Donor Relations Officer

Title: Donor Relations Officer

Dept: Development

Reports to: Director of Individual Giving

Wage: $70,000 - $85,000* (Annualized; based on an hourly rate – see Pay Premiums for details)

Type: Full-Time/40 hours per week, Exempt

Location: Seattle, WA (In-office 4 days per week, WA residency required)

To Apply

All applicants must provide a cover letter which describes how they meet or exceed the requirements for this position and demonstrate their business writing skills. Go to: https://wellspringfs.org/about/careers and click on “Career Center” to apply.

Who We Are

Our Vision: A community in which every child has a safe and stable home.

Our Purpose: To prevent and address homelessness by connecting families and individuals in crisis to the support and resources they need to regain stability.

For over 130 years, Wellspring Family Services has been dedicated to ending homelessness by helping individuals and families in crisis access the critical services they need to regain stability. As a non-profit, multi-service agency serving Greater King County, we focus on providing wraparound support that promotes lasting, positive change.

Through our Housing Services, we help families maintain and regain stable housing. Our Early Learning program provides Pre-K education to children experiencing homelessness, ensuring they get a strong start in life. The free Family Store offers essential clothing and items for children aged 0–17, while our Employee Stability Program helps individuals maintain housing stability and stay gainfully employed as they navigate life’s challenges.

At Wellspring, we empower families to thrive by connecting them with the resources they need to build a brighter, more stable future.

Wellspring Family Services is committed to a diverse and accessible workplace. Everyone is welcome. We strongly encourage applicants from under-represented communities, including BIPOC, non-conforming gender identities & sexual orientation, people with lived experience of homelessness, veterans, immigrants and people with disabilities.

All applications are reviewed by a real person. To request disability accommodation in the application or interview process, please contact hr@wellspringfs[dot]org.

Position Purpose

The Donor Relations Officer is responsible for cultivating and stewarding relationships with mid-level donors and prospective supporters. This position plays a critical role in helping Wellspring meet its annual fundraising goals, securing contributions that support our mission. This role manages a portfolio of mid-level donors ($1,000 - $9,999) and contributes to an overall annual fundraising goal of $852,000 from individual donors.

Essential Functions

• Portfolio Management: Maintain a portfolio of 150-250 mid-level donors. Develop and execute tailored cultivation and solicitation strategies in collaboration with the Director of Individual Giving and Vice President of Development.
• Donor Engagement: Build meaningful relationships through personalized outreach, stewardship, and donor appreciation efforts. Conduct donor visits, agency tours, and engagement events to strengthen connections.
• Solicitation & Stewardship: Identify giving opportunities that align donor interests with Wellspring’s mission. Create and deliver reports, proposals, and personalized acknowledgements.
• Data Management & Reporting: Maintain donor records in Raiser’s Edge, ensuring accurate tracking of donor interactions and contributions. Support pipeline analysis and fundraising projections.
• Event Participation: Partner with staff, board members, and volunteers to coordinate donor engagement at small gatherings, fundraising events, and site visits.
• Financial Oversight: Assist in monitoring revenue progress and ensure fundraising expenses align with budget expectations.
  
  

Additional Responsibilities

• Program/Mission Knowledge: Maintain awareness of Wellspring’s programs and services to effectively communicate impact to donors. Regularly engages with program staff and follows organizational updates to stay informed.
• Continuing Education: Stays up to date on best practices in donor engagement, fundraising trends, and relationship management strategies. Engages in professional development opportunities to enhance fundraising effectiveness.
• Support Wellspring values by acting in a manner consistent with mission, vision, and values, promoting a culture of integrity and inclusion.
• Additional tasks and projects may be assigned as needed.
  
  

Minimum Requirements

Candidates must meet all of the following qualifications to be considered for this position:

• At least 2 full years of successful experience in a development position with an emphasis on soliciting and cultivating individual gifts.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage donors from diverse backgrounds.
• Strong writing and business communication skills, including experience crafting donor correspondence, proposals, and reports.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite. Experience with project management tools (e.g. Monday.com) is a plus.
• High level of discretion, professionalism, and integrity.
• Ability to work independently while contributing to a team-oriented culture.
• Flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends as needed.
• Highly developed awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion, with evolved ability to practice appropriate, relevant and thoughtful strategies for working with diverse populations .
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

The following qualifications have been identified as particularly beneficial and candidates who have attained any of them will be preferred in the hiring process. The successful candidate who meets one or more of these qualifications will be eligible for pay rate premiums*:

• At least 3 years in donor relations, fundraising, or nonprofit development.
• At least 2 years' experience soliciting gifts of $10,000 from individuals.
• CFRE or equivalent nonprofit leadership/fundraising certification.
• Experience using donor management software, such as Raiser’s Edge or Salesforce.
• Wellspring does not engage in pay negotiation as this practice contributes to pay inequality. Salary for the successful candidate is calculated by Wellspring. Premiums may be applied for candidates that are able to verify their achievement of preferred qualifications. Refer to the end of this posting for specific premiums rates.
  
  

Physical And Mental Requirements

• Washington State resident at start date
• In-office presence is required four days per week; one remote workday permitted with private workspace and secure internet.
• Reliable transportation: occasional local travel required for donor meetings, events, and site visits.
• Evening and weekend hours may be necessary for fundraising and engagement events.
• The ability to use a computer for long periods of time. Adaptive accommodations may be available as needed.
• A moderate amount of moving around in a standard office environment may be needed.
  
  

Please note that employees should expect to perform some tasks that are outside the scope of the job description.

Employee Benefits

Choice of 3 Medical Plans

• 30 days paid time off per year, plus 10 paid employee holidays
• Dental
• Life Insurance
• Long-Term Disability
• 403b Retirement Plan
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Account
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Resource Groups
• Counseling Session Reimbursement
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEIA) Training
  
  

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Wellspring employees may use their time with us toward their participation in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) .

Donor Relations Officer

Pay Premiums

Annualized Starting Salary: $70,000

The successful candidate must demonstrate to Wellspring’s satisfaction that they meet one or more of the preferred qualifications before a premium can be added to the standard salary. Final salary is defined by Wellspring based on verifiable information and documentation provided by the candidate during the recruitment process.

Wellspring does not engage in wage negotiation as it contributes to pay inequality.

Experience Premium

• 3 full years or more of experience in donor relations and nonprofit development= $1,000 added to annual salary for each year beyond the minimum of 2 years (up to the cap of $5,000)
• 2 full years or more of experience using a donor management software, such as Raiser’s Edge = $2,000 added to annual salary
• 2 full years or more of experience soliciting gifts of $10,000 from individuals = $3,000 added to annual salary
  
  

Certification Premiums

• CFRE or equivalent nonprofit leadership certificate= $5,000 added to annual salary