Choose a career where you can better someone else’s life, while bettering your own. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio having provided over 50 million meals in 2019 to hungry people in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Ashland and Richland counties. The organization’s mission is to ensure that everyone in these communities has the nutritious food they need every day.
Apply for a position at Greater Cleveland Food Bank where we offer a culture of learning and development, competitive pay and amazing benefits including Low Cost Medical, Dental, Vision, Short-Term and Long Term Disability, Life Insurance, Generous Retirement Plan and Holiday Pay all starting on first day of hire and paid time off which starts after 90 days.
SUMMARY
The Donor Relations Officer (DRO) will work closely with the Senior Manager of Donor Relations and will focus on the Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s major gift and planned giving efforts. The DRO will follow a moves management system that will move donors through a cycle of identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. This individual is responsible for soliciting and securing major and planned gifts by connecting the donors personal interests and passions with institutional priorities.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. This list is not all-inclusive and other duties may be assigned.
- Manage a portfolio of 250 major gift prospects and donors. Provide portfolio management and support for other staff and volunteer solicitors (i.e. Vice President of External Affairs)
- Engage high level donors and volunteers in our major gifts program through prospect identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewarding of major gift prospects and donors. Partner with External Affairs Committee members on issues and opportunities related to major gifts.
- Develop major gift solicitation strategies that focus on the needs of the organization, tailored to the specific interests and capacity of individual prospects.
- Coordinate solicitations of individual major gift prospects. Initiate, schedule and support donor meetings involving the CEO, Vice President of External Affairs and Senior Manager of Donor Relations based on donor relationships and purpose of solicitation.
- Prepare and conduct detailed briefings with solicitor(s) in advance of in-person major gift solicitations for specific gift amounts.
- Proactively research and identify major gift prospects among the Food Bank’s existing donors and constituencies, and proactively identify additional major gift prospects through supplementary database screening and research.
- Develop Stewardship Plans for donors with the highest potential for giving major and planned gifts. Strategically engage top donors and help them understand how integral they are to the Food Bank’s ability to achieve its goals, while building strategies to advance cultivation and solicitation goals.
- Collaborate with Senior Manager of Donor Relations and Donor Stewardship Coordinator around opportunities to enhance the Harvest of Hope Society.
- Prepare stewardship reports and other cultivation materials
- Solicit donors for a planned gift, specifically bequests. Promote and grow Tomorrow’s Harvest, our Planned Giving Society.
- Collaborate with the Corporate Relations, Foundation Relations, and Volunteer Services teams to enhance relationships and create greater fundraising and outreach possibilities
- Provide support for Special Events, including Market at the Food Bank and Taste of the Browns by staffing the events with special focus on major donors and prospects. Coordinate the Host Committee for these events.
- Maintain required job knowledge and skills and core professional competencies. Attend and participate in required educational programs and staff meetings.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
Requires a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university and three to five years’ face-to-face fundraising or sales experience. Proficiency in Microsoft Office and donor/CRM databases (Raiser’s Edge or other) preferred. The Donor Relations Officer must have excellent verbal and written communication skills. Local travel may be required. The candidate must be a highly-motivated professional with the ability to work in a fast paced, team oriented environment; establish priorities, develop timetables, and handle multiple assignments; and engage donors and prospects with sincerity and enthusiasm. The Donor Relations Officer must be able to represent the Board of Directors and President & CEO by interacting and effectively communicating with various constituencies, such as business professionals, community leaders, Food Bank volunteers, staff, and others. An understanding and appreciation for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and the cause of fighting hunger in the Greater Cleveland area is highly desired. A valid Ohio Driver’s License and proof of automobile insurance are required (mileage is reimbursed). Unencumbered driver’s license is required
Don’t just apply for a job, apply at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank where our passion is feeding those in need and feeding the need for purposeful work. At the Food Bank diversity and inclusion are an important element of our culture and our organizational success.
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