Donor Relations Manager (Fundraising, Stewardship & Donor Engagement– Volunteer Leadership Role
Description
The Donovan’s Venom is growing. More people are discovering the mission. More people are engaging. But impact requires sustainability. We are seeking a Donor Relations Manager to build, nurture, and sustain meaningful relationships with the people who support our work.
Because donors don’t just give. They invest in what they believe in.
Role
This role is responsible for leading the organization’s donor engagement and relationship strategy across the full lifecycle. From awareness → acquisition → engagement → retention — you own the donor journey. You are not just managing communications. You are creating experiences that connect donors to impact. This role operates at the intersection of relationship management, storytelling, and strategy, ensuring donors feel valued, informed, and connected to the mission.
What You’ll Own
- Donor Engagement Strategy & Lifecycle
- Develop and execute donor engagement strategies across:
- Awareness
- Acquisition
- Engagement
- Retention
- Define donor segments and tailored engagement approaches
- Donor Acquisition Support
- Partner with Marketing and Community teams to:
- Convert engaged audiences into donors
- Support fundraising campaigns
- Identify opportunities to grow the donor base
- Donor Stewardship & Relationship Management
- Build and maintain strong donor relationships
- Ensure timely, meaningful, and personalized communication
- Foster long-term engagement and loyalty
- Donor Communication & Storytelling
- Develop donor communications, including:
- Thank-you messages
- Impact updates
- Campaign messaging
- Ensure storytelling clearly reflects:
- Mission impact
- Program outcomes
- Donor contributions
- Fundraising Campaign Support
- Collaborate on:
- Giving campaigns
- Sponsorship outreach
- Donation drives
- Align donor communication with campaign strategy
- Donor Retention & Growth
- Develop strategies to:
- Retail donors
- Increase repeat giving
- Strengthen long-term relationships
- Maintain donor engagement trends
- Performance Tracking & Insights
- Track key metrics:
- Donor acquisition
- Retention rates
- Giving trends
- Provide insights and recommendations to leadership
- Donor Experience & Impact Visibility
- Ensure donors clearly understand their impact
- Highlight success stories and program outcomes
- Strengthen overall donor experience
- Cross-Functional Alignment
- Align donor strategy with:
- Marketing
- Community Engagement
- Revenue Operations
- CRM systems
- Ensure consistency across all touchpoints
- Process Development & Standardization
- Build scalable processes for:
- Donor communication
- Follow-ups
- Engagement tracking
- Improve efficiency and consistency
- Continuous Improvement
- Identify opportunities to improve donor engagement and retention
- Implement new strategies based on data and feedback
- Required
- 3–5 years of experience in:
- Donor relations
- Fundraising
- Relationship management
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Experience working with data or CRM systems
- PREFERRED
- Experience in nonprofit or mission-driven organizations
- Experience with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce)
- Experience supporting fundraising campaigns
- Experience in remote or distributed teams
- 8–12 hours per week
- Flexible schedule (with responsiveness to donor communication needs)
- Participation in campaigns and coordination required
- Fully remote
- Experience building and managing donor relationships
- Exposure to fundraising strategy and engagement
- Opportunity to directly impact organizational sustainability
- Development in storytelling, strategy, and relationship management
- You must be able to start within 14 days
- You must complete the full application
- You must be ready to engage and communicate consistently
- This is a volunteer role.
- We are onboarding individuals who are ready to contribute immediately.
- Please only apply if you are prepared to begin within the next 14 days.
- A current resume
- Responses to all application questions (thoughtful and complete)
- A brief overview of your strategic experience and areas of impact
- This is a volunteer executive leadership role requiring consistent engagement
- Applicants must be able to begin within 14 days
- Incomplete or low-effort applications will not be considered
Qualifications
Commitment
What You’ll Gain
Application Requirements (Read Carefully)
Important Disclaimer
Location
Associated Location
Please fill out this form
Thank you for your interest in joining The Donovan’s Venom.
To be considered for this role, please ensure your application includes:
We encourage applicants to be intentional and specific in their responses, as this role requires a high level of strategic thinking and active contribution.
Important Considerations
We are seeking individuals who are ready to contribute, build, and lead in real time.