Senior Manager Major Gifts Stewardship

About the role

At Blood Cancer United, employees take our mission seriously. Whether you work in one of our regions, are an accountant at the national office, or a specialist in our Information Resource Center, you work each day on making our bold goal a reality: to enable patients with blood cancer to gain more than one million years of life by 2040. The Senior Manager, Major Gift Stewardship is a strategic leader responsible for managing and evolving a comprehensive major gift stewardship program that deepens donor engagement and drives revenue growth.

The role partners closely with the Senior Director of Stewardship, Senior Manager of Principal Gift Stewardship, Vice President of Territory Advancement, and Executive Leadership to deliver high-impact stewardship experiences for Blood Cancer United’s most generous donors. The Senior Manager leads cross-functional execution of complex stewardship touchpoints, including leadership correspondence, donor reporting, and high-touch donor engagement. The role oversees critical systems and processes that ensure timely, accurate, and donor-centric communications while continuously improving operational efficiency and effectiveness.

The role serves as a key collaborator across Philanthropy, Donor Engagement, Executive Operations, and Mission, ensuring alignment between donor interests and organizational priorities. With strong business acumen and sound judgement, the Senior Manager influences key partners, strengthens frontline fundraising efforts, and ensures data integrity and insights within the CRM to support donor engagement.

Responsibilities

Major Donor Stewardship & Relationship Support

• Lead the planning and execution of process management to support the implementation of major donor stewardship touchpoints in partnership with the Senior Director of Stewardship and Senior Manager of Principal Gift Stewardship, driving alignment across multiple functions and Executive Leadership.
• Lead the correspondence program to facilitate CEO and other ELT stewardship communications, including leadership acknowledgements, on behalf of the Major Gifts team.
• Ensure coordination and tracking of reviews/approvals of leadership acknowledgements and other correspondence, including internal approvals and submission to leadership for sending to donors.
• Facilitate the compilation and review of mail/email lists for major donor outreach, including quality control reviews, reviews by frontline staff, opt-ins/opt-outs, etc.
• Manage tracking of stewardship deliverables and proactively remind staff of upcoming deadlines or donor outreach needs.
• Manage coordination of the production and delivery of high-touch stewardship materials, such as impact reports, milestone recognitions, and event follow-ups.
• Lead planning and execution for major donor reporting program, including establishing reporting calendar in collaboration with internal colleagues within Donor Engagement, coordinating with frontline staff on reviews/approvals of reports, and submitting reports to leadership or frontline staff for sending to donors.
• Drive the management, adoption, and performance of video messaging platform, including calendar for major donor communications, distribution lists, and staff training, and collaborate with Philanthropy on content and staff engagement.
• Collaborate with Philanthropy to share stewardship resources that connect the donor’s interest with the priorities of the organization to further the mission through internal communications, including Blood Cancer United’s employee intranet, weekly frontline update email, and other email communications.
• Oversee the integrity, organization, and accessibility of stewardship communications, including acknowledgements, correspondence, and reports, and resources within Donor Engagement’s systems and CRM database, Salesforce, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and usability.
• Ensure stewardship deliverables contribute to increased donor retention, engagement, and long-term giving.

CRM & Data Integrity

• Drive continuous improvement of CRM systems and processes in collaboration with Senior Director of Stewardship to enhance frontline staff experience of the CRM and ensure a seamless, reliable donor experience for major donors.
• Leverage CRM data in Salesforce and in video messaging platform to identify trends, inform stewardship strategies, and support frontline fundraising efforts.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date constituent records in the CRM, ensuring all stewardship activities, donor preferences, and communications are properly documented.
• Identify and escalate data quality issues, partnering with Data Insights and IT teams to ensure resolution and improve system functionality.
• Ensure all stewardship actions are captured in ways that support analysis, planning, and reporting for the Major Gifts and Donor Engagement teams.

Cross-Team Collaboration

• Serve as strategic thought partner to colleagues across Donor Engagement, Philanthropy, Executive Operations, and Mission teams, influencing alignment and ensuring a seamless, donor-centric experience for major donors.
• Engage confidently and collaboratively with senior and executive leaders to support complex donor strategies and ensure alignment across functions.
• Operate with a high degree of accountability and discretion in managing sensitive, high-stakes donor relationships and cross-functional communications.
• Support reporting on stewardship progress and effectiveness as needed by the Senior Director of Stewardship.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree; relevant coursework or certifications in nonprofit management, communications, or fundraising a plus.
• Minimum of 5-7 years of progressively responsible related experience in donor stewardship, fundraising operations, or major gifts in a nonprofit organization.
• Experience supporting major gift fundraising team, with a strong understanding of donor engagement and stewardship best practices.
• Proven ability of attention to detail.
• Experience maintaining CRM systems (preferably Salesforce) and tracking donor activity and preferences.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Comfort working in a collaborative, cross-functional team environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel); experience with Canva or other design tools a plus.
• Occasional travel required (approximately 2 times per year).

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance
• Flexible spending accounts
• 403b retirement plan with employer contributions
• Generous paid time off
• Federal paid holidays
• Wellness program
• Employee assistance program

Pay

The base pay range for this position is $60,000 to $80,000. The offered compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, business need, market conditions, proficiencies, skills, education, and experience. Additionally, Blood Cancer United places a high value on internal pay equity and will consider the current compensation of similarly situated roles and direct team members. Base compensation is only one component of our Total Rewards program, which also includes an annual incentive plan and a competitive benefits package.