Community Foundation Announces Search for Chief Donor Engagement Officer

June 15, 2018

Are you passionate about working with individuals, families and companies to help make a positive difference in our community and beyond? The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation is looking for a Chief Donor Engagement Officer to do just that.

Why we are hiring a Chief Donor Engagement Officer:

The Community Foundation is looking toward the future and the changing needs of our community and the donors who support it. The Chief Donor Engagement Officer (CDEO) will lead an initiative to engage donors, their families, and their professional advisors in the mission and vision of the Community Foundation.

At The Community Foundation, we want to ensure our community thrives now and forever. We do this by building and managing our Community’s Endowment, and working closely with donors to achieve their philanthropic goals. We continue to see a significant increase in the interest level in both parts of our work.

The Foundation manages 400 charitable funds totaling $132 million in assets. In the past five years, more than $47 million has been added to these funds and more than $15 million has been granted. The growth is exciting, however, to continue at our current pace, a CDEO is needed to lead our efforts to steward current donors and form new relationships.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Support, create enthusiasm for, and advance the mission of The Foundation.
  • Serve as the voice of charitable giving in the organization, ensuring philanthropy and fundraising has context in the organization’s overall mission and vision.
  • Work with the CEO and the Donor Engagement Team to create and execute a strategic fundraising plan with clearly defined goals, timeframes, and metrics.
  • Recruit and develop and manage a high-performing Donor Engagement Team that reflects the culture and values of the Foundation and its mission:
    • Foster a culture of continual learning and improvement for the Donor Engagement Team by evaluating performance and providing coaching, training, and mentoring opportunities in all areas of fundraising, data management, and stewardship;
    • Build internal expertise in gift planning options and techniques to allow quick responses to donors who have unusual assets or want to create complex gifts; and
    • Working with the CEO, set and manage annual activity-based and performance-based goals and metrics for individual team members as well as for the Donor Engagement Team as a whole.
  • Personally manage an annual portfolio of approximately 50 major and deferred gift donors/prospective donors with responsibility for qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, closing gifts, and stewarding those donors.
  • Design and implement a donor recognition plan that will thank and show appreciation for all Foundation donors.
  • Work with the Communications Officer to develop an integrated donor/prospect communications plan to expand awareness of the Foundation’s vision and priorities, the case for donor support, and the impact of donors in the community.
  • Work with the CFO to develop and manage a budget for the Donor Engagement Team.
  • Understand and be able to use individual and aggregate donor data for decision-making and moves management; provide ongoing reporting to CEO, Donor Engagement Team, Program Directors and the board on progress, trends, and opportunities.
  • Staff the Board Donor Engagement Committee and Gift Acceptance Committee.
  • Such other duties as required to advance the mission of the Foundation.

Qualifications:

  • Education
    • BS/BA degree required, advanced degree preferred
    • Fundraising certificate (e.g. CFRE, ACFRE, CAP) a plus
  • Experience
    • 5 to 7 years of donor development and fundraising experience, 3 years of proven success in major/deferred gift fundraising
    • Knowledge of fundraising areas such as annual fund, major gifts, events or planned giving is preferred
    • Strategy setting for donor communication required
    • Community Foundation experience is a plus
  • Leadership
    • Minimum of 3 years supervisory experience of a fundraising team
    • Ability to guide committees
  • Data competency
    • Understand and be able to use individual and aggregate donor data for decision-making and moves management
    • FIMS software, Crystal Reports, RaisersEdge, Crescendo or similar a plus
  • Flexibility
    • Ability to work flexible hours, including some evenings and weekends
    • Occasional regional/national travel required
  • Ethical
    • Willingness to demonstrate and uphold principles and values of the Foundation
    • Confidential use of donor data required

How you will be compensated:

  • Competitive salary
  • Paid time off – vacation time, sick time, holidays
  • Health benefits and $750 annual health reimbursement account
  • 401(k) retirement plan with immediate participation (6% employer match after first year)
  • Individual professional development budget

Why you might want to work with us:

You will hear our staff say we have the best jobs in the world. As cliché as it may be, the work we do at The Community Foundation gives us a sense of fulfillment from spending our days working toward a better Hancock County. We have a close-knit, positive team of 13 people who love what they do. Our office is located in the historic and developing Downtown Findlay, voted the number 1 micropolitan community in the country three years in a row. The Foundation is a fast-growing organization that works hard to maintain a positive brand and image in the community, and we are looking for the right person who will share our commitment to excellence to join our talented and dedicated team. We work with donors, families, businesses, and community leaders during some of the most important and exciting seasons in their lives; helping to steward charitable resources for the betterment of others.

Interested?

Email your resume and cover letter to apply@community-foundation.com by Monday, July 16, 2018. Your cover letter should specifically address experiences in a donor-centered fundraising environment, involvement securing major and/or estate gifts ($300,000+), and familiarity in leading a team.

All are welcomed and encouraged to apply. The Community Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the Foundation to recruit, hire, train, and promote persons for all job classifications and administer personnel actions without regard to race, creed, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, genetic information, or physical or mental disability.