Leadership Giving Manager

Wilderness Inquiry’s mission is to connect people of all ages, backgrounds, identities, and abilities through shared outdoor adventures so that all people can equitably experience the benefits of time spent in nature.

At Wilderness Inquiry, we believe that everyone belongs. We work to ensure this belief holds true in our workplace, in our community, and in the outdoors. We pursue this belief through our mission and shared values of paddling together, nurturing inclusion, seeking the exceptional, and finding a way.

As our Leadership Giving Manager, you will build deep, long‑term relationships with the people who power Wilderness Inquiry’s mission. This role designs and runs a giving program for donors who give between $500 and $5,000 each year, managing a portfolio of 200–300 donors and prospects. You’ll use a mix of personalized emails, calls, video, and in‑person conversations to thank donors, share the impact of their gifts, invite increased support, and identify those ready for larger, campaign‑level commitments.

As the bridge between broad annual appeals and highly individualized major gifts, you’ll focus on donor retention, upgrades, and qualification for the major gifts pipeline. You will also help coordinate and administer Wilderness Inquiry’s comprehensive campaign and its volunteer campaign committee, ensuring staff and volunteers have the information, materials, and follow‑up support they need to successfully engage donors.

Working Title:

Gift Officer
Position Classification:
Manager
Employment Conditions:
Exempt
Department/Section:
Development
Classification Range: $70,000 – $80,000/year

Reports To:

Senior Manager of Development

Supervisory Responsibilities:

NA

• Manage a dynamic, segmented portfolio of 200-300 mid-level donors and prospects.
• Develop and execute multi-channel outreach strategies (highly tailored emails, personalized videos, phone calls, and direct mail with personal touches) to build meaningful donor relationships at scale.
• Actively conduct targeted face-to-face, virtual, or phone call discovery meetings to uncover donor intent, affinity, and capacity.
• Implement timely, creative cultivation and stewardship touchpoints to report back on the specific impact of donor investments.

• In partnership with Senior Manager of Development, analyze donor giving data and wealth-screening information to identify annual fund donors ready to be moved into the mid-level tier.
• Systematically qualify mid-level donors for major gift and campaign gift capacity, partnering with the Senior Manager of Development and Development Director to smoothly transition 10–20 upgraded donors into major gift portfolios annually.
• Prepare materials for quarterly portfolio evaluations, with recommendations for moves between annual fund, mid-level, and major donor portfolios.
• Collaborate with the annual giving team to ensure mid-level messaging is distinct from, yet complementary to, broad direct response campaigns.

• Maintain accurate and detailed records in the CRM database, including timely input of contact reports, updated donor stages, and active proposal tracking.
• Draft campaign proposals and customized briefing materials for Campaign CREW and Board members.
• Manage follow up from CREW meetings ensuring CREW members, Executive Director and Development Director have resources and materials needed for next steps.
• Coordinate with the Senior Manager of Development and team to develop highly personalized donor communications including impact reports, quarterly campaign updates, donor newsletter, etc.
• Partner with the Development team, campaign committee and Board members to coordinate campaign events (house parties, launch event/50th Anniversary celebration) including follow up actions.
• Support the Executive Director and Development Director in managing their campaign prospect work by conducting donor research, preparing materials, drafting…