Job Description
Overview: The Donor Development and Stewardship Specialist is responsible for enhancing and growing revenue and current and prospective donors at Douglas County Libraries (DCL) and Douglas County Libraries Foundation (DCLF). This service-oriented position uses fundraising strategies, interpersonal communication, and professional etiquette to ensure new, prospective, targeted, and existing donors feel appreciation, engagement, and connection with DCL and DCLF.
Position Specific Competencies:
- Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
- Organizing: Can marshal resources (people, funding, material, support) to get things done; can orchestrate multiple activities at once to support a goal; uses resources effectively and efficiently; arranges information and files in a useful manner.
- Problem Solving: Uses logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions; probes all fruitful sources for answers; can see hidden problems; is excellent at honest analysis; looks beyond the obvious and doesn’t stop at first answers.
Essential Duties and Accountabilities:
Fundraising:
- Provide a strong understanding of philanthropy as it relates to not-for-profit organizations and a wide, deep knowledge of fundamental disciplines of resource development.
- Coordinates and plans annual DCL Gala and other donor relations events.
- Support large-scale fundraising initiatives and donor cultivation goals by building effective relationships with benefactors, staff, and volunteers.
- Implement major-giving and planned giving strategies as long-term fundraising opportunities to engage current and potential contributors.
- Convey necessity of fundraising and philanthropy opportunities to prospective local donors.
- Plan and secure sponsorships for DCLF events.
- Develop, defines and understands multiple tiers of services available for clients and events.
Donor Relations:
- Design, document, and implement a systematic, integrated donor relations program.
- Create, execute and support a comprehensive donor acknowledgement and recognition plan.
- Define and advise about complex and carefully orchestrated donor cultivation events and programs for major givers.
- Establish and manage information tracking processes regarding gift acknowledgement, donor recognition, and on-going donor communication.
- Cultivate relationships with past and current donors to enhance their relationship with DCL.
- Prospect targeted donors and community members to build future giving opportunities.
- Builds and maintains strong interpersonal relationships with people outside the organization.
- Research donor companies’ corporate social responsibility or workplace outreach objectives to enhance DCL/DCLF giving opportunities.
- Strategize with Director of Community Engagement, Executive Library Director, and Board Members to identify opportunities for donor solicitation and year-round engagement strategies that attract new supporters and retain current benefactors.
Administrative:
- Records and monitors financial benchmarks, donor and prospective donor identification systems, prospective giver research and evaluation. Performs data management of donor files. Documents processes and recommends improvements.
- Maintain on-line social media profiles on a variety of sites.
- Communicate using excellent oral, written, digital, and presentation skills that are effective with a diverse range of audiences including board members, volunteers, internal staff, donors, executives, potential funding partners and all constituencies.
- Maintain donor communication collateral, marketing materials, and an inventory of general DCLF supplies.
- Provide DCLF general administrative support through database entry, answering phone inquiries, updating on-line web content, grant-writing, and updating marketing collateral.
- Write correspondence for donor relations, including acknowledgments for financial and in-kind contributions.
- Provides excellent, responsive customer service to community customers via telephone, recording accurate information. Acts and responds in a consistent, timely manner every time.
- Represent DCL and works at signature events.
- Performs other work duties as assigned.
Technical Performance:
- Maintain expert knowledge and use of computers, Microsoft Office Suite, database management, CRM database, and PCs. Ability to learn new technology that is introduced in the industry and the organization, as needed.
Experience and Qualifications: Read, write and speak English required. Bachelor’s degree required. Five+ years previous philanthropic donor relations or sales experience required. Expert use of CRM database required. Valid Colorado Driver’s License, good driving record and a reliable vehicle to travel to a variety of Douglas County locations. A combination of experience and education will be considered.
Physical Requirements: Must have the physical ability, stamina, mobility and manual dexterity to support a 7-day a week operation. Work at computer stations for extended periods. Access and transport materials up to 50 pounds. Participate in meetings and events at various locations and at varied times throughout the day. Ability to read as small as 8pt font