Donor Relations Manager

Location: Jacksonville, FL

Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt

Reports To: Director of Development

Position Summary

The Donor Relations Manager is responsible for creating an exceptional experience for donors while maintaining the accuracy, integrity, and confidentiality of donor information.

This role combines donor relationship management, database administration, gift processing, stewardship, community engagement, and administrative support. The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, relationship-focused, and comfortable working with donor data as well as directly engaging with donors, churches, and community partners.

This position also provides high-level support to the Director of Development and plays an important role in strengthening long-term donor relationships.

Key Responsibilities

Donor Relations & Stewardship

• Serve as a primary point of contact for donors and provide a high level of customer service.
• Build and maintain strong donor relationships while ensuring donor requests, preferences, and concerns are handled professionally and promptly.
• Coordinate donor acknowledgements through mail, email, and phone.
• Create and maintain donor thank-you letters and stewardship communications.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen donor engagement and retention.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality when handling sensitive donor information.

Donor Database & Gift Processing

• Maintain oversight of the donor database, including gift entry, donor records, acknowledgements, and stewardship activities.
• Ensure donor records are complete, accurate, and up to date.
• Research donor information from multiple sources to maintain accurate records.
• Partner with the Finance team to reconcile donor database totals with accounting records.
• Prepare donor and development reports for leadership and the Board.
• Maintain a high level of accuracy in all donor records and reporting.
• May assist with training or oversight of a database support specialist.

Donor Portfolio Management

• Develop and maintain donor portfolios for executive and development leadership.
• Provide updates, reminders, follow-up prompts, and scheduling support related to donor relationships.
• Manage and grow the organization's legacy giving portfolio.
• Identify, cultivate, and steward prospective and existing legacy donors.
• Support strategies designed to strengthen long-term donor relationships.

Church & Community Partnerships

• Develop and support strategies to build relationships with churches and faith-based partners.
• Cultivate and maintain ongoing church partnerships.
• Identify and attend community events, luncheons, networking opportunities, and other development-related events.
• Represent the organization professionally within the community.
• Welcome donors, visitors, and community partners by phone and in person.
• Conduct organizational tours as needed.

Administrative & Development Support

• Provide high-level administrative support to the Director of Development.
• Prepare reports, correspondence, presentations, and other documents.
• Manage incoming calls and inquiries and ensure appropriate follow-up.
• Assist with scheduling appointments and donor meetings.
• Support development initiatives, campaigns, and special projects as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Previous experience in donor relations, fundraising, nonprofit development, customer relationship management, or a related field strongly preferred.
• Strong donor relationship and customer service skills.
• Comfortable networking and building relationships with donors, churches, and community partners.
• Experience working with donor databases, CRM systems, or other computerized data systems.
• Experience with Blackbaud Raiser's Edge is strongly preferred.

Vaco/Highspring Disclaimer

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco/Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to the individual’s skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, office location and other geographic considerations, as well as other business and organizational needs. With that said, as required by local law in geographies that require salary range disclosure, Vaco/Highspring notes the salary range for the role is noted in this job posting. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses and can participate in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company’s 401(k) retirement plan.

Unless otherwise noted in the job description, the position Vaco/Highspring is filling is occupied. Vaco/Highspring is regularly asked to provide talent to other organizations. By submitting to this position, you agree to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions.

Submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings focused on ensuring minimum job requirements are satisfied. Further assessment beyond this initial phase will be conducted by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco/Highspring does not have knowledge of the tools used by its clients in making final hiring decisions and cannot opine on their use of AI products.

By submitting to this position, you are agreeing to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions.