Donor Relations Manager

Job Title: Donor Relations Manager

Program: Development

Employment Type: Salary / Full-time / Regular

Reports to: Membership Director

Direct Reports to this position: Donor Relations Associates

Salary Range: $76,000 - $85,000

Location: Hybrid, Tucson

Is this position in the Bargaining Unit? No

This position provides a unique opportunity for an experienced Development professional to join a successful fundraising team in a supervisory role, support growth of the mid and major donor journey, while advancing the Center for Biological Diversity’s mission to protect imperiled wildlife and wild places.

The Donor Relations Manager provides ongoing management of timely donor interactions, communications, campaigns and stewardship of the Center’s Leadership Circle (donors who individually contribute $1,000 or more annually). This donor cohort is crucial to the vitality of the Center’s fundraising efforts, providing 80% of philanthropic revenues from 4% of the membership base.

The Donor Relations Manager manages a small team of Donor Relations Associates and supervises and serves as the project manager for seasonal and ad‑hoc multichannel fundraising campaigns primarily to our Leadership Circle – leading the team to successfully raise increased funds largely through email as well as direct mail campaigns, phone, Zoom, and some face‑to‑face outreach. The Donor Relations Manager also cultivates and stewards their own portfolio of Leadership Circle donors, guides the associates to optimize relationships and philanthropic revenues via their own portfolio management, and provides strong year‑round project management oversight for implementation of donor stewardship plans for Leadership Circle members, all mission‑critical activities.

This position manages and oversees the execution of a robust calendar of communications, including regular stewardship as well as issue‑specific reports and the production of in‑person and virtual events both calendared as well as opportunities that arise. This position oversees important daily/weekly stewardship processes such as informal and formal acknowledgement materials.

The Donor Relations Manager will ensure quality control for donor communications. They can also expect to directly engage in and oversee daily administrative activities such as maintaining up‑to‑date individual donor records, obtaining and analyzing donor and campaign information from the database, preparing fundraising reports and researching individual donors. The Donor Relations Manager will report to the Membership Director. This position will regularly communicate with members of the development program’s senior leaders, conservation program staff, communications, finance and IT team as needed.

There are seasonal periods of increased intensity in this role’s work tied to spring, fourth quarter through year‑end into the new year, along with frequent ad‑hoc fundraising campaigns as needed.

• Plan, oversee, and support the production and execution of multiple fundraising campaigns, appeals and reports designed to increase philanthropic support from our base of Leadership Circle members.
• Develop calendars and timelines for execution of campaigns, reports, proposals, events and other outreach to donors.
• Provide year‑round stewardship of Leadership Circle members to ensure fundraising goals are met and exceeded.
• Develop and implement stewardship plans designed to increase retention and engagement for key donors.
• Manage donor relations staff to ensure timely, high quality, effective and increased donor communications, stewardship and fundraising activities.
• Ensure Leadership Circle members’ inbound communications via email, handwritten notes, and phone calls are addressed promptly and with a high level of care and attention.
• Research and identify new prospects to pass on to the Chief Development Officer, Deputy Development Director, Membership Director and Major Gifts Manager for major gifts development.
• Cultivate a portfolio of Leadership Circle donors. Support donor relations staff’s work to successfully manage their own portfolios.
• Draft, format, and send letters,…