CharityVillage

Make a significant impact in the lives of people with developmental disabilities by joining Canada's largest Developmental Disabilities service provider.

Use your gifts in FUNDRAISING, EVENT PLANNING, and BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS to impact the lives of others! 

Full-Time, Permanent

Donor Relations Specialist 

Waterloo, Ontario

The Donor Relations Specialist is responsible to deliver donor experiences that grow donor commitment to Karis Disability Services. They will build authentic, personal connections and amazing donor experiences that create meaningful relationships with current, new and prospective donors. The Donor Relations  Specialist will equip colleagues across Karis, who hold those connections, to do the same. For Child  Sponsorship donors, this role will collaborate with the Child Sponsorship Coordinator on an integrated donor approach. The Donor Relations Specialist will also coordinate the grants and legacy programs, as well as donor events, and engage volunteers to appreciate our donors well.      

The Donor Relations Specialist embraces the Christian Faith Foundation of the organization; ensures the Christian ethos and the Values, Vision and Mission permeate their job responsibilities; and personally commits to the expectations as outlined in the Statement of Faith.

Key initiatives include: 

• Provide exceptional donor experiences and relationship-building.
• Support and coordinate integrated supporter journeys and touchpoints for all donor segments.
• Support the delivery of exceptional, personalized and authentic legacy donor experiences or event/s throughout the year, in coordination with other planned fundraising donor activities 
• Coordinate fundraising aspects of events or programs that rely on or influence donations such as Global, Family Camp and Belongathon.   

Essential Functions: 

• Create and lead mail and email engagement strategies for each donor group, reviewing and
  approving all content and donor lists in advance. 
• Effectively steward churches and faith-based donors, reinforcing the Values and Vision of Karis.
• Support the Development Strategies Manager on donor acquisition campaigns, tests and analysis.
• Create a welcoming new donor onboarding journey, and create strategies to second gift conversion.
• Create tools and training to equip colleagues who hold donor connections or accountability. 
• Coordinate call-a-thons, card-writing campaigns and stewardship video campaigns, engaging volunteers and staff to assist, ensuring all activities are tracked and recorded in the donor database.  
• Assign and track donor stewardship actions in the donor database, providing status reports.
• Coordinate all aspects of in-person or virtual donor fundraising or stewardship events.
• Collaborate with the Child Sponsorship Coordinator to coordinate and integrate child sponsor donor journeys, touch-points, and engagement with the overall Annual Giving donor plan. 
• Coordinate Annual Giving donor acquisition activities, whether mail, digital or promotional.
• Build and steward beneficial relationships with grantors who are focused on giving to areas Karis is seeking funds, confirming Karis to be a qualified recipient.
• Research, identify and evaluate a limited number of larger, strategy-aligned grant opportunities for both one-time and ongoing needs. 
• Coordinate the overall process and timelines, gathering content from program leads, creating proposals and reports, and fulfilling thanking and recognition requirements.
• Support the Development Strategies Manager to formulate annual plans that achieve fundraising targets and relevant outcomes identified in the Strategic Plan. 
• Identify donor growth opportunities discovered through donor connection and analysis.
• Track costs and revenue impact of all donor relations activities.
• Provide excellent project management for donor engagement activities.
• Coordinate the administration of the legacy program to identify and cultivate new donors and steward existing ones.
• Run segmented, highly accurate list queries for bulk donor mailings/emails, call-a-thons, events and analysis for fundraising team members, use pivot tables and ensure the data is comprehensive and review/decision-ready.
• Coordinate the development of tools and techniques to monitor and evaluate fundraising success, providing analysis of donor data and strategies to improve campaign performance and uncover donation growth opportunities.
• Create and present donor and stewardship reports that include donation trends, opportunities, appeal and key activity results to Karis management or other stakeholders.

Required Skills/Abilities: 

• Proven technical aptitude for using digital tools (databases, event & virtual meeting software, Peer-to-peer platforms, digital communication tools and MS Office Suite).
• Proficient donor-centric communication skills, both oral and written, that inspire and engage 
• Relationship building and strong collaboration skills
• Proven planning and organizational skills with excellent attention to detail
• Self-directed with a high capacity to manage multiple priorities and timelines
• Excellent working knowledge of Raiser’s Edge NXT
• Event Management experience is an asset

Education and Experience 

• 2 years of previous experience in a donor relations role or service-related position
• College diploma or University degree in Business, Marketing, Fundraising, Communications or related fields.

Why Should You Apply?

• Live out our shared values, help others, and find purpose in your work every day.
• Receive competitive wages.
• Find support through a comprehensive benefits package, including 2 weeks of vacation, an RRSP matching program, and an Employee and Family Assistance Plan.
• Grow your leadership with mentorship, training, career development, and tuition reimbursement.
• Make a significant impact in the lives of people with developmental disabilities, and the sector, by joining Canada’s largest Developmental Disabilities service provider.

Application Deadline: December 17, 2024 (or, until the position has been filled).

Apply with a cover letter and résumé by December 17, 2024, to the attention of the Development Strategies Manager via the Apply Now feature.

Start Date: January 2025

Hourly Range: $28.90- $32.65

Karis Disability Services seeks to hire a workforce that represents the diversity of the communities where we serve. We are committed to promoting communities of belonging where Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour feel valued, respected, represented, and heard. We encourage applications from qualified candidates from members of groups with historical or current barriers to equity. We seek to provide accessibility through all stages of the hiring process for all applicants with disabilities, consistent with our Accessibility Policies and the AODA. Please let us know if you require accommodation, and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.