Donor Engagement Senior Manager

The Donor Engagement Senior Manager manages The Marine Mammal Centers donor engagement and stewardship program strengthening relationships with donors at every level by ensuring a meaningful consistent timely experience connected to the Centers mission. This position contributes donor engagement insights and recommendations to Advancement planning and helps ensure donor engagement strategy is incorporated effectively. The Senior Manager with the Senior Director of Development will establish the standards systems and measures that guide donor engagement across Advancement and support donor retention renewal and long-term commitment.

As a key member of the Advancement team the Senior Manager will manage the Centers giving circles including Stellar Legacy Circle and partner closely with major and planned gifts events annual giving program staff and volunteers to help ensure donor engagement is cohesive and purposeful.

Essential Functions:

Donor Engagement Program Management: 20%

• Partner with Advancement leaders to contribute donor engagement recommendations to department planning and priorities.
• Manage and ensure the evaluation of the Centers donor engagement practices ensuring they are effective cohesive and aligned with Advancement priorities.
• Assess donor needs giving patterns feedback program results and emerging practices to identify opportunities and recommend improvements that strengthen the donor experience retention renewal and long-term commitment.
• With the Senior Director of Development develop and manage the annual donor engagement budget and the effective use of approved staff volunteer and financial resources to advance program goals.

Donor Communications Stewardship and Recognition: 20%

• Manage and ensure the continuous improvement of the Centers donor communications stewardship acknowledgment and recognition practices ensuring that donors at every giving level receive timely accurate meaningful and appropriately tailored engagement.
• Establish and maintain service standards workflows routing and escalation practices and standard operating procedures for donor inquiries gift acknowledgment stewardship and recognition.
• With the Senior Director Development develop and maintain a tiered stewardship and acknowledgment framework by giving level and donor type with defined touchpoints responsibilities timeliness expectations and quality standards.
• Ensure the development of stewardship communications impact reporting and recognition opportunities that connect donors with the outcomes of their support and strengthen retention renewal and long-term engagement.
• With the Senior Director Development support the resolution of complex or sensitive donor matters and ensure that donor preferences interactions acknowledgments stewardship activities and recognition commitments are accurately and consistently maintained in the CRM.

Giving Circles and Donor Engagement: 15%

• Guided by Advancement leadership manage:
• Planning implementation growth and ongoing evaluation of the Centers giving circles and recognition societies including the Steller Legacy Circle in alignment with established Advancement strategy and priorities.
• program standards and expectations for membership renewals benefits communications engagement and recognition ensuring that commitments to members are fulfilled consistently.
• Cultivation and engagement opportunities for giving circle members in partnership with annual giving major gifts planned giving prospect research and events.
• The development and stewardship of the donor pipeline into and within giving circles identifying opportunities to deepen engagement and encourage movement between giving levels.
• The evaluation of membership renewal participation pipeline movement and engagement results and recommend program improvements based on performance and donor feedback.

Leadership and Management: 20%

• Supervise and coach staff; establish clear goals priorities responsibilities decision-making authority and performance expectations.
• Conduct regular individual and team meetings approve timecards and time-off requests complete performance evaluations and address performance or workplace concerns.
• Support staff in developing their knowledge capabilities and professional skills while promoting accountability for individual and team results.
• Foster an inclusive collaborative donor-centered and accountable team culture that supports effective communication problem-solving professional development and shared responsibility for results.

Volunteer Engagement and Training: 10%

• Develop and manage a volunteer-supported donor appreciation program including thank-you calls handwritten notes and other stewardship activities.
• Partner with the Centers volunteer program to recruit onboard schedule support and recognize volunteers who participate in donor engagement activities.
• Develop scripts guidelines training and quality standards that prepare volunteers to communicate with donors warmly accurately and consistently.
• Provide ongoing direction support and feedback to volunteers and address questions or concerns that arise through their donor interactions.
• Monitor volunteer-supported donor engagement activities to ensure alignment with established service confidentiality and quality standards

Collaboration Performance Measurement and Organizational Impact: 10%

• Partner across Advancement and with program staff and volunteers to support a cohesive donor experience and strengthen alignment across donor engagement activities.
• Develop and maintain dashboards and reporting on donor service acknowledgment timeliness retention renewal giving circle participation and other donor engagement outcomes.
• Analyze program results and donor feedback identify trends and opportunities and provide findings and recommendations to Advancement leadership.

Other Duties as Assigned: 5%

• Perform special projects and research as assigned.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

• Strong commitment to the mission and strategic priorities of The Marine Mammal Center.
• Knowledge of donor engagement donor relations stewardship gift acknowledgment recognition and donor service practices across giving levels and donor types.
• Knowledge of fundraising principles and the donor lifecycle including annual giving major gifts planned giving giving circles cultivation solicitation stewardship renewal and upgrading.
• Commitment to the highest ethical standards in fundraising consistent with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Code of Ethical Standards and the Donor Bill of Rights.
• Ability to contribute donor engagement insights and recommendations into effective program plans standards and practices.
• Demonstrated ability to manage evaluate and continuously improve donor engagement projects that strengthen donor relationships retention renewal and long-term commitment.
• Strong project management and systems-building skills with the ability to design document implement and maintain service standards stewardship frameworks workflows standard operating procedures performance measures and quality expectations.
• Ability to develop and interpret donor engagement metrics analyze program results and donor feedback identify trends and opportunities and present practical recommendations to leadership.
• Ability to manage budgets monitor expenditures assess resource needs and manage approved resources responsibly.
• Ability to supervise and coach staff establish clear priorities and performance expectations address problems and foster accountability for individual and team results.
• Ability to recruit train lead and support volunteers and develop meaningful volunteer roles that contribute to successful donor engagement.
• Ability to build effective partnerships influence decisions coordinate work across functions and support change involving Advancement program teams organizational leadership staff and volunteers.
• Excellent written verbal presentation facilitation and interpersonal communication skills with a warm donor-centered service orientation and the ability to communicate professionally and with discretion.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines anticipate challenges exercise sound judgment and guide work through completion.
• Proficiency with Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) systems preferably Salesforce with the Nonprofit Success Pack and with productivity and project management tools such as Asana and Slack.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Excel Outlook PowerPoint SharePoint Word) productivity management tools (Asana Slack) and virtual collaboration tools (Teams Zoom).
• Commitment to fostering an inclusive respectful collaborative and accountable workplace and the ability to work effectively with individuals of diverse backgrounds identities experiences and perspectives.
• Willingness to support and participate in The Marine Mammal Centers diversity equity and inclusion programs.

Certifications and/or Licenses:

• Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) credential is a plus.
• Valid drivers license with an acceptable motor vehicle record to maintain insurability standards. (Must be 21 years old as this position frequently requires driving company vehicles.)

Preferred Education and Experience:

This position requires a combination of education and experience equivalent to a bachelors degree in administration development business or related field; and a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience or equivalent work in donor relations stewardship or advancement and 3 years of supervisory experience is required.

Experience managing stewardship systems donor communications or recognition programs is preferred.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements:

• This position operates in a professional office laboratory and hospital environment both indoors and outdoors with access to other parts of the facilities via outdoor pathways.
• Routinely uses standard office equipment requiring repetitive motion in tasks.
• Ability to work at a desk for extended periods using a computer.
• Ability to work in an open cubicle office space environment with many distractions.
• Ability to drive/operate a vehicle for extensive periods of time.
• Ability to move up to 25 pounds occasionally.
• Ability to spend extended periods on your feet walking standing crouching and climbing stairs (potentially in inclement weather conditions).
• Limited exposure to allergens and zoonotic diseases.
• May involves smells associated with animals and the care of animals.

Position Type Expected Hours of Work and Travel:

• This is a full-time onsite position.
• Days and hours of work may vary according to the needs of The Marine Mammal Center.
• Evening weekend and holiday work may be required as job duties demand.
• Travel within California the Hawaiian Islands and other national travel may be expected for this position.