Donor Relations Director

Job Title: Donor Relations Director

Department: Constituency Relations (CORE) Team, USA

Reports To: Chief Marketing, and Philanthropy Officer

• Status: Full

time, Exempt

Location: Byron Center, MI w/ hybrid options

Salary Level: Level I

PURPOSE:

To lead and scale donor engagement and development efforts in the United States by cultivating relationships across a diverse donor base, overseeing strategy and reporting, managing a high-performing team, and supporting the execution of major fundraising campaigns.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1 Strategic Leadership

• Lead the development and execution of World Renew’s donor relations strategy in collaboration with the Canadian Donor Relations Director and other members of the CORE leadership team.
• Serve as a key liaison between the Donor Relations team and Campaign leadership to ensure alignment of strategies and activities with campaign goals.
• Identify and respond to trends affecting donor engagement and fundraising strategies.

2 Team Management

• Lead and supervise a U.S.-based Donor Relations team of 6–7 staff, responsible for cultivating and stewarding a portfolio of up to 6,000 donors.
• Facilitate annual planning and establish performance objectives for major, mid-level, planned giving, and mass donor development.
• Oversee implementation and evaluation of donor development plans, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and campaign goals.
• Manage the U.S. Donor Relations budget and ensure accountability for team performance.
• Provide coaching, tools, and training to support team and individual growth.
• Establish scalable systems and performance metrics to ensure team effectiveness in managing a high-volume donor portfolio.

3 Donor Segmentation and Engagement

• Develop and oversee tailored engagement strategies for each donor tier—major, mid-level, planned giving, and mass donors in alignment with Canadian counterpart.
• Lead strategies to retain newly acquired mass donors, including onboarding, engagement, and conversion to sustained giving.
• Ensure personalized stewardship and long-term retention across all donor segments.

4 Major Donor Management

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 75 major donors.
• Develop and implement personalized cultivation and stewardship strategies.
• Prepare and present funding proposals and case statements to individuals, businesses, and donor groups.
• Coordinate with the Marketing and Communications team to produce donor-facing materials.
• Ensure timely and personalized receipting and acknowledgment of gifts.

5 Planned and Legacy Giving

• Oversee planned giving efforts in the U.S., including the Joseph Stewards legacy society.
• Collaborate with partners such as the Barnabas Foundation to promote estate and legacy giving.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for U.S. constituents regarding estate and other planned giving inquiries.

6 Data-Driven Fundraising

• Leverage data analytics and CRM systems to monitor donor engagement, forecast giving trends, and inform strategic decisions.
• Ensure the integrity and effective use of donor databases and segmentation tools.

7 Innovation and Continuous Improvement

• Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement in donor engagement practices.
  1. Test and iterate new approaches to meet evolving donor expectations and philanthropic trends.

8 Other Duties

• Perform additional responsibilities as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position will supervise regionally based Donor Relations Managers, the Mid-Level Donor Relations Manager, Donor Retention Specialist, Constituency Support Specialist, and volunteers

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Able to respect and support the mission, vision and values of World Renew.
• Demonstrated commitment to Christ and be able to recognize this position as one that contributes to the work of His Kingdom
• Demonstrated commitment to contribute to and promote a work environment that values diversity, inclusion and equity.
• Committed to working towards gender equality, equity and justice in all aspects of our programming, plans, policies and organizational structure
• Familiarity with the Reformed faith and tradition as practiced by the CRCNA.
• Strong understanding of fund development principles, including cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Proven ability to manage budgets and demonstrate return on investment.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Ability to maintain donor confidentiality and work independently with minimal supervision.
• Strong writing skills, including experience with proposals and donor reports.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, internet research, and fundraising databases.
• Ability to lead and motivate a team to meet goals and deadlines.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• CFRE or CCNL certification preferred
• Minimum of five years of fundraising experience, including at least three years in major donor development and team leadership.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in business, marketing, nonprofit management, or a related field.
• Experience or exposure to international community development is a strong asset

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Fluency in English, with strong verbal and written communication skills

WORK ENVIRONMENT, PHYSICAL AND OTHER DEMANDS:

The work environment encountered and physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This position requires:

• Computer work and concentrated reading, sitting for long periods of time
• Travel: Revise as applicable
  • This role requires approximately 25% travel within the U.S. and to Canada, including occasional overnight stays and meetings outside regular business hours. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities

With World Renew's commitment to Core Humanitarian Standard and Safeguarding responsibilities, as part of the recruitment process, a successful candidate can expect to go through a thorough background check

Please note that the tentative application deadline for this position will be EOD July 11, 2025 for External Applicants and Internal Applicants, closing date depending on application volume. We encourage all interested candidates to apply before this deadline as we move candidates through our hiring process on a continuous basis