Coordinator, Donor Engagement & Stewardship

Position Overview

The Coordinator, Donor Engagement & Stewardship plays a central role in advancing the Sharks Foundation’s fundraising mission by building and maintaining meaningful relationships with donors, partners, and supporters. This position is responsible for managing donor follow-up, pipeline development, stewardship activities, and auction procurement strategy across the Foundation’s fundraising programs ensuring that events, auctions, and donor experiences translate into sustained, long-term philanthropic support.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Execute structured post-event and post-auction follow-up, including personalized thank-you outreach, acknowledgment letters, and pledge recovery.
• Maintain and grow donor records, segmentation, and engagement tracking in CRM to ensure accurate pipeline visibility.
• Identify and elevate high-potential donors for further cultivation, surfacing opportunities for the Director of Development.
• Support the development and execution of donor journeys, engagement strategies, and stewardship plans that deepen long-term relationships.
• Aid in cultivating and stewarding a diverse portfolio of donors through consistent, personalized communication and meaningful touchpoints.
• Track event and auction attendance, bidder participation, and engagement data to identify follow-up priorities and conversion opportunities.
• Ensure timely, consistent, and high-quality donor communication following all fundraising events and activations.
• Lead audience development and donor engagement strategy for fundraising events – including donor receptions, game day activations, and galas – ensuring strong attendance, relationship cultivation, and long-term conversion opportunities.
• Collaborate with the Coordinator, Community Impact Communications to develop and promote compelling donor-facing materials across digital and traditional media platforms, including invitations, auction promotions, and stewardship content.
• Lead auction item procurement by cultivating and maintaining relationships with donors, corporate partners, and in-kind sponsors to secure high-value items aligned with donor interests and revenue goals.
• Develop and coordinate auction promotional strategy in partnership with the Coordinator, Community Impact Communications, ensuring strong pre-event bidder engagement and awareness.
• Coordinate with the Senior Coordinator, Development Operations on auction catalog production, ensuring all item details, descriptions, and donor recognition elements are accurate and compelling.
• Conduct post-auction analysis of participation, bidder behavior, and giving trends, delivering strategic recommendations to the Director of Development to inform future auction and fundraising initiatives.
• Identify high-value bidder engagement opportunities and surface insights to support ongoing donor cultivation efforts.
• Cultivate relationships with local businesses, community partners, and in-kind sponsors to expand the Foundation’s network of supporters and auction contributors.
• Support the engagement of Sharks and Barracuda players, coaches, and significant others in donor-facing events, auctions, and fundraising initiatives, ensuring meaningful and seamless involvement.
• Assist in the development and implementation of new strategies to engage donors and expand the Foundation’s supporter base.
• Represent the Foundation at fundraising events, networking opportunities, Sharks and Barracuda games, and donor activations.
• Lead coordination of the Foundation’s mission-driven volunteer community comprised of passionate Sharks fans and community members who support fundraising initiatives and serve as ambassadors for the Foundation’s work.
• Manage volunteer communication, scheduling, and deployment across fundraising events, game day activations, and donor-facing opportunities, ensuring volunteers are well-prepared and positioned for success.
• Cultivate a strong volunteer culture rooted in team pride, community impact, and long-term engagement, while identifying opportunities to develop highly engaged volunteers into future donors, advocates, and Foundation ambassadors.
• Own CRM data integrity, reporting, and workflow maintenance to support accurate donor tracking and pipeline management.
• Manage donor follow-up workflows and stewardship processes, continuously identifying improvements to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• Provide reporting support and donor insights that help inform fundraising strategy, pipeline development, and long-term relationship growth.

Minimum Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative spirit, with a genuine enthusiasm for building relationships across diverse audiences.
• 1–2 years of experience in fundraising, donor relations, nonprofit coordination, or a related field required.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage and collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders.
• A growth mindset with a proactive, solutions-oriented approach to donor engagement and fundraising.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, and willingness to learn CRM systems, and event or auction management tools.
• Passion for philanthropy and the power of professional sports to drive community impact.
• Experience with donor stewardship, CRM management, or auction support in a nonprofit or fundraising setting preferred.
• Experience working in sports philanthropy, entertainment, or corporate social responsibility (CSR).
• Knowledge of donor stewardship best practices and event ROI evaluation.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit, stand and utilize a computer for extended periods of time.
• Communicate via phone and email with a variety of individuals.
• Ability to bend at the waist, reach overhead and lift up to 15 lbs with or without accommodation.
• Physically navigate stairs and catwalks at SSE facilities during normal work hours and events with or without accommodation.
• Ability to work occasional extended hours including nights, weekends, holidays (all with advance notice).
• May be required to travel to other company locations.
• May be required to attend conference, events, and training sessions within Bay Area or in- or out-of-state locations.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation (base salary and variable incentive plan)
• Medical/Dental/Vision/Flexible Spending Accounts (all LGBTQ+ friendly)
• Pretax Transportation Benefit
• 401K (pre-tax and Roth options)
• Generous Paid Time Off Policy
• Minimum of 10 Paid Holidays and Wellness Days per year
• Complimentary or discounted sports and concert tickets
• Other League & partner discounts
• Central office location in downtown San Jose at the heart of Silicon Valley; convenient access to Caltrain, VTA, major freeways and free parking
• An inclusive culture which values diversity of background and a passion to improve our SSE’s commitment to change with impact on our community and industry
• Potential for flexible scheduling and telework opportunities
• Access to on-site EV charging stations on non-event days