Donor Relations Director

Job Description

Job Description

Overview

Highlander Research and Education Center seeks a Donor Relations Director to lead and expand an individual-giving program, manage a major gifts donor portfolio, and plan relational and events-based gatherings with potential donors. In addition, this role will develop and implement an influencer-based donor strategy for HREC.

In a typical day, you can expect to :

Develop and implement strategies for donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, such as planning the next donor relations gathering.

Personally meet with a major donor to solicit a significant gift.

Utilize donor management system to update donor interactions, analyze giving patterns, and identify potential major gift donors.

Present recent individual donations and fundraising campaign progress to the executive directors, board of directors, and other invested stakeholders.

To be successful in this role, you need to have :

Robust relationship-building, event planning, and project-management skills.

A track record of developing relationships with activists and community members in diverse ethnic, racial, social, and economic groups.

A demonstrated ability to quickly transition from a novice to an expert in software systems, whether project management tools like Asana or Notion, fundraising platforms (CRMs) such as BlackBaud Raiser’s Edge, or grant-management systems like Instrumentl.

A background in fundraising that focuses on individual giving and major gifts.

Compensation & Benefits

In addition to offering the Donor Relations Director position an annual salary of $77,000, we encourage employees, their spouse / domestic partner, and their dependent(s) to take advantage of our 100% employer-paid healthcare plan offered through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, a vision and dental plan offered through Guardian, and a Health Reimbursement Account to help cover eligible out-of-pocket expenses. Our benefits package includes an employer-sponsored life insurance policy, disability insurance policy, and a traditional 403b retirement plan. Highlander also encourages its employees to take advantage of their 24 days of paid vacation, 11 paid holidays, and a robust sick time policy each year.

About Highlander

Highlander serves as a catalyst for grassroots organizing and movement building in Appalachia and the South. We work with people fighting for justice, equality, and sustainability, supporting their efforts to take collective action to shape their destiny. If you would like to be a part of this movement for change, we'd encourage you to apply today!

Highlander’s EEOC Statement :

Highlander is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any individual based on any non-merit factor, and is committed to an equitable workplace where everyone is treated as a respected and valued member of the team. We actively seek to build and maintain a diverse staff with regard to race, culture, ethnicity, class, religion, physical ability, age, gender, and sexual orientation. As an organization working in solidarity with the racial justice movement, Highlander is committed to fostering leadership and elevating the voices of women, young people, people of color, Native people, immigrants and refugees, low-income people, LGBQ , and transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary people, people with disabilities, young parents, people who were formerly imprisoned, and people living in the many intersections of these experiences.

Salary : $77,000