Individual Gift Specialist

GraceWorks Ministries; Franklin (TN); Hybrid; USD 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

GraceWorks Ministries is seeking an Individual Gifts Specialist to deepen donor relationships, communicate our mission, and steward gifts. The role involves frequent face-to-face meetings, handwritten notes, and personalized outreach to align donors with GraceWorks’ work.

The position requires a bachelor’s degree and five+ years in fundraising or nonprofit settings, with experience using Salesforce and Microsoft Office.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Five or more years of Fundraising, Soliciting, and/or NPO experience.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with Salesforce CRM and Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Build genuine, long-term donor relationships and grow engagement.
• Maintain an active donor portfolio with meetings and outreach.
• Conduct 10+ face-to-face donor meetings per month.
• Document all donor activity in Salesforce.
• Coordinate with the Director of Development.

Skills

Fundraising knowledge

Verbal & written communication

Salesforce CRM

Organization

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

This position is in a shared office space and is a primarily in-person position located at 104 Southeast Parkway, Franklin, TN 37064. Remote work will be scheduled in advance with the approval of the director. The standard hours for this position will fall between Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm. Occasional weekend or holiday work may be required.

The Individual Gifts Specialist supports GraceWorks Ministries' goals, values, and philosophy by consistently demonstrating excellence, quality service, commitment, and accountability. This person must embody a wholehearted commitment to GraceWorks' mission and Christian values, eagerness to serve, high professionalism, ability to multitask, gracious donor-focused communication skills, attention to detail, strong writing skills, and excellent teamwork.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Individual Gift Specialist plays an integral role in deepening donor relationships by helping donors feel connected to GraceWorks, understand the impact of their generosity, and view themselves as partners in serving our neighbors. They will demonstrate an ability to communicate GraceWorks’ mission and strategy while building relationships and empathizing with donors. This position will interact often outside of the organization with donors of Graceworks. The IGS will possess a high level of relational skills and the ability to communicate in verbal and written form.The individual must be able to maintain a high level of confidentiality.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

Donor Cultivation & Relationship Building

• Build genuine, long-term relationships with individual donors and prospects.
• Maintain an active portfolio with a focus of growing donor engagement and investment in our mission.
• Conduct 10+ face-to-face donor/prospect meetings each month.
• Make consistent weekly personal phone calls and personalized donor outreach.
• Learn each donor’s interests, passions, values, and connection to GraceWorks.
• Create opportunities for donors to experience the ministry through tours, events, volunteering, etc.

Stewardship & Donor Care

• Make donors feel known, appreciated, and connected to the mission (not simply solicited once a year).
• Thank donors promptly and personally, particularly following significant gifts.
• Use handwritten notes, personalized emails, calls, and other meaningful touch points.
• Share compelling stories and updates that demonstrate the impact of their generosity.
• Develop appropriate stewardship strategies for significant donors.
• Develop individualized engagement strategies to increase giving.
• Identify donors with the capacity and affinity for increased or major support.
• Make personal solicitation calls, and face-to-face asks when appropriate.
• Recognize when a donor should transition into a major-gift strategy portfolio.
• Maintain a healthy pipeline of prospects and donors with a clear next step for each significant relationship.
• Document all meaningful donor activity in Salesforce, including meetings, calls, emails, thank-you notes, invitations, solicitations, and follow-up.
• Keep donor records, notes, next steps, and relationship information current.
• Use Salesforce data to identify giving patterns, lapsed donors, upgrade opportunities, and emerging major-gift prospects.

Activity Expectations

• 10+ face-to-face donor/prospect meetings per month
• Consistent weekly donor/prospect calls
• Consistent portfolio and pipeline management
• Regular coordination with the Director of Development
• Focus on relationships and personal engagement to drive additional revenue

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

None

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below represent the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations will be made for individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Possess a strong knowledge of fundraising methods and understanding of planned giving tools and strategies.
• Ability to clearly communicate verbally and in writing.
• Experience using Salesforce CRM and Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, etc.).
• Exemplify qualities of honesty, trustworthiness, initiative, creativity, tenacity, diligence, and dependability.
• Strive to live a life consistent with biblical principles, engage with the Bible on a consistent basis, and demonstrate continued growth and spiritual development.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in related field is required.
• Understanding of task and project management applications/concepts.
• Five or more years of Fundraising, Soliciting, and/or NPO experience

OTHER SKILLS

A successful candidate would be a motivated, energetic self-starter with strong problem-solving skills, is highly organized, has attention to detail, and executes professionalism in communication and appearance. Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously; comfort with technology and ability to learn quickly; strong organizational skills, including excellent time and self-management skills; strong sense of initiative and ownership of projects; ability to remain calm under pressure; ability to work independently and as part of a team. Strong interpersonal skills showing a professional and compassionate demeanor.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This position has a shared office space with consistent work hours from 8:30am – 5:00pm. Required extended schedules during fundraising event weeks. The position is in an office setting involving everyday risks or discomforts requiring standard safety precautions.

SALARY & BENEFITS

Compensation for the IGS includes a competitive salary commensurate with experience and an excellent package of employee benefits which includes medical, dental, vision, professional development, leave and holidays.