Donor Relations Officer

The Boston Foundation

Job Description

The Boston Foundation believes that one of the great strengths of the Greater Boston community is the rich diversity of its residents in race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, age and physical abilities. The Foundation seeks to enhance and support that diversity, not only by its grant making, but also by adopting and implementing employment policies and practices designed to recognize and respond to such diversity.

The Boston Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experience.

All applications should be submitted online. Go to https://www.tbf.org/who-we-are/careers and select “Donor Relations Officer” to complete our online application process.

Job Description

Title: Donor Relations Officer
Department: Philanthropy Group
Reports To: Senior Director of Philanthropy
FLSA Classification: Exempt   FTE: 1
Supervises: None

Position Summary:
Charged with being an ambassador for the Foundation’s work, the Donor Relations Officer is responsible for cultivating a portfolio of active and prospective donors to help develop and support plans for giving today and in the future, as well as developing and managing an integrated stewardship plan to include various fund types and constituencies.

Essential Functions:
• Initiate and cultivate relationships with new and existing donors with the goal of deeper engagement in the work of the Foundation, repeat gifts, and legacy planning through the planned giving program;
• Manage relationships with a portfolio of 150-200 donors;
• Develop and manage an integrated stewardship plan for a variety of constituencies including designated funds, ACCL, Pledge 1% and legacy donors in coordination with Department leadership;
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to implement and uphold data integrity protocols to ensure accurate reporting and inform departmental activities;
• Work with the investment, finance and/or fund administration teams to resolve and/or develop creative solutions to fund and grant issues and donor requests;
• Maintain prospect, donor and fund records in Salesforce database; ensure timely entry of activities;
• Field inquiries via telephone, correspondence and email; support gift acknowledgement processes during peak seasons;
• Provide research and support for prospect/donor meetings and projects;
• Support the development and growth of partnership opportunities to deepen engagement and meaningful collaboration between the Boston Foundation and donors; and
• Support business development and cultivate referrals for The Philanthropic Initiative.


Other Duties and Responsibilities:
• Individuals assigned to this position may perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
Preparation, Knowledge, Previous Experience:
• Bachelor degree or equivalent experience; and
• At least 5 years related work experience.

Skills, Abilities, Competencies:
• Demonstrated experience working with high net worth donors and familiarity with fundraising and philanthropy;
• Strong collaboration and influencing skills, and ability to respond to development opportunities as they arise;
• Demonstrated ability to advise and council individuals and families on their philanthropy  decision making and planning;
• Ability to understand and communicate finance, accounting and investment strategies to a wide range of audiences including donors and professional advisors;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; strong customer service orientation;
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office products - especially Word, Excel, Outlook and Power Point; database experience (Salesforce) strongly preferred;
• Excellent data management and reporting skills;
• Professional and mature interpersonal work style, ability to interact well with a diverse range of people;
• A can-do and will-do attitude, i.e. no task is too high level nor too basic;
• Ability to prioritize tasks and meet organizational deadlines;
• Commitment to contributing to an overall organizational culture of learning and wellbeing;
• Participatory work style; team player and sense of humor; ability to give and receive feedback;
• Willingness and ability to handle confidential information;
• An entrepreneurial spirit eager to build and grow; and
• Preference for a deep awareness, understanding, and connection to the Boston community, including connections to community-based organizations and leaders.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands:
• Ability to sit for long periods of time;
• Ability to work on site and remotely, as required;
• Ability to use a computer keyboard for extended periods of time; and 
• Ability to lift and carry up to 5 pounds, occasionally.


The content is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by persons assigned to this job.  It is not intended to constitute an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required.

External and internal applicants, as well as position incumbents, who are or become disabled as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act or applicable state law, must be able to perform the essential functions of the job (including those listed above) either with or without reasonable accommodation.  Reasonable accommodation, if any, will be determined by management in consultation with the employee on a case-by-case basis.

This job description is intended to be general and may be revised from time to time.  At management’s discretion, the employee may be assigned different or additional duties from time to time.

Revised 5-2021