Donor Engagement Manager

Pike Place Market Foundation | Seattle, WA

Employment Type: Full-Time

Reports To: Director of Development

Location: Pike Place Market, Seattle, WA (on-site preferred; hybrid considered)

About the Foundation

Beyond the fish and flowers, Pike Place Market is a village of farmers, artists, residents, workers, and neighbors. With senior housing above the Market's storefronts and a network of social services woven throughout the historic district, Pike Place Market Foundation welcomes and supports a diverse community in the heart of downtown Seattle.

Established in 1982, following the community effort to preserve Pike Place Market, the Foundation was created to help fulfill the Market's historic charter by supporting services and resources for the people who call the Market home, especially neighbors living on low incomes.

Rooted in our model for a healthy community, we work to improve health and well-being by promoting and increasing access to education, nutritious food, community support, economic stability, and a safe neighborhood.

Through partnerships with a network of social service organizations and our own programs and services at The Market Commons, we help strengthen the community that makes Pike Place Market unique.

Together with our staff, service partners, volunteers, donors, businesses, residents, and neighbors, we are working toward our vision of a healthy Pike Place Market community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

The Impact You'll Make

This is a relationship management role with meaningful responsibility. The Donor Engagement Manager will manage a portfolio of 350 to 450 individual donors in the $500 to $5,000 annual giving range, including some of Pike Place Market Foundation's most loyal supporters, many of whom have been giving for decades.

You are a skilled relationship manager who understands how to build meaningful connections and deepen engagement over time. You will be responsible for cultivating donors toward meaningful gifts, increasing giving levels over time, and identifying planned giving opportunities within a portfolio of long-time donors who have never been formally asked. This is meaningful donor development work.

You will work closely with the Director of Development and collaborate with the Annual Fund, Major Gifts, and Corporate teams to ensure a seamless donor experience across the organization.

What You'll Do

Portfolio Management

• Manage an active portfolio of 350 to 450 individual donors with annual gifts of $500 to $5,000.
• Build and execute tiered moves management plans:
  • Personalized engagement plans for Tier A donors (top approximately 50 based on recency and upgrade potential)
  • Structured cadence plans for Tier B donors (active donors receiving mass communications with periodic personal outreach)
  • Retention monitoring for Tier C donors approaching lapse
• Conduct regular outreach through personal calls, emails, handwritten notes, and in-person meetings.
• Identify donors with the potential and inclination to make major or planned gifts, and flag them for collaborative cultivation.
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date records in Virtuous CRM, including contact notes, next actions, and pipeline status.

Cultivation & Solicitation

• Make personal gift asks and facilitate solicitations in alignment with the development plan.
• Prepare for and lead donor meetings, tours, and cultivation events.
• Use the Market itself as a cultivation tool. The Pike Place Market experience is one of our greatest stewardship assets.
• Steward donors through key organizational moments, including campaign milestones, program impacts, events, and annual giving efforts.

Collaboration & Strategy

• Participate in team meetings and contribute to development strategy.
• Collaborate with the Annual Fund and Communications staff to ensure donors in this portfolio receive appropriate organizational communications alongside personal outreach.
• Contribute to portfolio reviews and prospect identification processes.
• Support the Director of Development with donor research and prospect screening as needed.

What You'll Bring

Required Experience

• 3 to 5 years of experience in individual fundraising, donor relations, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing a donor portfolio and making direct gift asks.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to initiate conversations, build rapport quickly, and maintain relationships over time.
• Comfortable writing your own fundraising communications, including personal cultivation emails, stewardship letters, event invitations, and appeal language. Our communications support is fractional and contracted. Gift officers write much of their own donor communications and take ownership of their messaging.
• Excellent written communication skills and the ability to write a compelling, personal donor note without relying on a template.
• Proficiency with a donor CRM, including Virtuous, Raiser's Edge, Salesforce, or a comparable platform.
• Genuine affinity for the mission and community of Pike Place Market.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with moves management frameworks and portfolio fundraising strategies.
• Familiarity with planned giving concepts and the ability to recognize planned giving opportunities within donor relationships.
• Experience with donor cultivation or major gift fundraising in a nonprofit setting.
• Comfort with cultivation events, donor tours, and in-person relationship building.

Benefits and Wellbeing

At Pike Place Market Foundation, we care about supporting our team's well-being both at work and beyond. We offer a comprehensive benefits package for eligible employees, including:

• Employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees.
• Employer-paid life insurance and short and long-term disability insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program with confidential counseling, wellness resources, legal support, financial guidance, and family care referrals.
• Flexible Spending Accounts for health care and dependent care expenses.
• Access to voluntary dependent medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Voluntary pet insurance.
• Transportation benefits.
• Paid time off and holidays.

Specific benefit offerings and eligibility requirements are subject to plan terms and may change over time.

Our Commitment to Equity

At Pike Place Market Foundation, we believe a thriving community is built when people feel welcomed, respected, and valued for who they are. We are committed to fostering a workplace where diverse perspectives, experiences, and identities are recognized as strengths.

We actively work to create an environment of inclusion, belonging, and mutual respect. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, age, disability, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected status.

We know this work is ongoing. We are committed to listening, learning, and growing as we build a stronger organization and a stronger Market community together.