Associate Director of Donor Communications

Job Description

This is a role that will work under the direction of the Marketing & Communications Director. The Associate Director of Donor Communications will be responsible for leading the strategy, development, and execution of donor-facing communications and donor acquisition efforts, playing a pivotal role in advancing WRA's mission. This position will develop and implement a comprehensive donor communications stewardship plan along with crafting persuasive content that articulates the impact of philanthropy and our organizational goals to engage existing and prospective donors. Providing donor communications advice, guidance, and training to a wide range of colleagues, the Associate Director of Donor Communications also spearheads how prospects are introduced to the organization, how donor messaging evolves over time, and how fundraising priorities are communicated across channels.

Location

This position may work remotely in our seven-state region, in one of our six offices, or a hybrid of the two. Our seven-state region includes Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. WRA has offices located in Boulder, CO; Reno, NV; Denver, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Salt Lake City, UT; and Santa Fe, NM. Access to a major airport is required, as this position involves some travel.

Responsibilities

Donor Communications Strategy & Planning

• Develop and implement a comprehensive donor communications strategy supporting donor acquisition, engagement, and retention to achieve the organization's overall fundraising goals.
• Define donor messaging priorities, narrative frameworks, and communication cadence across channels.
• Collaborate with the Development management team and other senior WRA staff to identify and articulate unique areas of work for stories and giving opportunities.
• Create and execute sophisticated creative and strategic communications to engage prospective and existing donors in advancing WRA's mission.
• Leverage content and communications to support the Development team and WRA senior leaders in making connections, building relationships, and raising critical funding.
• Oversee WRA's ladder of donor engagement strategies across web, email, and paid media channels and offline donor communications to ensure full integration with the cycle of giving and moves management efforts and overarching organizational communications strategies.
• Coordinate with the Marketing & Communications and Development teams to guide and enhance online fundraising strategies.

Donor Research & Content Creation

• Identify compelling stories ideas and bring them to life in accordance with the WRA's brand and messaging standards and build a robust donor story library.
• Research, write, and edit various print and digital materials, including case statements, gift proposals, impact statements, presentations, brochures, feature stories, donor profiles, solicitation and stewardship letters, speeches and other donor communication materials as needed.
• Develop compelling solicitations and pitches for strategic initiatives for leadership gifts.
• Write and edit complex solicitation proposals for prospects and donors.
• Identify and develop relevant information and stories with the ability to translate technical information for a variety of audiences, an aptitude for creating multiple types of content, and a talent for researching and writing compelling content to be shared with donors and prospects.
• Independently incorporate changes, comments, and critiques from multiple reviewers using exceptional writing and editing skills.
• Conduct interviews with internal stakeholders to gather and craft informative and accurate materials.

Cross-Team Collaboration

• Develop content in collaboration with the Development and Marketing & Communications teams to ensure consistency with theme, brand, design, and content.
• Work closely with the Development and Marketing & Communications teams to highlight WRA's work, create a high-profile presence, reach new donor audiences, and integrate donor acquisition into broader audience growth efforts.
• Lead the development of WRA's print collateral (including quarterly newsletters, annual reports, and brochures) to ensure they clearly articulate our vision, demonstrate our effectiveness and overall impact, and inspire donor audiences to join our work.
• Collaborate as needed to produce print, online, and video collateral and assist in writing and editing reports and related materials for other donor audiences as needed.
• Partner closely with the Associate Director of Annual Giving and the Associate Director of Brand & Digital Strategy to ensure communications are compelling, consistent, donor-centered, and aligned with organizational goals.
• Design pathways that move leads and prospects from initial engagement to first gift and ongoing involvement, in partnership with the Associate Director of Annual Giving and Associate Director of Brand & Digital Strategy.
• Support fundraising campaigns, giving days, and appeals with consistent messaging and creative assets.
• Assist frontline fundraisers (Donor Relations and Foundation Relations teams) with donor communications materials as needed for cultivation and stewardship.

Project Management

• Develop and manage a calendar of forward-looking donor communications that is fully integrated within an organizational editorial calendar to ensure a pipeline of relevant and timely content for all donor audiences, including annual fund and prospects.
• Manage fundraising editorial projects from conception to completion, including brainstorming ideas, research, setting and meeting deadlines, getting feedback, making revisions, proofreading, and copyediting.
• Support the President and Development team with storytelling and donor communications efforts, as needed.
• Provide donor communications advice, guidance, and training to a wide range of WRA staff members from all departments.
• Track and evaluate donor engagement and acquisition metrics to assess communications effectiveness and use data and feedback to refine messaging, channels, and pacing.

Qualifications & Competencies

Any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience, which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of this position, will be considered. For example, the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities would include:

• At least 10 years as a writer and content creator in fundraising, nonprofit, public relations, or related field.
• Experience creating, planning, and implementing fundraising communication strategies.
• Experience developing writing compelling and clear communications for diverse audiences.
• Extensive knowledge and application of current and evolving trends in annual giving and major-gift fundraising and nonprofit marketing.
• Flexible and deadline-driven, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent writing, editorial, and communications skills, including the ability to prepare materials for different audiences and purposes.
• Demonstrated experience with creating donor-facing content, acquisition strategies, and multi-channel communications.
• Experience researching, analyzing, interpreting, and compiling technical information from divergent sources, and translating that information for different audiences.
• Superior research, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Experience coordinating team members across departments, including creating and meeting deadlines and keeping team members on schedule.
• Experience with visual design concepts and best practices.
• Ability to work effectively with people of different backgrounds, lived experiences, and communication styles.
• Experience working with project management tools such as Asana.
• Demonstrate sensitivity in handling confidential information.
• Genuine passion for the mission and work of WRA.

Working Environment and Physical Requirements

The work environment and physical demands described here are representative of those required by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job with or without reasonable accommodation including:

• A typical office environment with minimal exposure to excessive noise or adverse environmental issues.
• Prolonged periods of time at a desk and working on a computer.
• Position requires some travel by automobile, airplane, etc.

Travel Requirements:

Travel to meetings, conferences, donor events, and other work-related events is required within WRA's region. This is in addition to travel required for retreats, and other internal organizational meetings. Typically, there is at least one all-staff retreat in our region each year at which attendance is required. Access to a major airport is required. This is approximately 10% of the time depending on the location of work.

Salary And Benefits

The salary range for an Associate Director of Donor Communications is $97,750 - $115,000 annually; salary depends on relevant experience and new staff rarely start at the top of the range.

WRA's excellent benefits package includes a 401(k)-retirement plan with up to 5% matching and health, dental, vision, and life & disability insurance with 100% of premiums paid by WRA. Annually, staff receive seventeen days paid vacation leave to start, twelve paid sick days, one paid volunteer day, twelve paid holidays, and WRA is closed for Winter Break between Christmas Day and New Year's Day for additional paid time off. Employees are eligible for up to twelve weeks of parental leave, and after five years, staff are eligible for up to twelve weeks of paid sabbatical leave. Position is full-time exempt.

Diversity and inclusion are a critical component of our strategy, mission, and vision. We welcome candidates from an array of backgrounds and experiences to join our team. Learn more about our commitment here:

https://westernresourceadvocates.org/diversity-equity-inclusion/

WRA is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, marital status, amnesty, or veteran status.

Thank you for your interest in the Associate Director of Donor Communications position with Western Resource Advocates. You will need to upload the following in PDF format:

• Cover letter to the attention of The Associate Director of Donor Communications Hiring Panel, describing your relevant qualifications and the reason for your interest in this position.
• Resume
• Please include a donor-centric writing sample (no more than 3 pages) and example of a stewardship/donor engagement plan you have created.

Please direct any questions about this position or application process to [email protected].