Donor Services Manager

Nashville Rescue Mission; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Nashville Rescue Mission is seeking a Donor Services Manager to lead our donor-centric department and ensure accurate donor data. You will balance backend CRM operations with frontline stewardship, driving retention and engagement across gift processing, reporting, and outreach.

Reporting to the VP of Development & Marketing, you’ll oversee staff, coordinate with Finance and Marketing, and implement policies that uphold IRS and internal standards while fostering a Culture of Honor across the

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of three years in nonprofit development operations.
• Proven leadership and staff supervision experience.
• Excellent communication skills for donor inquiries and collaboration.
• Hands-on experience with Virtuous CRM or willingness to certify.

Responsibilities

• Lead Donor Services staff and enforce CRM procedures and daily gift processing.
• Oversee donor data accuracy, reporting, and monthly reconciliations.
• Manage donor service workflows and proactive phone stewardship.
• Design segmentation and targeted messaging to enhance donor engagement.
• Collaborate with Development, Marketing, and Finance for data flow and audits.
• Staff events and evenings/weekends as needed.

Skills

Donor data management

Strong communication

Team leadership

Advanced Excel

CRM administration

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Virtuous CRM

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word/PowerPoint/Outlook

Job description

Description

Hope Lives Here!

At Nashville Rescue Mission, you'll be empowered to influence and impact lives. Join our team today!

Nashville Rescue Mission is actively seeking a Donor Services Manager to join our Development team. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Development & Marketing, this position leads a donor-centered department dedicated to the integrity, accuracy, and strategic utility of donor data. This unique role balances critical backend operations—including CRM database administration, financial reconciliation, and advanced data analytics - with essential frontline care. You will oversee donor customer service workflows, manage proactive phone stewardship initiatives to drive donor retention, and set a "Culture of Honor" by modeling a steady, gracious, and highly collaborative demeanor across the organization.

Essential Duties:

Team Leadership & Internal Collaboration

• Hires, trains, supervises, and evaluates Donor Services staff; facilitates CRM standard operating procedure training for end-users.
• Follows, reinforces, and holds the Donor Services team accountable to established procedures, internal controls, documentation standards, and deadlines for daily gift processing, receipting, weekly reconciliation, reporting, and month-end close.
• Serves as a liaison between Development, Marketing, and Finance department staff on gift batching, posting, reconciliation, and related operations to ensure accurate and comprehensive data flow.
• Provides information needed for the preparation of tax filings, audits, accreditations, and related financial requirements.
• Manages relationships with outsourced vendors responsible for constituent records, gift processing, solicitations, and related donor communications.
• Proactively manages alerts and other tools to keep gift officers apprised of activities of assigned donors and responds quickly to donor- or team-related information needs that support timely stewardship and follow-up.
• Retention/Stewardship - supports the team with data analysis and preparation of mailing lists for stewardship and event-related activities (Ex: Christmas cards, donor appreciation events).
• Organizes any lists/tasks related to stewardship of donors by the Board, CEO, team, and volunteers.
• Participates with Development and Marketing team members in staffing special events as needed, with occasional availability on evenings or weekends.

Donor Services

• Establishes a donor-centric culture for the department, demonstrating radical gratitude for the Mission's supporters by carefully designating gifts as directed by the donors.
• Designs and executes protocols for stewarding donors and their gifts, including gift processing, receipting, acknowledging, thanking, and inspiring, to engender engagement and retention.
• Devises and implements a comprehensive system for segmentation of receipt messages (i.e., acknowledgments), regularly updated to enhance the donor experience.
• Addresses donor inquiries and requests regarding giving histories, tax receipts, recurring gift modifications, and general account updates with exceptional care and professionalism.
• Coordinates and executes a structured phone outreach strategy with the Donor Services team, making proactive thank-you calls and milestone check-ins to build meaningful relationships with donors.
• Logs donor communication touchpoints, sentiment, and updated preferences into CRM to help inform frontline fundraising strategies.
• Facilitates relational oversight of the Partners of Hope recurring giving program to maintain and grow recurring gifts from this important group of donors.
• Stewards a portfolio of donors with the capacity to give recurring or mid-level gifts to the Mission, making proactive daily touchpoints (calls, emails, cards) to satisfy relational KPIs.

Database Management/Gift Processing/Receipting

• Establishes, documents, maintains, and enforces donor-centered processes and protocols for using the CRM, including data integrity and entry, configurations, global adds/changes, quality control, and team compliance, in collaboration with the Database & IT Administrator as needed.
• Oversees processing of donations (cash, debit/credit, ACH, stock, recurring, matching gifts, external giving platforms for online giving, DAF, IRA, planned gifts, and peer-to-peer event tools).
• Coordinates with the Finance and Operations teams to facilitate the processing and recording of non-cash (in-kind) assets, as well as other income.
• Ensures consistent adherence to IRS and State regulations, standards of internal policies and ECFA, approved gift accounting procedures, receipting protocols, reporting requirements, and best industry practices.
• Provides efficiency and effectiveness in providing accurate and timely gift receipts (generated within 48 hours upon receipt of gift).
• Develops and maintains protocols to ensure donor confidentiality and security of database records and related documents.
• Regularly reviews and audits daily, weekly, and month-end processes to confirm procedures are being followed; exceptions are documented and resolved, and improvements are implemented without compromising accuracy, controls, or donor experience.

Reporting/Analytics

• Designs, builds, and maintains queries, segmented lists, performance dashboards, and custom fundraising reports for executive leadership and Board presentations.
• Campaign tracking - coordinates backend tracking metrics for annual fund drives, major donor pipelines, and special campaigns - working collaboratively with the Database & IT Administrator.
• Uses strong analytical, numerical, and spreadsheet proficiency skills to review data, identify trends or discrepancies, support reconciliations, and translate information into clear reports and actionable insights.
• Assists as needed with prospect and donor research activities to identify likely contributors (current or planned giving) as leads for further qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

Other Duties:

• Other duties may be assigned by the supervisor.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience/technical certifications.
• Minimum of three years of progressive experience working directly in nonprofit development operations required.
• Proven track record of leading, training, and supervising a team required.
• Hands-on administrative proficiency with Virtuous CRM is highly preferred (or mastery of a comparable modern nonprofit database with a willingness to become certified in Virtuous quickly).
• Excellent verbal communication and relational skills, with a high comfort level conducting proactive phone outreach and navigating donor service inquiries.
• Solid understanding of basic nonprofit accounting rules, IRS gift substantiation laws, and revenue recognition guidelines.
• Exceptional organizational ability, data analysis skills, and an uncompromising standard of accuracy.
• Calm, empathetic, professional, and affable demeanor.
• Strong problem-solving, resourcefulness, flexibility to manage multiple tasks and pivot as needed, sound judgment, discretion, process discipline, and systems-thinking to translate strategies and goals into practical, repeatable processes and procedures.
• Must possess strong computer skills with emphasis on Microsoft Excel, including spreadsheet creation, sorting/filtering, formulas, reconciliations, data review, and analysis, as well as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and online video conferencing.
• Ability to qualify as a designated Mission vehicle driver under the NRM insurance policy:
  • Valid driver's license
  • Have no more than two moving violations in a 3-year period or more than one accident in a 1-year period
  • Proof of insurance on personal vehicle (current)