Reporting to the Director of Philanthropy, the Philanthropy Manager is responsible for growing and expanding the Golden Crane giving society (donors $1,500+) and annual giving program. The Philanthropy Manager will help plan and execute strategies to increase support through acquiring new donors and retaining, upgrading, and stewarding current donors. This position requires a high level of contact with individuals inside and outside the organization and therefore requires advanced interpersonal and communication skills. They are responsible for an annual giving portfolio, conduct personal solicitations and develop stewardship plans for donors $1,500+. This position is located at the Portland Japanese Garden Sylvan office, but frequent meetings and donor visits at the Garden are required.
They build a culture of continuous improvement by using donor data and giving trends to drive strategies and make course corrections when necessary. The Philanthropy Manager will oversee the fundraising database, gift entry and acknowledgement process and manage the Development Assistant, the Garden’s primary database administrator.
This position is ideal for someone who is a multi-faceted fundraiser and enjoys a mix of building relationships with donors, thrives in an innovative and goal-oriented setting, has a keen understanding of database technology, and enjoys managing and analyzing data. Success in this position will require a high level of collaboration and partnership across the organization.
Primary Duties
- Manages all Golden Crane membership and annual fund direct mail and email solicitations and renewals for the Garden, maximizing giving and renewal rates.
- Oversees renewals for $1,500+ premium level members of the Golden Crane Recognition Society, Portland Japanese Garden’s donor recognition society for those who give $1,500 or more a year.
- Develops messaging, timing, donor lists and execution of annual fund appeals and Golden Crane membership solicitations to our database of more than 50,000 active records.
- Working closely with the Director of Philanthropy, develops metrics and goals for Golden Crane and annual fund donor acquisition, retention, and upgrade appeals.
- Develops an omni-channel approach, with marketing team, to promote Golden Crane and annual fund giving, including plans and messaging for social media, mailings and web site.
- Regularly communicates with donors related to donations, donor benefits and events.
- Manages a portfolio of annual giving donors, conducts personal solicitations and develops stewardship plans for donors $1,500+. Works with Director of Philanthropy on developing personal solicitation and donor contact goals.
- Working with the Director, creates annual operating plans and proposes yearly budget recommendations. Creates and tracks campaign expense budgets and revenue goals.
- Produces department revenue and solicitation reports, providing detailed summary of monthly giving, and tracks progress vs. goals.
- Conducts monthly analysis of Golden Crane Recognition Society donors to understand giving trends (renewals, retention, upgrades, downgrades, etc.).
- Conducts detailed, post-campaign analysis on all special appeals.
- Provides monthly financial progress and reports to Director of Philanthropy and Chief Development Officer. Proactively tracks any lapsed members and brings them to monthly prospect meetings for discussion.
- Provides reporting, membership and donor information for prospect meetings.
- Working with Director of Philanthropy, develops and implements a strong donor stewardship plan that appropriately acknowledges and stewards donors. Takes a donor-centric approach to stewardship activity and leads the stewardship efforts of the department.
- Develops and implements policies and procedures for the Development Office to ensure timely and effective stewardship and recognition of donors.
- Ensures that any personal meetings and phone calls get recorded into Tessitura.
- Ensures stewardship letters are updated regularly and board and leadership portfolio donor letters are personally customized and signed.
- Manages special stewardship and recognition touches for the department, including birthday and holiday outreach, as well as creative and meaningful gifts for Golden Crane donors.
- Creates a stewardship plan and calendar of stewardship touches for donors throughout the year.
- Assists with donor naming opportunities and supports the tracking of named spaces.
- Oversees the production of donor lists for the Garden Path honor roll of donors.
- Responsible for data integrity, improvement, gift entry, and analysis of the database to maximize fundraising revenue and reporting. Oversees and assists with gift processing, batch entry and donation coding.
- Establishes donor database best practices through creation of a comprehensive Development Department Tessitura Policies and Procedures manual.
- Reviews daily, weekly, and monthly reports for accurate reconciliation with Finance Department.
- Provides ongoing supervision and coaching for the Development Assistant, the Garden’s primary database administrator, including gift entry oversight.
- Develops and maintains queries/exports for direct appeals, email campaigns, publications, events, and ad hoc projects.
- Working collaboratively with Director of Philanthropy, recommends and assigns portfolios to development staff
- Runs monthly fundraising reports and other reports as needed such as:
- SYBUNT and LYBUNT style donor reports
- Lapsed and upcoming member renewal reports
- Monthly and annual income against budget
- Board giving reports
- New Golden Crane member reports
- Upgraded Golden Crane member reports
- Other duties and projects as assigned.
Other Responsibilities
- Stays current on news and best-practices in the field of fundraising, and share insights with relevant teams (e.g., Membership, Marketing, etc.) to develop policy, solve organization problems, and collaborate on events and promotions.
- Communicate with donors, clients, staff, and other community partners in a friendly and professional manner.
- Learn about Japanese culture and art as opportunities arise in the organization.
- Maintain a high degree of discretion and confidentiality in dealing with sensitive information.
- Familiarize oneself with the organization and the Employee Handbook.
- Get to know fellow staff members, developing trust, establishing credibility, encouraging teamwork, and creating an atmosphere of open, honest, two-way communication.
- Maintain a high level of professionalism in manner and appearance.
- Adhere to Garden Dress Code (business casual).
Qualifications
Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the position, and that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and qualifications for this role.
- Bachelor’s degree preferred.
- At least three years of experience in annual giving or membership programs, or equivalent combination of different experiences in fundraising and/or nonprofit roles.
- Staff management experience preferred.
- Demonstrated proficiency with email platforms (like Mailchimp and Prospect2) and comfort with metrics and analytics.
- Ability to exercise judgement and discretion when handling sensitive and confidential information.
- Strong proficiency with Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Experience using a complex CRM, preferably Tessitura.
- Exceptional attention to detail.
- Strong communication abilities – clear writing and articulate speaking ability.
- A proven track record of working well with others, adapting to others’ work styles, and professional interactions with co-workers and/or vendors.
- Strong listening skills, giving full attention to what other people are saying or asking, taking time to understand the points being made and asking questions when appropriate.
- Incredibly organized and highly proficient at keeping a systematic schedule and calendar.
- Ongoing development and implementation of new processes to improve work efficiency and adapt to new systems.
Special Requirements
- Must be able to periodically work evenings/weekends, as required.
- Must be able to remain in a stationary position for several hours.
- Must be able to climb flight of stairs to 2nd floor office
- Must be able to work effectively in an open office environment.
- Must be able to work outdoors in all types of weather conditions (for events only).
- Must have reliable transportation, proof of insurance, valid driver’s license, and clean DMV record for travel between office locations (mileage reimbursement provided)
Compensation & Schedule
- Wage: $60,000 to $65,000/year, depending on experience
- This is a full-time, salaried position with 40-45 hours per week. Workday is typically 8.5 hours (including ½ hour lunch), M-F 8:30am to 5:00pm, with some flexibility. Occasional evenings and weekends required, with corresponding flexibility in weekday schedule.
- Benefits:
- health, dental, and vision insurance (premium 100% covered for employees), with partial deductible reimbursement
- 401k plan (after 6 months, with 4% employer match after 1 year)
- flexible spending accounts for medical and dependent care expenses
- paid time off:
- vacation: 3 weeks (15 days) per calendar year to start, with regular increases
- wellness: 10 days per calendar year
- holidays: 10 holidays per year
- free access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Applications
To apply, please submit a resume, cover letter, and three work-related references through our online Careers Center (link provided below). Please also provide, separate from your cover letter, a sample solicitation letter written by you. Solicitation sample can be for any real or fictional non-profit organization.
Please no phone calls or hand delivered applications. Applications will be reviewed, and interviews will be scheduled as submissions are received. Early application is encouraged.
https://recruiting.myapps.paychex.com/appone/MainInfoReq.asp?R_ID=6360178