at Inner-city Muslim Action Network in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Job Description
OVERVIEW:
The Donor Relations Manager is a key member of the Development team responsible for cultivating, stewarding, and engaging individual, corporate, and foundation donors. This role plays a critical part in building long-term relationships with donors, maintaining the integrity of donor data, and contributing to strategic fundraising goals.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Donor Solicitation, Engagement & Stewardship:
- Design and implement comprehensive, segmented donor stewardship plans in collaboration with Development, Programs and Executive Office leadership.
- Lead the solicitation of gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations through various channels, including direct mail, email, phone calls, and presentations (both virtual and in-person).
- Serve as the primary point of contact for donors, providing thoughtful and timely support for questions about their giving, including updating payment information, adjusting recurring donations, or making changes to their contribution preferences.
- Oversee personalized acknowledgments, donor recognition, and impact communications.
- Coordinate and execute virtual and in-person engagement opportunities (e.g., thank-you calls, site visits, donor briefings, stewardship events).
- Manage a donor touchpoint calendar to ensure consistent and mission-aligned outreach.
- Lead donor gift strategy, including Ramadan giving and other seasonal campaigns.
Donor Data & CRM Management:
- Serve as primary administrator for IMAN’s internal and external donor-related databases/CRMs/portals (i.e. Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge, Cybergrants, Benevity, Fidelity, Ren, etc.), maintaining clean, accurate, and properly segmented records.
- Develop and maintain CRM processes and train team members on usage and best practices.
- Generate donor analytics reports and dashboards to track giving trends, upgrades, and lapsed support.
- Conduct donor research and prepare donor profiles to support outreach and segmentation.
Campaigns, Events, and Recognition:
- Serve as the internal logistics lead for major fundraising and donor engagement events (including the annual fundraising dinner), coordinating timelines, vendor communications, and day-of execution in partnership with external event planning firms as needed.
- Assist in planning and executing fundraising campaigns (e.g., annual appeals, major gifts, Ramadan drives, Mosque appeals, end of year fundraising dinners).
- Collaborate on cultivation and appreciation events such as donor brunches, site tours, and end-of-year gatherings.
- Own the tracking and reporting of fundraising campaign progress, including updating internal dashboards, donor-facing thermometers, and other visual tools to reflect real-time progress toward campaign goals.
- Collaborate with Communications to create high-quality donor-facing materials (e.g., emails, newsletters, case statements, annual report content).
- Identify and cultivate sponsors for key events, tailoring sponsorship opportunities that align with donor interests and IMAN’s programmatic goals where possible, and managing follow-up to ensure fulfillment and stewardship.
Strategic Planning & Insight
- Partner with Development, Programs and the Executive Office leadership to align donor care strategies with broader fundraising goals.
- Provide insight during organizational strategic planning processes to ensure donor relations are well-integrated.
- Use donor analytics and qualitative insights to refine engagement strategies and inform decision-making.
Team Collaboration & Representation:
- Work cross-functionally with Communications, Finance, and Programs to align messaging, track impact, and develop internal systems that support meaningful donor engagement.
- Collaborate closely with the Finance team to track and reconcile gifts received via wire transfer or electronic payment (including stocks), monitor pledge commitments and fulfillment, and ensure alignment between Development and Finance records for accurate reporting and donor acknowledgment.
- Represent IMAN professionally at community events and funder-related gatherings.
- Collaborate on budget forecasting related to donor care and events.
Other Donor Management Tasks:
- Coordinate donor gift strategy and fulfillment logistics.
Supervise volunteers or interns related to donor care, if applicable. - Prepare tax letters.
- Other duties as assigned.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g., non-profit management, fundraising, communications) preferred.
- 3-5 years of experience in donor relations or a related field in the non-profit sector.
- Proven experience in managing donor databases (e.g., Raiser's Edge, Salesforce).
- Excellent written and verbal communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
- Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and other relevant software.
- Passion for the mission of IMAN and a commitment to ethical fundraising practices.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experience with major gifts fundraising.
- Experience with online fundraising platforms.
- Experience with volunteer management.
- Experience coordinating and evaluating events, from conception to execution.
- Experience working for a fast-paced, multifaceted organization; non-profit preferred.
