MANAGER, DONOR EXPERIENCE

MANAGER, DONOR EXPERIENCE

Chicago

Who We Are and What We Believe:

Founded in 1997, Bottom Line is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization with a mission to partner with degree-aspiring students of color from under-resourced communities as they get into college, graduate, and go far in life. We achieve this mission by providing one-on-one guidance during the college application process through college graduation and the successful launch of their careers.

Our vision is to dramatically transform urban communities by producing thousands of new career-ready college graduates.

When you join Bottom Line, you will find a rewarding, fast-paced, results-oriented environment. We build strong relationships with our students and with each other. We take our work seriously, and we know that a focus on data and metrics is integral to our continued success. Experts in our fields, we are driven by our mission and extremely proud of the work we do.

What You Will Do:

The Manager of Donor Experience (MDE) will lead the Chicago region’s cultivation and engagement strategies to successfully steward donors and prospects. The primary responsibility of the MDE is to implement a robust calendar of events, activities, and communications that attract, cultivate, and steward a diversified donor base, including a signature fundraising event, which we hope to grow to $500,000 annually.

A successful MDE will effectively work with team members, programmatic staff, and leadership body members to execute shared goals around fundraising and donor engagement. They will be able to balance the requirements of an annual signature event with the need to engage donor segments throughout the year in a variety of ways. They will be able to take insights and ideas from the portfolio managers in Chicago about donor engagement needs and opportunities and execute them, viewing in-person and virtual events as a valuable tool for our front-line fundraisers. They will also be able to work with program focused staff to ensure that our donor engagement activities not only reflect our programs and students authentically but also connect our external stakeholders directly with our students and programs in a meaningful way.

The MDE will be a great communicator who can use a variety of media to share our story. With a successful MDE in place, the development team will be able to ensure that each member of the team can focus on building meaningful relationships that maximize donor contributions. While portfolio managers focus on cultivating donors via “1:1” activities, the Manager of Donor Experience executes “1: many” touchpoints. Therefore, the MDE needs to be able to:

• Understand the needs of each of Bottom Line’s donor segments, which currently include individual major donors and prospects ($5K+), grant-makers, corporate partners (companies who support Bottom Line financially and partner with us to advance our programmatic goals), and connectors;
• Partner with portfolio leaders to ensure their revenue and engagement goals are supported by strong strategies; and
• Create experiences of many sizes and shapes that demonstrate Bottom Line’s ripple effect, starting with the potential and achievement of our students and alums.

Primary Responsibilities: 

Leadership of Fundraising & Donor Cultivation Events (40%) 

• Lead the planning and execution of the annual signature fundraising event and all other revenue-generating events (working closely with the event planner, development team, Host Committee, and Executive Director). Responsibilities include:
  1. Execute a clear and detailed event plan that includes goals, committee structure and roles, staff roles, event logistics, and a timeline for execution
  2. Design and manage the revenue campaign that provides portfolio directors the tools they need to be successful in securing pre-event sponsorships and on-site donations
  3. Co-lead committee meetings and engagement strategy
  4. Oversee internal event coordination, manage Progress to Revenue Goal reporting for the event, guest engagement, and other critical metrics
• Execute a series of cultivation events, including volunteer opportunities and donor acquisition events
• Build and manage online fundraising campaigns using Bottom Line’s preferred technology platforms (currently Classy) in collaboration with the development team to support overall regional fundraising efforts
• Create and incorporate campaign and event-specific communications strategies into the overall communications plan

Donor Stewardship and Communications (35%) 

• Play a leadership role in executing a strategy to achieve Chicago’s annual fundraising goals, including – key messages, communications calendar, and event slate
• Design and execute segmented donor communications that reflect the regional development strategy
• Assist portfolio leaders in distributing invites, regional or organizational updates, and solicitation campaigns to their assigned donors
• Lead the development team’s planning and content creation efforts for regular social media posts on Bottom Line’s accounts in coordination with Bottom Line's External Affairs Team in the national office
• Serve as the first point of contact for donors before they are assigned
• Ensure regional stewardship efforts are executed according to plan and activities are accurately tracked in Salesforce on donor records

Corporate Event and Volunteer Management (10%) 

• Fulfill volunteer engagement and hiring proposals with corporate partners and work with the Bottom Line Program and Career Connections Teams to ensure alignment
• Partner with development team and program teams to advance the successful rollout of the new Bottom Line Connect platform, including designing materials and communication to encourage corporate partners and volunteers to sign-up and utilize the platform to directly connect with Bottom Line students and alumni

Leadership (10%) 

• Co-lead the Bottom Line Student Ambassador (BLSA) initiative with a member of the program team, recruiting new students and managing the program annually
• Provide leadership in developing and implementing a framework for engaging students as representatives of Bottom Line to funders (via written stories, appearances at meetings, donor events, etc.)
• Ensure that all students who participate feel prepared and empowered in their interactions

Team Support (5%) 

• Work closely with the national finance and regional development teams to ensure all donations are accurately recorded;
• Collaborate with development team to track gifts allocated to the Chicago region, ensuring that portfolio managers properly record donations and generate appropriate stewardship touch points
• Research new donor and funder prospects as needed

Embedded Responsibilities:

Through all the work outlines above:

• Work with program team to recruit/support student/alumni ambassadors for events
• Oversee relationships and coordinate the work of external vendor(s), ensuring an inclusive selection process that advances and reflects Bottom Line’s DEI strategy.

Update and maintain accurate donor, opportunity, and payment information in Salesforce system (donor database), coordinating with National data support team as needed

• Coordinate with colleagues at National and across regions on strategies they lead or co-lead
• Represent the Bottom Line brand in a positive light, and take actions to increase brand awareness throughout the community

Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without advanced notice.

Work Schedule:

Monday – Friday, 9a-5p or 10a-6p, with some flexibility. Hybrid schedule with minimum of 2 in person days each week in the Chicago office.

Expected Travel:

Local travel is required as needed.