Job Abstract

The Director of Donor Relations will play a critical role in cultivating relationships with major donors to secure philanthropic support for the YMCAs mission and programs. Joining our dynamic and growing Development team, this individual will proactively manage and grow a portfolio of individual, foundation, and corporate funders that support the organizations strategic objectives, working cross-departmentally to develop relationships and investments. The position will be responsible for identifying, engaging, soliciting, and stewarding major donors to build strong relationships and achieve fundraising goals centered on the organizations impact.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Thinks, communicates and behaves as a cause-driven leader and role model for other staff and members when it comes to desired staff behaviors; promotes youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility in all job-related functions.
2. Build and manage a portfolio of high priority donors and prospects, conducting research and analysis to identify new potential supporters. Create personalized cultivation and solicitation plans, based on the organizations strategic objectives and the interests of the donor.
3. Develop and execute engagement plans that involve personal visits (in-person and virtual), tours, digital/mailed communications, phone calls, activities, and experiences, based on the donor's preferences and level of engagement. Track actions and be accountable for all goals.
4. Establish and maintain strong relationships with donors, effectively communicating YMCA of Central Ohios mission, programs, and impact to inspire philanthropic investment and secure continued support. Commit to building long-term relationships through engagement, discovery, follow-up, customer service, and effective solutions.
5. Partner with division leaders on prioritized objectives, such as camp and community center programming, to increase donor engagement through a wide range of strategies.
6. Demonstrate knowledge through inspiring storytelling to convey the mission and values of what the YMCA represents, in a way that delivers impact, leverages support and results in mission-aligned investment opportunities.
7. Collaborate closely with YMCA team members to align major gifts fundraising efforts with overall fundraising strategy and organizational priorities.
8. Support maintenance of donor information and contribute to additional technology systems to track funder relationships and uphold data integrity to inform the work.
9. Stay informed about philanthropy best practices, continuously seeking opportunities to enhance major gifts fundraising strategies and tactics.
10. Ability to work effectively with diverse groups and viewpoints from all social and economic segments of the organization and community. A commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism is expected from our staff.
11. Adheres to policies related to boundaries with youth. Participates in required abuse risk management training. Reports suspicious and inappropriate behaviors. Follows mandated abuse reporting requirements. Adheres to job-specific abuse risk management responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelors degree in nonprofit, fundraising, marketing, communications, or related field, or combination of relevant work experience and education.
• Ideal candidate will have 2-5 years of professional experience in communications, fundraising, or related fields.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing successful relationship and engagement strategies for donors, including families, foundations, and corporations. Demonstrated success in achieving goals.
• Strong organizational and project management skills. Capable of owning direction and effectively driving execution.
• Strong business maturity, professionalism, interpersonal, and relationship building skills.
• Ability to embrace change and excel in a fast-paced, goal-oriented environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including conceptualizing, writing, proofreading and editing original content and the ability to present to diverse audiences.
• Computer literacy in Google Suite, Microsoft Office, Raisers Edge NXT or other database management, and social media platforms.
• Passionate belief in the YMCAs cause of nurturing the potential of all youth, supporting healthy living for all people and finding ways to help and support our neighbors.
• Valid drivers license and willingness to use own vehicle to travel within the community.
• Some flexibility in schedule including nights and/or weekends for donor-related activities.