Donor Relations Manager/Senior Manager

Palestine Legal seeks a full-time Donor Relations Manager/Senior Manager to join our diverse nationwide team and support the organization’s fundraising work.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Palestine Legal is an independent organization dedicated to protecting the civil and constitutional rights of people in the U.S. who speak out for Palestinian freedom. Our mission is to bolster the Palestine solidarity movement by challenging efforts to threaten, harass and legally bully activists into silence and inaction. Palestine Legal is committed to a movement lawyering approach, and we strive to put into practice our values.

The Donor Relations Manager/Senior Manager will be responsible for leading the organization’s relationship management with our community of supporters. They will build out, lead, and implement major and recurring donor strategies, including events focused on engaging these donors. In the context of heightened repression in the U.S. that makes Palestine Legal’s work more crucial than ever, the ideal candidate is an experienced fundraiser who is excited to spend their time talking to potential and current Pal Legal donors and who has a proven track record of moving people from low-level engagement to sustained and enthusiastic support for the long haul.

This position requires outstanding communication and relationship-building skills, strong leadership, familiarity with the Palestine movement in the US, knowledge of and experience with using data systems, exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, creativity and resourcefulness, and experience with project management. Tell us your favorite comfort food so we know you read the whole job description. Familiarity with fundraising for Palestine-related work, previous knowledge of Palestine Legal, comfort working with large datasets, Arabic language skills, and grassroots fundraising experience are a plus.

This is an exempt position. Exempt employees are expected to work the appropriate and necessary time to complete key assignments and related tasks on schedule.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• With development team, ensure that Palestine Legal reaches its annual revenue goals through fundraising and resource mobilization.
• Build out, lead, and implement major and recurring donor strategies, including during and between spring and end-of-year fundraising campaigns.
• Lead relationship management for team’s donor portfolios, including holding largest portfolio of major donor relationships.
• Build trust and cultivate genuine relationships with donors by email, phone, and the occasional in-person meeting.
• Lead and implement events focused on major donors, including donor briefings and house parties.
• Facilitate full process of major and recurring donor engagement, from prospecting to thanking donors.
• Ensure accurate and complete recordkeeping of engagement with major and recurring donors.
• Support budget projections and analytics for major and recurring donors.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Participate in development team and contribute to short- and long-term development planning and execution.
• Support with other development projects as needed, including refining development systems and processes to ensure organizational resilience.
• Contribute to other organizational needs as needed, including participating in strategic and annual organizational and programmatic planning processes.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• 5-8+ years of relevant fundraising experience, including working with major donors, required. 8-10 years of experience preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Commitment to the mission and values of Palestine Legal.
• Familiarity with and/or directly affected by the legal suppression that Palestinian rights activists face in the United States and with a deep understanding of the Palestine movement in general.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and human rights issues and to working with, and taking direction from, impacted communities, clients, and grassroots organizations to advance their goals.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate, build trust, and maintain relationships with diverse, intergenerational stakeholders.
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills.
• Exceptional project management skills with an understanding of both purpose and components of fundraising events or campaigns; can manage timelines, communicate to development team, and manage team’s engagement.
• High level of facility and comfort with quickly learning and using tech tools for fundraising such as Excel, CRMs, Slack-like messaging platforms, Zoom, Signal, website building, and digital filing systems.
• Able to motivate others, keep up morale and energy around fundraising.
• Passion for and experience with grassroots fundraising.
• Organized and process-oriented with ability to work under tight timelines.
• Attention to detail and knowledge of fundraising logistics.
• Understanding of or familiarity with fundraising for Palestine-related work.
• Resourceful and willing to experiment; able to seek creative paths to mobilizing resources.
• Self-motivated, quick learner, and creative at problem-solving.
• Integrity and sense of humor.
• Arabic language skills a plus.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:

The Donor Relations Manager/Senior Manager will report directly to the Senior Development Manager. They will communicate directly with donors to build and maintain organizational relationships.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Domestic travel up to 6 times a year expected. Some lifting may be required (e.g. carrying boxes, picking up fundraising materials, etc., up to 50 pounds on occasion). Candidate must be able to sit for long periods of time and type on a computer and must be able to communicate frequently by phone and electronically.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The role will primarily be performed remotely, with occasional needs at in-person fundraisers, staff retreats, Palestine Legal's Chicago or New York office. When traveling, work may be performed in public spaces, at private homes, or in hotels or other venues, and will require transportation between different locations for events, convenings and lodging.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

This is a full-time (35-hour work week) exempt staff position. Exempt employees may be required to work more than 35-hours per week on occasion, particularly to complete time-sensitive work on schedule. Salary is calculated based on years of relevant experience, with annual increases according to an established scale; the salary range for this position for someone with 5-7 years of relevant experience (manager) is $88,288 - $95,493, or with 8-10 years of relevant experience (senior manager) is $101,188-$107,350. Excellent health and other benefits, including full health benefits for staff and dependents, 403b employer matches, flexible spending accounts, and generous paid sick, vacation, holiday, and family leave are also provided in a work culture that encourages a healthy work-life balance.

TO APPLY: Please use this form to submit 1) a resume; 2) a writing sample that demonstrates your relevant skills (1-2 pages max); and 3) a cover letter explaining your interest in the position, why you think you’ll excel in the position (including your experience cultivating donor relationships and/or data on the impact of your previous fundraising if available), and how you think you could contribute to Palestine Legal’s mission and values.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis with priority given to those received before 5pm CT on February 19, 2026. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may not be able to respond to individual inquiries.

The projected start for this role is late April 2026.

Palestine Legal recognizes that job seekers from marginalized communities (for example, women, LGBTQ+ people, and people of color) can be less likely to apply for jobs if they don’t meet every single qualification listed. We encourage you to consider applying even if you may not meet every attribute listed. Our priority is to find the right candidate for the position.

Palestine Legal, a project of Tides Center, is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer. Applicants and employees shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression) identity, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance.

Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of accommodation needs at the time of application.

Excellent health and other benefits, including full health benefits for staff and dependents, 403b employer matches, flexible spending accounts, and generous paid sick, vacation, holiday, and family leave are also provided in a work culture that encourages a healthy work-life balance.

Outstanding oral and written communication skills.

Arabic language skills a plus.