Time experienced, strategic, and entrepreneurial Donor Relations Specialist to build and oversee the organization’s comprehensive fundraising program. This role will establish TAI’s donor engagement strategy, including an annual giving program, major gifts program, and grant prospecting.

The person in this role will serve as TAI’s primary donor strategist—setting fundraising direction, managing donor relationships, and partnering closely with the CEO and Board to grow revenue that supports TAI’s expanding advocacy, research, and education work.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Oversight

• Develop and implement a multiyear fundraising strategy to grow contributed revenue across individual donors, including annual giving, major gifts, and identification of institutional grants (private, state and federal).
• Create annual fundraising goals, budgets, Key Performance Indicators, donor pipelines, and stewardship plans.
• Establish systems and processes for an innovative development operation, including donor segmentation, calendar planning, and reporting.
• Collaborate with the CEO and Board to promote and strengthen a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization.

Annual Giving Program Development

• Design and launch TAI’s first annual giving program, including donor mapping, communications cadence, and targeted fundraising campaigns.
• Manage multichannel fundraising communication (email, social, direct mail, digital assets, newsletter integration).
• Create and execute donor retention, reactivation, and upgrade strategies.
• Work with the CEO to ensure clear, compelling messaging that reflects TAI’s values (healthcare equity, universality, affordability).

Major Gifts Program

• Identify, develop and manage a portfolio of individual donors and prospects capable of making 4–6 figure gifts that both the CEO and Donor Relations Specialist will oversee.
• Conduct prospect identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Create individualized cultivation plans and support the CEO and Board in donor engagement.
• Develop case statements and giving opportunities tied to TAI’s advocacy, public education, and research initiatives.
• Collaborate with the Development Committee to solicit feedback and insight on strategy and prospect cultivation initiatives.

Grants & Institutional Giving

• Lead proactive identification and vetting of private foundation, corporate, and government (state and federal) grant opportunities.

Data Management & Reporting

• Assist in the selection and establishment of customer relations management (CRM) software system
• Oversee donor data integrity, gift processing workflows, and CRM usage.
• Generate timely pipeline, revenue, and stewardship reports for leadership and the Board.
• Use analytics to refine strategy, forecast revenue, and improve donor engagement.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive development experience, including success in annual giving, major gifts, and donor recruitment and retention.
• Demonstrated ability to build fundraising programs from the ground up.
• Proven track record securing 5–6 figure individual gifts.
• Excellent communication, storytelling, and relationship-building skills.
• Skilled in CRM systems and data-driven fundraising.
• Commitment to TAI’s mission and values of equity, accessibility, and high quality healthcare for all.