Donor Relations Director

Job Description

Job Description

DEPARTMENT: Divisional Development
DIRECT SUPERVISOR: Divisional Director of Development
STATUS: Full-Time, Exempt
DATE: August 2026

Annual salary: $85,000- $95,000

MISSION STATEMENT:
The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

JOB SUMMARY:
The Donor Relations Director (DRD) plays a key and integral role in the success of the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division’s fund development efforts, specifically through ongoing and proactive relationship management, strategic communications plans, gifts cultivation and solicitation activity with an assigned caseload of 150 qualified major donors. In this role, the DRD will identify, qualify, be assigned to, cultivate, solicit and steward major gift donors, acting as the primary contact between The Salvation Army and the assigned caseload, with an emphasis on securing gifts of $5,000 and much higher, increasing major gifts to The Salvation Army while retaining and strengthening existing giving.

QUALIFICATIONS:
▪ Bachelor’s degree and/or a minimum of five years’ experience in a non-profit fundraising role with a proven track record of major gifts success.
▪ Must embrace, support, and reflect well on The Salvation Army’s mission and values through one’s professional responsibilities and behavior at all times.
▪ Effective interpersonal, conversational and presentation skills, demonstrating emotional intelligence, situational awareness, excellent writing abilities and strong case development and pitching skills.
▪ Proven expertise in developing and maintaining positive relationships with diverse individuals, including executives, leadership volunteers and wealthy donors, as well as internal stakeholders and leadership.
▪ Ability to problem solve, think strategically and creatively, and take initiative with good follow through.
▪ A high level of comfort with direct donor interaction is a must, including discussions of personal and family finances and asking for major financial commitments in both face-to-face meetings and in writing.
▪ Team player, able to check ego at the door, with an ability to collaborate effectively with officers, staff, and volunteers for successful achievement of position and department goals.
▪ Willingness and ability to travel regularly. Valid Driver’s License required.
▪ Able to work independently in a fast-paced environment without extensive admin support. Must be highly organized and able to effectively manage multiple projects and competing priorities with professionalism and grace. Must keep good documentation through contact reports and activity tracking, using the Portfolio database according to Salvation Army protocols.
▪ Demonstrated goal focus, with a drive to achieve agreed upon goals within agreed upon timeframes. 

▪ Excellent writing/editing skills and competency in Microsoft Office tools – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
▪ Must be proficient in English language skills for both reading and writing.
▪ Must be able to maintain strict confidentiality of donor and department information.
▪ Must provide excellence in service to donors and team.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
▪ The DRD establishes, manages and fulfills a caseload communications plan, including individual fundraising goals and personalized strategies, to effectively steward, educate, cultivate and solicit gifts from major donors each fiscal year, with an emphasis on gifts of $5,000 and higher, working to increase giving from all donors.
▪ Manages a caseload of 150 assigned and qualified major donors; develops and follows an agreed upon cultivation plan (including an individual goal) that is specific to each donor; and working, as appropriate, with donor leadership volunteers to secure visits with those in their peer networks who are assigned.
▪ Works diligently to meet approved annual activity metrics, benchmarks, and income production goals and is purposeful about every visit and communication and the desired outcome for each “touch.”
▪ Emphasizes one-to-one “in person” solicitation, gift acknowledgement and stewardship communication, traveling as necessary, establishing and maintaining excellent donor relations, providing written proposals to major gift prospects as needed, and including Army and/or volunteer leadership as appropriate.
▪ Leads the development of team solicitation strategies and facilitates the team planning process for peer-to-peer cultivation and solicitation approaches, involving leadership volunteers and internal leadership, as deemed appropriate. Develops research and briefing memos in preparation for team discussions. Works with Territorial Prospect Research Manager and local staff who are trained to do research to develop donor profiles to inform “moves management” strategies and planning conversations.
▪ Meets regularly with Divisional Director of Development to discuss and refine caseload plans and donor strategies, to track progress, to receive coaching, and to keep open lines of communication.
▪ Participates in recommended professional training as budget allows meetings/conference calls with other major gifts/development staff, conference kindred sessions and other professional development opportunities.
▪ Works in close conjunction with other fund development officers, pursuing and contributing to harmonious collaboration with direct marketing, social media, foundation, corporation, and planned giving staff for optimal integrated strategies in major donor communications as well as overall department initiatives.
▪ Works in close collaboration with local officers, program, finance, and fund-raising staff to present local Army resource development needs and priorities that correspond to where donors and prospects reside, while always being responsive to each donor’s interests (even if elsewhere) and attentive to fiduciary responsibility (donor intent with gifts).
▪ Works in collaboration with program, finance, development and graphic design/communications, and support staff to develop a portfolio of giving opportunities (cases for support) that document funding needs in terms of real program costs, how dollars impact people, outcomes being (and which could be) achieved, shortfalls and exciting mission advancement opportunities. Presents these opportunities to donors to effectively match donor interests with Army service delivery advancement needs.
▪ Makes it a priority to take donors on site visits to tour Army programs and to facilitate face-to-face briefings of donors by Army leaders and officers.
▪ Supports and contributes to, as requested, overall territorial and divisional policies, business practices and strategies to continually increase major gifts revenue and program growth.
▪ Keeps management apprised of all significant interactions, inputting contact reports to the donor database system as required (Tracks), sharing a continually updated itinerary, fulfilling all monthly and other reporting requirements, and consulting with leadership when needed to understand organizational priorities, to develop strategies that benefit both donor and the Army, and to troubleshoot challenging situations.
▪ Stays driven toward goals and focused on caseload, but makes effective use of volunteerism opportunities, events, and other initiatives to engage with assigned donors, to bring them closer to the Army, and to deepen their awareness of the impact of our work, especially in areas of interest to them. Participates in such opportunities alongside caseload constituents. Works with other staff and leadership (including leadership volunteers) to develop new major donor/prospect cultivation events, such as private receptions, dinners in homes, or seminars, targeted toward those with high philanthropic capacity.
▪ Manages all office systems related to DRD duties, including maintaining updated database donor files, tracking spreadsheets, correspondence, and gift acknowledgments, etc., in keeping with department policies and procedures. Documents all donor interactions through database contact reports and according to established business practices. Carries out any office and computer-related tasks important to fulfilling the goals of the position.
▪ Ensures excellent customer service is provided to donors through accessibility to staff and leadership
(as granted), timely responsiveness, quality in all interactions and personalized communications.
▪ Attend and participate in Development team meetings and projects as necessary

Benefits include but are not limited to: medical and dental coverage, employer-paid retirement benefits, employee discounts, 13 paid holidays per year, free parking, and additional great perks designed to support work-life balance and employee well-being

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran