Senior Relationship Manager

Description

THE ORGANIZATION: PAWS Chicago is a national leader in the No Kill animal welfare movement, committed to building No Kill communities, starting with Chicago. Founded in 1997 when more than 42,000 pets were killed in Chicago, PAWS’s robust programs have reduced the homeless pet euthanasia rate in Chicago by more than 90%. In 2023, PAWS saved 98.62% of the animals in our programs. 

PAWS’ mission is to build No Kill communities that respect and value the life of every cat and dog; to end the overpopulation of stray and at-risk animals through solutions, practices, and education; and to transform animal welfare by setting higher standards in the way animals are treated and by developing a sustainable, solutions-based model. PAWS’s innovative Adoption Center, state-of-the-art Medical Center, and high-volume spay/neuter clinic work synchronously to address the needs of stray and at-risk pets citywide.

JOB DESCRIPTION: PAWS Chicago is seeking a growth-oriented, passionate Senior Relationship Manager who loves both people and animals. The Leadership Giving & Community Development Officer serves as a leader in generating funds and friend-raising to sustain and grow our lifesaving work to end the killing of homeless animals.  The only limit to PAWS Chicago’s expansion of important programs is funding—this position will enable the continuation and expansion of PAWS Chicago’s No Kill model, which has led the reduction of killing in the city of Chicago by 91 percent since our founding.

The primary focus for the Leadership Giving & Community Development Officer will be the management of a portfolio of PAWS Chicago’s highest-level donors and providing support Executive Chair’s donor relationships. They will focus on growing annual, multi-year and restricted support for PAWS Chicago, building the base of support from the Chicago philanthropic community. This team member will be responsible for all aspects of cultivation, stewardship and reporting as it relates to their portfolio. This role will also support the Founder and Executive Chair with engaging our Board of Directors in the PAWS Chicago mission.  We believe in careful stewardship of our supporters, and prefer a thoughtful and deliberate approach that prioritizes long-term relationship-building over short-term goals. The Leadership Giving & Community Development Officer will be collaborative and supportive of existing efforts while adding new ideas that expand our base of support.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Leadership Giving & Major Gifts:

• Leadership Giving: Cultivate multi-year and restricted support from existing and new donors. Support new and existing campaign efforts as needed.
• Major Gifts Portfolio: Lead own portfolio overseeing donor engagement experiences as well as support the outreach and engagement of top donors. Responsible for achieving an annual contributed revenue target.
• Major Donor Renewals: Retain the loyalty of current major donors. Actively manage the renewal calendar, ensuring donors receive recognition for the impact their prior year’s gift made on the cause of homeless animals and a gracious request to renew their support once again. Support the donor recognition program and provide ongoing communications to build the loyalty of existing major donors. Create and institute appropriate gestures of gratitude and appreciation to build donor loyalty and effectiveness as key resources to fundraising success. Work with communications to generate development materials, such as case statements and donor reports. Create opportunities to “wow and delight” donors through tailored and memorable, signature donor experiences.
• Lapsed Major Donors: Re-engage major donors who have not recently been involved and inspire them to begin giving again.
• Donor Prospecting: Acquire new donor prospects and convert them to new major donors. Utilize donor database, wealth screening software, research, and other prospecting tools to identify and build relationships with new donors, engaging new major donors to support the growth of the organization and its evolving operations and to sustain future local and national expansion of the organization.
• Major Donor Communications & Acknowledgements: Review and routinely update quarterly gift and grant acknowledgments, impact reports and communications calendars and planning for major donors. Oversee and maintain consistent, timely, personalized and accurate process for gift receipting within fundraising best practices guidelines for major donors. Oversee accurate and timely major donor recognition including signage and donor listings. Provide support for development-related content in the PAWS Chicago Magazine, annual report, e-newsletter and other publications.

Board Liaison: 

• Connect with Board of Directors’ Members as requested by PAWS Chicago Leadership, to support their attendance at Board Meetings and deepen their connection with PAWS Chicago. 
• Support Executive Chair in planning and assembling meetings as needed.

Reporting and Applications: 

• Responsible for creating major gift proposals and reports that are well-written, mission-centric, and align the donor's interests with PAWS needs
• Responsible for meeting with funders to discuss proposals prior to submission to ensure success
• Acquire and maintain sound knowledge and understanding of PAWS Chicago to ensure proposals are aligned with organizational needs
• Ability to capture the nuance of our programming and tell the PAWS story in compelling narratives
• Manage detailed annual calendar of major gift opportunities, submissions, and reports; ensure all deadlines are met
• Coordinate with Operations, Data, and Finance Teams in creation of corresponding budgets and required reporting, ensuring data and narrative are up to date, accurate and compelling

Community Engagement: 

• Participate in meetings, tours and events as a representative of PAWS Chicago. This includes fundraising and community events, donor stewardship events and tours, occasional Development and Professional Board meetings, and other community-building opportunities.
• Identify opportunities to expand our base of support with impassioned animal lovers across our many stakeholder communities (adopters, volunteers, and more).
• Support Development Team in identifying prospective Professional and Development Board members to promote deeper engagement with PAWS Chicago.
• Carry out any additional assignments required by the organization to advance and fulfill the mission of PAWS Chicago and grow the current and future major gifts donor base of support.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in nonprofit development, 2-3 years of which being in major gift and portfolio management with a proven track record of securing funding
• Board management experience preferred

• Knowledge of and commitment to animal welfare, the mission of PAWS Chicago, and helping the organization grow and serve more animals and pet owners in need

• Active listener: Thoughtful, patient and engaged in other people.
• Working knowledge of major Chicago philanthropic contributors and our civic community.
• Intellectual curiosity and strong emotional intelligence.
• Diplomatic with a leadership presence that embodies an empathetic disposition.
• Collaborative team player; ability to work with peers to align programs and projects to advance the mission and vision of PAWS Chicago.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills.
• Creative with a self-starter attitude and innovative approach to problem-solving.
• Knowledgeable in Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) 
• Able to process, protect, and exercise discretion in handling confidential information and materials
• Raiser’s Edge experience preferred

PAWS Chicago Values-in-Action  

• Respect:  for each and every life. 
• Community:  of people and organizations committed to helping homeless pets. 
• Innovation:  to constantly improve best practices and seek out new ideas and strategies to save more lives.  To be a Learning Center that evolves and grows. 
• Pro-activity:  to solve difficult problems and to be prepared to offer emergency and crisis support. 
• Transparency:  that informs the public about the fate of homeless animals. 
• Education:  that raises awareness about the realities that homeless animals face in the community and across the nations, providing a forum for people to get involved in effecting change.  Promotes and support reasonable pet ownership. 
• Sustainability:  through financial management practices that maximize the impact and reach of our resources and endure that PAWS Chicago will always be a resource for homeless animals. 
• Compassion:  towards all people and animals.