Job Title: Director of Donor Relations 
 
Position Summary: 
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (“the Foundation”) is seeking top talent for its Director of Donor Relations position.  This position will build a team and a program to service the donors, prospects, and front-line fundraisers of the Foundation.  This role oversees the donor relations and stewardship program, which includes strategic stewardship plans, impact reports, gift acknowledgements / receipts, donor recognition, the creation of giving societies, and special communication and bespoke touchpoints.  

This position is responsible for developing and directing the execution of stewardship, acknowledgment, recognition, and engagement strategies for the Foundation’s donor base, connecting them to the mission and cultivating them toward increased involvement and support.  
 
The Foundation is embarking on its first ever multi-billion comprehensive campaign which aims to significantly increase annual and multi-year funding for Parkinson’s research. This role must have the ability to first focus on bespoke high end touch points for VIP and principal giving donors, while also building a program that identifies efficiencies and economies of scale for stewardship touchpoints for all donor levels. 

 The Director must be a highly creative, strategic, and collaborative leader with the ability to translate big-picture ideas into tactical, actionable plans. The Director must have a demonstrated ability to partner across teams, including frontline fundraisers, project management, creative services, communications, and financial grant management partners to be successful. The Director should be action-oriented and mission-driven, with the ability to develop a new team, new processes, and a new vision for Donor Relations at the Foundation. 

This position may be hybrid-flex with the opportunity to work out of the Foundation’s office in New York City or based remotely within the U.S. 

 
Primary Duties & Responsibilities:  

  • Build and drive a comprehensive stewardship and recognition program for the Foundation  

  • Ensure donors receive timely touch points including bi-annual update reports, leadership notes, gift acknowledgments and recognition, commensurate with their gift level, capacity, and inclination   

  • Develop and direct new giving societies in partnership with annual giving and relationship managers 

  • Partner with Donor Marketing team to execute newsletters, timely communications, and announcements 

  • Partner with relationship managers on recognition and cultivation opportunities for bespoke and restricted gifts, as appropriate 

  • Oversee and manage the execution of multi-year gift agreements. Collaborate with relationship managers and internal partners to establish and track appropriately 

  • Partner with leadership and communications on public gift announcements. Ensure that donors are accurately and appropriately recognized in physical and digital publications 

  • Responsible for overseeing custom donor recognition gifts and other special donor recognition projects as needed 

  • Partner with relationship managers, special events, and project managers on VIP, major gift, and mid-market bespoke donor events across the country  

  • Leverage data to inform projects and communication strategies, utilizing the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database to track interactions with donors  

  • Collaborate with Project Management team to manage workflow and ensure all stewardship reporting requirements are met, and the reports are comprehensive, appropriately personalized, and on schedule  

  • Partner with Enablement, CRM, and Technology teams to automate project timelines, connect CRM data to inform stewardship obligations, and create systems for being accountable to impact report needs  

  • Work with colleagues across the organization to relay and collect information vital to stewardship reporting  

  • Develop deep relationships with the Donor Marketing team to understand the promotion, direct response, and marketing activations to recommend stewardship opportunities in fundraising campaigns  

  • Collaborate with the Donor Marketing team on implementing a strategic plan for donor recognition and giving societies  

  • Identify staffing needs to build a Donor Relations program, hire a team to scale program through the 5-year Comprehensive Campaign and beyond; including a writer and a dedicated manager overseeing the Foundation’s top 20 donors and top 100 lifetime donors; with a focus on relationship mapping, proactively anticipating donor needs, and execution of highly bespoke engagement plans  

  • Stay current with trends and innovations in fundraising and donor relations, with a focus on implementing creative strategies that improve stewardship efficiencies   

  • Collaborate with Marketing/Communications team writers, dedicated to crafting proposals, high-level communication touch points, individual and group stewardship reports, and ad hoc needs for Dev Leadership 

 
Qualifications and Skills:  

  • Relevant experience in fundraising, business development and/or marketing.  Preference given to candidates with relevant experience in Donor Relations or Fundraising 

  • Relevant management experience, including recruiting, setting objectives, managing performance, and supporting mentorship and professional development 

  • Relevant experience designing, implementing, and directing a growing, complex program of strategic importance, including managing finances, supervising a network of multidisciplinary professionals and teams, and coordinating the work of partners with overall accountability for outcomes 

  • Demonstrated ability to make decisions in a complex environment, considering multiple perspectives and effectively evaluating risk and opportunity 

  • Relevant experience in fundraising and marketing, digital and print channels, a strong working knowledge of industry best practices in donor relations and stewardship 

  • Strategic acumen, highly creative and robust analytical thinking skills 

  • Adept at problem solving and ideating creative solutions to specific business challenges  

  • Deep understanding of a Development eco-system, donor lifecycle, and moves management to bring donors to greater giving 

  • Excellent communication skills, written and verbal 

  • Experience managing staff. Experience managing a new team and/or defining new roles 

  • Experience in the following platforms preferred: Salesforce CRM, Classy, DOMO, Asana 

 
Salary and Benefits:
The salary range for this position is $130,000 - $150,000.  In addition to salary, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research offers a comprehensive benefits package, including: 

  • 15+ options for medical insurance (with the Foundation paying 90 percent of the premiums) 

  • Competitive dental and vision plans 

  • 401(k) plan with 6 percent employer contribution 

  • Flexible spending accounts 

  • Employer paid life and disability insurance  

  • 18 Vacation Days; 12 Well-Being (Sick) Days; 2 Personal Days; summer Fridays (office closure at 2pm) and a summer holiday week over July 4 

  • Two ways of working: hybrid-flex, or remote work.  We trust all employees to work closely with their manager and colleagues to determine when, where and how programs and projects get done.   

Employees are also eligible for a discretionary bonus on an annual basis. The Foundation provides staff and leadership cultivation through regular training courses and events.   

 
How to Apply:  
Interested candidates should submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter describing through examples, their specific qualifications and interest in the position. If you think that your skills are transferable and can add value to this role, please apply. Applicants who best match the position’s needs will be contacted. 

 
About Us:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research was founded in 2000 with one clear objective: accelerating meaningful therapeutic advances and, ultimately, a cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Foundation applies extraordinary scientific, business and media assets to this singular focus—thus creating a unique and dynamic organization. Since inception, MJFF has quickly grown into the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s disease research, having funded over $2 billion in research projects in both academic and industry labs worldwide. 

 Visit www.michaeljfox.org for more information. 

  Research has shown that people from marginalized communities apply to roles only when they meet 100% of the job requirements. If you think that your skills are transferable and can add value to this role, and you are someone who will contribute to our efforts to build and support a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce, we strongly encourage you to apply. 

 

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