Donor Stewardship and Engagement Associate

Employment Type: Full-time
Department: Philanthropy
Union:Excluded
File #: 23-PH-01
Posting Date: May 10, 2023
Posting Close: June 7, 2023

Dixon Hall is a multi-service agency located in the heart of east downtown Toronto committed to realizing the vision of a city where everyone thrives. Since 1929, we have been touching the lives of thousands of our community’s most vulnerable residents by providing a range of programs and services across every stage of life. We create lasting solutions to end poverty, social injustices, and isolation in Toronto. We value respect, diversity, integrity, care, compassion, and accountability.

Reporting to the Director of Philanthropy, the Donor Stewardship and Engagement Associate is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with the organization’s donors to ensure ongoing financial support. The position requires a strong customer service orientation, excellent communication skills, and a passion for building meaningful relationships with donors.

Responsibilities will include administrative tasks in addition to more complex fundraising duties such as maintaining contact with key donors, assisting with fundraising events, and supporting the implementation of fundraising campaigns.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Donor Stewardship and Engagement

• Work within the Philanthropy team to develop and execute stewardship initiatives and strategies to ensure an excellent donor experience for current and prospective donors and supporters.
• Coordinate cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of existing donors through targeted outreach and communications, and includes planning, creating, and distributing direct mail appeals.
• Develop the donor pipeline by organizing and conducting a target amount of calls and meetings and determining appropriate engagement strategies for different audiences.
• Prepare and implement stewardship plans for foundations, corporate partners, and individual donors (major gift and mid-level donors), including creating donor stewardship reports.
• Embrace a relationship-based strengths approach to philanthropy to build relationships that advance donors, volunteers, and community partners through the donor cycle.
• Create and coordinate a milestone program, including developing recognition materials and coordinating impact and gratitude messages.
• Thank donors for their timely and personalized contributions using various methods such as letters, phone calls, and emails.
• Review and maintain the donor tracking data system, ensuring the donor list is updated and accurate, and analysing data to inform and evaluate fundraising strategies.
• Work collaboratively with Dixon Hall’s Marketing and Communications team to develop donor-centric materials and communications that engage donors and keep them informed about the organization’s activities while leveraging social media and the organization’s online presence to engage with the community.
• Draft, edit and/or proof copy for video scripts, donor stories, stewardship reports, speaking notes, correspondence, social media posts, and other donor feature materials.
• Work directly with Dixon Hall’s Finance team to ensure donations are properly recorded and allocated and to provide financial reports to donors when necessary.
• Coordinate the preparation of official donation receipts and assist with creating receipts during high-volume events/activities.

Fundraising and Events

• Provide support to the Philanthropy team to execute all logistic details associated with engagement, solicitation, stewardship events, fundraising and capital campaign events, including compiling invitation lists, briefing packages, display materials, takeaways, securing venues and catering, and executing post-event follow-up.
• Support all fundraising activities, including sponsorship, gift-in-kind solicitations, silent/live auction, and other revenue generation.
• Coordinate with the Marketing and Communications team on website updates to support fundraising appeals.
• Prepare draft reports and background documentation and assist with prospect research.
• Provide regular reports to the Director of Philanthropy and other stakeholders on donor engagement and fundraising outcomes.
• Perform other duties as required.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

• University degree or College diploma in commerce/business, marketing, communications/public relations, or another related field
• CFRE designation, or in progress, is considered an asset.
• Minimum 2-3 years of progressive experience in fund development or donor relations, with demonstrated success in fund development and communications in the charitable sector, leading and executing fundraising campaigns that deliver growth, with direct marketing, story-telling, and excellent donor stewardship experience.
• Experience with donor tracking data systems (i.e. Sumac, Raiser’s Edge) and extracting data to support fund activities, along with a solid knowledge of Microsoft Office programs.
• Ability to handle confidential materials and situations with professionalism, sensitivity, and discretion.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with personnel at all levels across multiple programs/areas.
• Strong track record of developing and maintaining excellent relations with a wide variety of stakeholders including government, community organizations, networks, and funders.
• Superior organizational, analytical, and problem-solving abilities with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines, prioritize tasks, and take initiative.
• Self-directed and independent, with a proven track record of working effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team and collaborating with other community professionals.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English, with the ability to exchange knowledge effectively. Fluency in additional languages relevant to service communities will be considered an asset.
• As this position involves interactions with children and vulnerable persons, a clear Vulnerable Sector Police Check is required.
• Up-to-date vaccination against COVID-19 with a vaccine approved for use in Canada.
• Must be qualified to work in Canada legally for the employer.
• This position requires the ability to work remotely and on-site at our office locations as part of our hybrid work model.

Dixon Hall is dedicated to fostering an inclusive selection process and work environment, guided by their Race Relations and Employment Equity Policies. If selected for an interview, please inform the hiring manager or the People and Culture team of any accommodations you may require during the interview process.

To achieve their goal of inclusivity and diversity, Dixon Hall actively seeks exceptional candidates from varied backgrounds and with lived experiences. Individuals who self-identify as being from marginalized communities, including Indigenous peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and those from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community or who have experienced homelessness, are strongly encouraged to apply.

#LI-Hybrid

UoXdDYpx9V