Senior Manager, Donor Experiences & Engagement

Job Details

Job Location:

Greater Chicago Food Depository – Chicago, IL 60632
Position Type:
Full Time
Education Level: None
Salary Range: $80,000.00 - $90,000.00
Job Shift: Day

The Senior Manager of Donor Experiences & Engagement develops and leads strategic donor engagement experiences that advance philanthropic relationships, deepen affinity, and support fundraising outcomes across the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s major giving, corporate engagement, and campaign priorities.

This role is embedded within the Development team and serves as a strategic partner to Individual Giving (IG), Corporate/Foundation/Organization (CFO) Relations, Donor Engagement, and Marketing & Communications (Mar Com) to design curated cultivation, stewardship, recognition, and fundraising experiences for high‑value donors, prospects, sponsors, and community leaders.

While responsible for select fundraising and stewardship events, the primary focus of this role is advancing donor strategy through personalized engagement experiences. This role is distinct from centralized organizational event operations and focuses specifically on donor engagement strategy, philanthropic relationship building, and development‑related experiences.

• Design and lead high‑impact donor engagement experiences that support cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and long‑term relationship building with key philanthropic audiences.
• Develop strategic engagement opportunities that align with fundraising priorities, campaign objectives, and donor pipeline strategies.
• Partner closely with Individual Giving teams to create tailored cultivation and stewardship experiences for major, principal, planned, and leadership giving donors and prospects.
• Collaborate with frontline fundraisers to identify opportunities to advance donor relationships through personalized and mission‑centered engagement experiences.
• Design donor journeys and engagement touchpoints that strengthen donor affinity and move constituents along the philanthropic continuum.
• Identify and recommend innovative engagement opportunities that support audience growth, deepen donor investment, and elevate the organization’s philanthropic brand.
• Evaluate engagement performance, donor participation, and fundraising outcomes to continuously refine strategies and improve impact.

• Serve as a strategic connector across Development and Mar Com teams to ensure donor experiences are fully integrated into fundraising strategies and donor pipelines.
• Partner with CFO teams to support sponsorship strategy and deepen corporate engagement.
• Partner with IG teams to support donor cultivation, stewardship, and major/planned giving strategies.
• Partner with Donor Engagement teams to align recognition and post‑engagement stewardship efforts.
• Partner with Mar Com teams to ensure cohesive messaging, storytelling, branding, and promotion.
• Translate fundraising priorities into donor‑centered experiences that support relationship advancement and philanthropic growth.
• Collaborate with development leadership to align engagement strategies with annual fundraising goals, campaigns, and organizational priorities.

• Manage and support volunteer committees, donor leaders, sponsors, and key stakeholders connected to fundraising and donor engagement initiatives.
• Cultivate strong relationships with volunteer leaders and philanthropic partners to enhance engagement, participation, and long‑term support.
• Oversee committee engagement including meeting planning, materials development, fundraising tracking, and strategic communications.
• Design meaningful donor recognition and stewardship experiences that reinforce impact, gratitude, and long‑term connection to the mission.
• Partner with frontline fundraising staff to ensure strong follow‑up and relationship management strategies following engagement opportunities.

• Lead donor and sponsorship engagement strategies in partnership with CFO and Development leadership, including benefit development, positioning,…