Donor Engagement Officer

Summary of the position

The Donor Engagement Officer is a senior-level, non-management fundraising position and a core member of the ACLU of Oregon’s Development Team. This role is ideal for a technically skilled major gifts fundraiser who is motivated to build authentic donor relationships, exercise professional judgment, and take ownership of a donor portfolio while continuing to grow their practice in a values-driven, collaborative environment.

This is a full-time, exempt position based in Oregon. While most staff work remotely for the majority of their time, this role requires regular in-person engagement for donor meetings, events, and team activities, as well as periodic travel within Oregon.

Core Duties

Major Donor Portfolio Management & Strategy

• Build and manage an active portfolio of approximately 100–125 donors through personalized, relationship-based cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Independently solicit major and transformational gifts of $10,000 or more in partnership with the Development Director.
• Develop and own donor-specific cultivation pathways, solicitation strategies, and stewardship plans that align donor interests with organizational priorities.
• Establish achievable fundraising goals based on donor capacity and assess progress toward those goals using qualitative and quantitative indicators.
• Conduct donor research and qualification to inform portfolio development, including recommending additions, removals, or reassignment of donors over time.

Donor Engagement, Stewardship & Solicitation

• Design and implement multi-channel donor engagement strategies across phone, email, mail, social media, personal visits, and small group events.
• Prepare for and lead donor meetings, including research, strategy development, proposal preparation, and timely follow-up.
• Translate programmatic priorities, advocacy strategies, and impact into compelling donor-facing narratives grounded in ethical storytelling.
• Partner with the Executive Director, Development Director, board members, and staff experts to support donor engagement, solicitation, and stewardship opportunities.
• Organize and support donor stewardship events and issue-area briefings that deepen donor understanding and connection to the ACLU of Oregon’s work.

Data Management & Systems

• Maintain accurate, timely records of donor interactions, strategies, and follow-up in the CRM.
• Track portfolio activity and progress to goals and use data to inform strategy, prioritization, and continuous improvement.
• Contribute to annual portfolio review and planning processes, including assessing portfolio health and recommending refinements.
• Collaborate closely with Development Team members and cross-departmental colleagues to ensure fundraising strategies are aligned with organizational values, priorities, and integrated advocacy efforts.

Campaigns & Special Projects

• Contribute to the success of annual fundraising campaigns, including Give!Guide and other digital, email, and direct mail appeals.
• Support special fundraising initiatives and projects as assigned, consistent with organizational needs and priorities.

This position may be assigned other duties by the supervisor or supervisor’s designee as relevant to the position. Please note that the above list of duties is not comprehensive but generally demonstrates the types of matters under this position’s purview and responsibility.

Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required

Minimum Education and Experience Required:

• Four (4+) years of experience soliciting, closing, and stewarding charitable or political gifts.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage donor relationships and conduct major gift solicitations.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex information into clear, compelling donor communications.
• Proficiency with donor databases, research tools, and fundraising-related technology, or the demonstrated ability to learn new systems quickly.

Required Values & Approach:

• Proven, sustained commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and anti-oppression, including anti-racism, anti-misogyny, anti-transphobia, anti-homophobia, and anti-ableism.
• Ability to integrate equity and justice values into relationship-building, fundraising strategy, and organizational collaboration.
• Alignment with and commitment to the mission, priorities, and values of the ACLU of Oregon.

Strongly Preferred:

• Knowledge of and values alignment with Community-Centric Fundraising principles and practices.
• Experience working in a mission-driven or advocacy-based nonprofit environment.
• Or equivalent education and/or experience.

Certifications and Licenses

• Preferred: active driver’s license.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to establish, cultivate, and steward strong professional relationships with donors, members, partners, and other stakeholders to build lasting partnerships and trust while aligning their passions with the mission, priorities, and values of the ACLU of Oregon.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills with the ability to take information from various sources and distill it into core messages that are communicated to a variety of audiences.
• Ability to effectively engage with and navigate challenging conversations and ask hard questions both internally and externally to the organization.
• Motivated, optimistic, and diplomatic with good judgment, strong interpersonal skills, and a sense of humor.
• Achievement-oriented, deadline-driven, and innovative, with a willingness to take initiative and to work independently and collaboratively as a member of a team.
• Strong organizational and time management skills; excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong critical-thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to apply sound judgement and to maintain donor data confidentiality
• Knowledge or practice working to deeply embed anti-racism at the organizational level and in philanthropy.
• Demonstrated competence and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, anti-racism, anti-misogyny, anti-transphobia, anti-homophobia, anti-ableism, and other forms of anti-oppression, and dismantling of the structures and systems of white supremacy. Demonstrated commitment to supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace and in all aspects of one’s work.
• Ability to be an effective partner, collaborator, and community member with teammates and communities of diverse backgrounds, including, but not limited to: BIPOC individuals and communities, immigrant individuals and communities, LGBTQ+ individuals and communities, disabled or differently-abled individuals and communities, low-income individuals and communities, incarcerated individuals and communities, and other marginalized or oppressed individuals and communities.
• Proficiency with computers, technology devices, software, and applications at a level of proficiency appropriate for the position’s duties. Ability to learn and use new technologies, software, and applications at a level of proficiency appropriate for the position's duties.

Our current excellent benefits package includes:

• paid vacation time
• paid sick time
• paid personal time
• 14.5 paid holidays per year
• office shutdown periods during summer and winter as consistent with the organization’s values and work needs
• flexible Friday hours, consistent with operational needs and supervisor approval
• remote work stipend and commute-related benefits
• health insurance (medical/vision and dental)
• life insurance
• long-term disability insurance
• employer contributions to a wellness FSA account
• 401(k) retirement plan with matching and other contributions of up to 5.5% of salary, subject to the organization’s 401(k) plan requirements, which include a vesting schedule
• support for work-related coaching
• parental leave
• funds to support professional development related to work
• funds to support relationship and connection building related to work

Please note that all employment-related pay and benefits provided to ACLU of Oregon’s employees are subject to all applicable policies, practices, processes, and legal requirements, including changes to them that may occur from time to time.