What are the responsibilities and job description for the Donor Relations Coordinator position at Center of the American Experiment?
Position Overview:
The Donor Relations Coordinator plays a vital role in supporting the development team’s mission to cultivate and steward relationships with donors. This position ensures timely and accurate donor acknowledgments, maintains data integrity within our donor database (Salesforce), manages donor communications, and supports fundraising efforts through reporting, logistics, and event coordination.
The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented, personable professional who enjoys building relationships, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and takes pride in maintaining accurate records that support mission-driven work. Prior experience with Salesforce or other CRM platforms is ideal, but not required.
This is a full-time role based in-office in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Key Responsibilities:
- Process donor acknowledgments and thank you cards promptly and accurately.
- Respond to member and donor inquiries via phone, email, and other communication channels.
- Greet and assist office visitors in a professional and welcoming manner.
- Answer and direct incoming phone calls.
- Maintain an updated calendar and log of conference room usage.
- Utilize Salesforce to:
- Record and process incoming donations.
- Create tasks and reminders for donor follow-up.
- Track key fundraising metrics.
- Generate customized reports for leadership and development staff.
- Maintain clean, accurate data by managing duplicates and reviewing data-cleaning processes.
- Maintain the organization’s magazine mailing list:
- Respond to member inquiries and address updates.
- Ensure accurate distribution lists.
- Generate segmented mailing lists for events, appeals, and targeted donor communications.
- Assist with preparation of PowerPoint presentations for board meetings and special events.
- Support outgoing mailings, including policy reports, magazines, and donor correspondence.
- Perform accurate data entry during high-volume periods, such as direct mail campaigns.
- Assist with planning and execution of large events, including the annual gala.
- Process bi-weekly check deposits and reconcile with database to ensure accounting accuracy.
- Maintain accurate financial records to support audit preparation and compliance.
- Facilitate ad sales for the organization’s magazine and coordinate deadlines with sponsors and advertisers.
- Other duties as assigned.
Desirable Traits and Qualifications:
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills—both written and verbal.
- Friendly, professional demeanor with a customer service mindset.
- Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
- Demonstrated experience with Salesforce or other CRM platforms.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially PowerPoint and Excel.
- Knowledge of list segmentation strategies and donor targeting.
- Familiarity with data analysis and Salesforce report queries.
- Basic understanding of accounting or bookkeeping principles is a plus.
- Ability to handle confidential donor and financial information with integrity and discretion.
- Experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, or donor relations is a plus.
How to Apply
To apply, qualified individuals should submit the following application materials in one PDF document:
- Cover letter including:
- An introductory paragraph describing three distinct reasons you are drawn to CAE’s mission and how you came to those beliefs. Be sure to include at least one specific issue or policy area that resonates with you.
- Salary requirements
- Resume
Applications should be submitted to Talent Market via this link: talentmarket.org/apply-for-your-dream-job/.