Donor Relations Manager – Lab of Ornithology

Donor Relations Manager – Lab of Ornithology

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with at least 5 years’ experience or equivalent.
• Strong knowledge of fundraising and stewardship best practices.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and extreme comfort with writing, proofreading, and editing.
• Excellent organizational skills, ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously, and attention to detail.
• Must take initiative and have the ability to work independently, display original thinking and creativity, and meet challenges with resourcefulness.
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment, including working in teams to solve challenges, and in situations where tasks/directions might change quickly.
• Demonstrated respect and sensitivity for cultural differences and ability to foster relationships with current and potential donors.
• Must handle situations with a high degree of confidentiality, discretion, judgment, tact, and diplomacy.
• Highly capable in working with database software, spreadsheet software (such as Excel), graphing and charting software, word processing software (such as Word) and presentation software (such as Power Point).
• The ability to learn and understand the Lab’s priorities and its accounting and financial processes is required.
• Must have demonstrated ability for working collaboratively and inclusively.
• Proven ability to work in a team environment where cooperation between colleagues and flexibility to different styles and approaches is required.
• Support may be required at times throughout the 7-day week and thus must be able to work weekends and evenings.

Responsibilities

• Sustain positive and mutually rewarding relations between the Lab and its supporters.
• Partner with Director, MGOs, faculty, and staff to plan and implement personalized stewardship activities for principal-gift and major-gift-level donors to the Lab, with a particular emphasis on individualized strategies for principal-gift donors.
• Create stewardship reports, acknowledgements, PowerPoint, videos and emails.
• Coordinate tailored donor stewardship and recognition events and trips.
• Spearhead other personalized activities.
• Collaborate with Cornell’s Alumni Affairs & Development (AAD) on donor/gift stewardship and accounting (resolving questions of gift crediting, account establishment, etc.).
• Ensure timely, thorough, and transparent tracking of stewardship activities in the various donor databases.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, fundraising or other relevant discipline.
• Fundraising and/or volunteer management experience in a non-profit setting.
• Events management experience.