Donor Manager I

Join the fun and close-knit team within an organization that cares about its people.  At CT Public, you'll join an amazing team of mission-driven and value-oriented individuals who support the mission of Connecticut Public by creating meaningful relationships with donors and grantors to align their passions and interests with Connecticut Public funding priorities. By working closely with individuals and granting organizations, the Institutional Advancement team seeks to listen, learn and determine meaningful and innovative methods to move contributors through the pipeline. The Donor Manager will manage a caseload of roughly 450 donors and prospects with designs to move members to the next level. 

We recognize that not everyone enters the world of work with the same advantage, opportunity, and privilege. This is why your skills and experiences are important to us. Take the leap and apply, you just might be the person we are looking for!

General Summary 

The Donor Manager is a member of the Institutional Advancement (IA) team and responsible for managing a portfolio of assigned donors from the $501-$1,000 level. The individual will implement a program including cultivation, solicitation, and strategy as well as stewardship and data analysis. This position requires a strategic thinker with a mission-driven, team-oriented focus.  The position requires engagement with donors through meaningful and innovative methods to expand donor capacity, engagement and, philanthropy. The Donor Giving Manager will be a partner with departmental colleagues and select Membership colleagues taking a robust institutional advancement effort to the next level. 

Essential Functions

A Donor Manager provides a wide range of services. Applicants must have the ability to complete the following essential functions: 

• Manages, cultivates and oversees efforts to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a caseload of donors (individuals/families giving at $501-$1,000) who have aligned interests with Company initiatives.
• Oversees the mid-level donor giving program review and qualification of donors and prospects.
• Manages a caseload of 450+ individual donors and mid-level supporters with a primary focus on increased giving and donor retention. 
• Engages donors through consistent and planned touch points to cultivate, steward and solicit them using various channels including pre-existing content and determines which donors would benefit from more personalization and increased frequency of contact.  
• Manages and assists with IA cultivation and stewardship events.
• Plays a pivotal role in developing, managing and executing a solicitation strategy for the program in collaboration with other fundraising staff and appropriate Membership team members to explore effective fundraising strategies and tactics.
• Works with the Director of Donor Management and Operations to develop a middle donor giving development plan including identifying targeted giving opportunities that align with organizational priorities

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Responsibilities

This position has many responsibilities.  Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Assists in developing and implementing communications and marketing materials.
• Collaborates with Membership team members, the Director of Donor Management and Operations and the Leadership Giving Manager III to transition donors from Membership into the Leadership Giving Program, thereby developing a pathway for emerging leadership givers.
• Continually learns the details of CT Public content, projects, programs, digital and social offerings to facilitate a deep and clear understanding of fundraising goals, priorities and connections for success.
• Ensures accuracy in donor information tracking and gift acknowledgement.
• Ensures confidentiality of all donor information as well as the accurate and timely entry of information into CRM software.
• Manages and assists with IA cultivation and stewardship events.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Presents as a considerate, culturally astute, DEI informed, sensitive and supportive colleague.
• Responsible for developing and achieving revenue goals associated with portfolio and forecasting portfolio revenue.
• Serves as collaborative colleague advancing a culture of philanthropy in the department and throughout the organization.
• Uses the CRM software (ROI) to track donor cultivation, documentation, solicitation, acknowledgement, recognition and stewardship activities.
• With the Director of Donor Management and Operations, effectively uses the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program (ROI) and wealth screening databases to inform strategies and to track engagement with prospects and donors.
  Works in cooperation with IA staff to secure project information from content, DSB, Finance and others including budgets to develop donor requests/proposals.
• Works with the IA team to identify strategic priorities for institutional advancement fundraising.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of:

• Marketing, development, event and project management.
• Multi-level fund development strategies.

 Skill In:

• Being a team player with a passion for people and the transformative power of collaboration.
• Committing to one’s own professional growth and the professional growth of staff colleagues.
• CRM practices, strategies, and techniques, to include CRM conversions and wealth screening.
• Cultivating, soliciting and stewarding mid-level gifts from individuals/families with a track record of gifts in the $501-$1,000 range.
• Gift processes, principles, methods and practices, including prospect research.
• Microsoft Office Suite and donor cultivation resources. 
• Presenting and communicating, in both oral and written forms, to interface with various networks, departments and levels of management.
• Relationship management skills that both enhance internal organization relations, external community interactions and business development opportunities.
• Working in high-pressure, fast-paced environment with significant personal disruption. Large number of multiple steps in complex system performed with accuracy and speed is essential to the successful completion of tasks.

Ability to:

• Carry out complex tasks with concrete and abstract variables.
• Continuously improve systems and processes.
• Cultivate a mid-level program that results in increased giving and a record of success in achieving development goals.
• Demonstrate attention-to-detail and follow-through on multi-component procedures and tasks with minimal supervision.
• Develop successful donor program through cultivation and stewardship.
• Identify and take ownership of issues, be accountable, and drive them to resolution.
• Manage strategy implementation and priorities under tight and dynamic timeframes & deadlines.
• Possess a visceral distaste of office gossip and politics.
• Take initiative, multitask and/or prioritize workload and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Utilize computer programs and understand functionality.
• Work effectively with multiple departments, with sometimes competing priorities, to identify and source funding opportunities to advance the Company’s mission.
• Work flexible and variable hours as needed to achieve goals.
• Work with diverse constituencies.

Work Environment

Job functions are typically performed under conditions similar to those found in general office or administrative work.  This position is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions. 

Physical Demands

The physical activities of this position may include frequent in-person or virtual interactions.  It is essential to be able to remain at a desk/computer workstation for prolonged periods, speak clearly so others can understand, see details of objects that are between a few feet and more than a few feet away, focus on one sound an ignore others, use fingers to grasp move or assemble small objects.  Additionally, the employee must have the ability to concentrate for extended periods of time with frequent interruption understand, and relate to, the concepts behind specific ideas, and compute formulas.  The typical physical requirements are: light work—exerting up to 25 lbs of force occasionally and/or up to 10 lbs of force frequently and may include climbing, pushing, standing, hearing, walking, reaching, grasping, kneeling, stooping, and repetitive motion.  

Position Type / Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time, hourly, non-exempt position which may include frequent in-person or virtual interactions.    Duties are routinely performed Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.; however, weekend, evening, and holiday hours may be necessary. While we are headquartered in Hartford, we have successfully adopted a hybrid and vritual work model.  This position is hybrid and will blend with remote and on-site time at our Hartford-based location.  

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in relatable field AND a minimum of three (3) years of direct and sustained professional experience in annual giving non-profit environment AND/OR a satisfactory equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.  Certified Fundraising Executive Credential desired, but not necessary.