Donor Relations Manager

Description:

Position: Donor Engagement Manager CEO/CDO Support

About ACE Scholarships

ACE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, founded in 2000 in Denver, Colorado, to provide low-income children with equal access to quality K12 private schools through partial scholarship support. Over the past 25+ years, ACE has delivered more than 140,000 scholarships worth over $390 million. This school year, ACE is serving approximately 16,000+ children in Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming, and is actively pursuing other expansion opportunities with the support of national funding partners. ACE is actively preparing for the Federal School Choice Tax Credit Program which comes into effect January 2027. For more information visit the ACE website at

Our Mission
Our mission is to advance K12 educational freedom, with a focus on securing financial support for families so they may access the quality education of their choice.

Our Values:
ACE Founding Principles: Our founding principles are the foundation of ACE and our North Star. We honor ACEs founders by remaining committed to these principles, and we passionately advocate for the Mission and Vision these principles support.

Accountability: We embrace personal responsibility by taking ownership of our work and focusing on results. We expect both to give and to receive honest feedback.

Innovation: We know ideas matter. We prefer the risks and rewards that come with creativity to the certainty that attends stagnation.

Adaptability: We position ourselves to take advantage of opportunities, embracing strategic and operational change when it makes our work more impactful.

Optimism: We believe our best days are ahead, and we embrace a forward-thinking mindset. We will make mistakes, but we will remain cheerful in the face of adversity and give people the benefit of the doubt.

Kindness: We value everyone on our team, respect differences, and trust one another. This requires courage and strength, as it involves celebrating and giving our undivided attention to others.

Our Founding Principles:

• Free enterprise and democracy work
• Parents know the best education environment for their kids
• Private schools offer great value and have open seats
• All people are created equal and deserve an equal chance to pursue the American Dream

Position Overview

The Donor Engagement Manager is a highly organized, proactive, and warm professional providing high-level support to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Development Officer (CDO).

The ideal candidate aligns closely with the organizations values and leadership, communicates effectively, and thrives in a fast-paced environment. They are responsive, solution-oriented, and willing to support time-sensitive needs, including occasional evenings and weekends.

This is a dynamic opportunity for someone eager to grow as a leader. This position also includes occasional travel opportunities to support the CEO and CDO at donor events and strategic engagements.

This role is critical in supporting donor relations, maintaining internal alignment with the Marketing and Development teams, and managing executive-level logistics with discretion and professionalism.

Primary Job Responsibilities

Donor Engagement & Communication for the CEO and CDO

• Coordinate donor meetings, major gift planning, and fundraising events
• Maximize follow-up opportunities from fundraising events by:
• Conducting follow-up phone calls to schedule one on one donor meetings
• Draft and send thoughtful, professional, and personalized follow-up notes, emails, and other ACE overview materials
• Draft pre-meeting notes and meeting confirmations
• Maintain warm, articulate, and professional donor communication
• Help the CEO and CDO stand out by strengthening donor relationships and managing key details
• Send board communications on behalf of the CEO and CDO
• Collaborate with the CEO and CDO to track and fulfill responsibilities tied to annual goals
• Schedule and support weekly prospect meetings with relevant staff
• Coordinate and support webinars and meetings with major gift officers
• Coordinate and support webinars and meetings with major donor prospect, national board and other stakeholders as required

Donor Meeting Preparation

• Create detailed trip agendas, including donor bios, giving history, and meeting notes
• Prepare briefing documents and materials for donor meetings

Donor Prospecting

• Identify influential and wealthy prospects nationally to support diversity of donors across the nation
• Help coordinate meetings, zoom calls with prospects

Travel & Event Logistics

• Coordinate travel arrangements (flights, accommodations, transportation)
• Book restaurants and manage logistics for donor visits and team travel

Adaptability & Executive Support

• Provide direct support to the CEO and CDO for important, time-sensitive, and occasional last-minute requests, including projects that require immediate response
• Ensure a calm, efficient, and responsive executive environment
• Understanding that this is a fast-paced environment, and while we seek to plan as much in advance, circumstances do not always allow for such planning
• Managing CEO and CDO expense reports and monthly review of CEO and CDO budget

Collaboration with Senior Leadership

• Partner closely with the President and Marketing Leaders to align on development strategy and execution

Coordinate National School Choice Partnerships

• Help CEO and CDO maintain relations with national school choice partners to enhance ACEs work

Communications & Special Projections

• Collaborate with the communications team on speechwriting, media interviews, and major projects (e.g., organizational magazine)
• Serve as backup for the communications team in drafting CEO communications when needed
• Manage consistency and clarity on messaging to align with communications team
• Support or lead execution of media projects when the communications team is unavailable
• CEO bookings for podcasts, interviews, and public appearances in collaboration with Mar/Comms
• Supporting CEO and CDO in school choice market research, reading newspapers and articles daily

Social Media

• Work with Social Media Manager to coordinate CEO posts Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn
• Assist Social Media Manager with CEO in growing his national social media presence

Staff Support

• Work with President to help schedule guest speakers for internal staff meetings
• Work with CDO to help coordinate and prepare materials for monthly development team meetings
• Draft internal notes and updates to staff on behalf of the CEO

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Unwavering belief in the mission of ACE Scholarships
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills and an excellent professional appearance and presentation
• Warm, personable and professional demeanor
• Highly organized, detailed oriented and proven ability to manage shifting priorities and complex logistics
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Eagerness to learn, grown, and develop within the field of development and nonprofit leadership
• Experience supporting executives or working in donor-focused roles preferred
• Ability to convey the mission and vision of ACE Scholarships to internal and external stakeholders

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration, non-profit management or other related field desired; or equivalent related experience of 4+ years in executive support, development, sales, business administration, hospitality, or other related fields.
• Personal and professional integrity
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite; familiar with Raisers Edge (or other similar CRM system) for managing donor communications and record donor moves and communications in Raisers Edge
• On occasion, ability to travel, willingness to work flexible hours, including evenings or weekends when needed

Location, Travel, and Reporting

• This an in-office role in Denver office, remote work as approved by manager
• Reports to the Chief Executive Officer
• 15 -20% travel throughout the year

FLSA Status: Full-time, Exempt

Compensation

Annual salary range: $90,000 - $110,000 , based on experience and alignment with internal pay bands.

In addition, this role is eligible for ACEs comprehensive benefits package, which includes but is not limited to:

• Medical Insurance (with generous employer contribution)
• Dental Insurance (with generous employer contribution)
• Vision Insurance
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• HSA, FSA, Limited FSA, and Dependent Care FSA pre-tax spending accounts
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Free, Employer-paid Short-term, Long-term, and AD&D insurance
• 401(k) with 6% employer match with immediate vesting
• Monthly cellphone stipend
• Scholarships for employees children actively enrolled in a K12 private school ($3,500 per child, up to $10,500 per year)
• On-site amenities at Colorado home office
• Employer-paid parking (in-office)
• Gym, caf, and building security (in-office)
• In-office coffee, snack bar, and walking treadmill (in-office)

Compensation details: 90000-110000 Yearly Salary

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