Donor Relations Specialist

Organization: Feed the Mass

Location: Portland, OR

Reports to: Administrative Director

Position Summary

The Donor Relations Specialist drives donor cultivation and stewardship while supporting grant writing and fundraising strategy development. This role helps supporters feel connected, appreciated, and inspired by creating donor-centered campaigns across email, social media, and print, while ensuring consistent acknowledgments and meaningful stewardship touchpoints year-round. The coordinator also supports the organization’s grant pipeline by drafting proposals and reports, managing deadlines, and gathering outcomes data and impact stories.

The ideal candidate is a relationship-builder and excellent writer who can translate program outcomes into compelling narratives, manage calendars and deadlines, and use metrics to improve fundraising performance.

Key Responsibilities

Donor Stewardship & Relationship Management

Manage donor stewardship workflows from first gift through long-term engagement (thank-you process, follow-ups, retention touchpoints).

Coordinate timely acknowledgments (thank-you letters, emails, calls, and special touches) for donors, sponsors, and partners.

Support donor retention strategies, including recurring donor engagement, milestone recognition, and personalized outreach.

Assist with donor meeting preparation and stewardship experiences such as tours, open houses, and donor appreciation events.

Ensure donor communications are warm, professional, accurate, and aligned with Feed the Mass values.

Fundraising Campaigns, Communications & Storytelling

Create compelling digital and print content that highlights mission impact (donor appeals, impact stories, program updates, testimonials).

Draft, schedule, and execute donor communications including newsletters, fundraising appeals, giving campaigns, event invitations, and sponsorship messaging.

Manage the donor communications calendar to ensure consistent and strategic messaging across the year.

Collaborate with internal team members to gather stories, quotes, photos, and data that strengthen donor messaging.

Maintain brand voice and message consistency across channels (email, print, web, and social).

Fundraising Strategy & Planning

Support leadership in developing and maintaining an annual fundraising strategy that includes donor acquisition, retention, recurring giving, corporate sponsorship, and grant revenue targets.

Help plan seasonal fundraising pushes (Giving Tuesday, end-of-year giving, emergency response fundraising) including timelines, messaging, and channel strategy.

Assist in building donor journeys (first-time donor → recurring donor → major donor pipeline) and stewardship plans by donor segment.

Help develop fundraising collateral such as one-pagers, sponsorship packages, pitch materials, and impact decks.

Track and summarize fundraising performance data and propose improvements based on results.

Grant Writing & Funder Stewardship

Support grant development by drafting proposal narratives, gathering attachments, and coordinating required information in collaboration with leadership and finance.

Maintain a grant calendar to track deadlines, reporting requirements, and renewal opportunities.

Collect and organize program metrics, participant stories, budgets/financial inputs, and organizational documents needed for proposals and reports.

Draft and submit grant reports and funder updates that communicate outcomes, lessons learned, and continued needs.

Research and recommend funding opportunities aligned with Feed the Mass programs and strategic priorities.

Donor Database, Lists & Reporting

Build and maintain donor lists and segmentation (new donors, recurring donors, lapsed donors, sponsors, event attendees).

Maintain accurate donor records and support data hygiene in the CRM (contact info, giving history, communication preferences).

Track engagement metrics and donor response rates (email open/click rates, conversions, retention, campaign performance).

Produce simple monthly summaries and dashboards to support decision-making and strategy refinement.

Cross-Team Coordination & Administrative Support

Coordinate closely with leadership to align donor and funder communications with program timelines and organizational priorities.

Support event logistics tied to fundraising and donor stewardship (RSVP tracking, materials, donor follow-ups).

Ensure confidentiality and professionalism in handling donor data, communications, and funding information.

What Success Looks Like

Within 30–60 days:

Learns Feed the Mass programs, impact pillars, and donor voice.

Improves donor thank-you consistency and establishes a clear acknowledgment workflow.

Builds a 90-day donor communications calendar and a grant deadlines tracker.

Within 3–6 months:

Launches consistent donor impact updates and supports at least one donor acquisition campaign.

Implements basic donor segmentation and reporting to improve targeting and results.

Supports multiple grant submissions with organized files, accurate narratives, and on-time deadlines.

Within 12 months:

Strengthens donor retention and recurring giving through consistent stewardship rhythms.

Improves fundraising campaign performance through testing, tracking, and iteration.

Helps grow a reliable grant pipeline with strong reporting and renewal readiness.

Qualifications

2–4 years of experience in communications, fundraising support, donor stewardship, grant writing support, marketing, or related work.

Excellent writing and storytelling skills with the ability to adapt for donors, sponsors, and funders.

Strong project management skills and attention to detail; able to manage calendars, deadlines, and multiple priorities.

Comfort working with donor lists, tracking metrics, and reporting performance results.

Strong digital skills: social media management, email marketing, and basic design tools (e.g., Canva/Adobe Express).

Professional, warm, and reliable communication style (written and verbal).

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with donor databases/CRMs (e.g., Salesforce, Bloomerang, DonorPerfect, Little Green Light, or similar).

Experience drafting or co-writing successful grant proposals and grant reports.

Familiarity with annual fundraising planning, giving campaigns, and donor segmentation.

Experience supporting fundraising events, sponsorship outreach, or corporate partnerships.

Work Environment & Expectations

Mission-driven, collaborative team environment with a strong focus on community impact.

Occasional evening/weekend availability for events, tours, or campaign deadlines.

Ability to work on-site as needed for coordination, content gathering, and community-facing moments.

Compensation & Benefits

Starting Salary: $60,000

Health benefits, paid time off, self-care stipend, parking assistance, and professional development opportunities

A collaborative, mission-driven work environment