Donor Relations Officer - Hope Reins

Are you excited to join a community that inspires true hope and real healing for every child? Do you believe Jesus heals? Do you excel in a collaborative team that is driven by impact and has a passion for the mission? Do you thrive on building authentic relationships, connecting individuals to stories of impact? 

Are you the next Donor Relations Officer for Hope Reins? 

Why Hope Reins? 

Hope Reins is the leading provider of Faith-Based Equine Mentorship. Their mission is to pair a kid in crisis with a rescued horse and mentor to find hope and healing. Since their inception in 2010, Hope Reins has held over 20,000 sessions with children and teens from 16 counties in North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina. 

Hope Reins’ operating budget is $2.4M and anticipates major growth through its strategic plan expanding its work nationally. 100% of their revenue is raised through unrestricted contributions. With a very strong base of faithful supporters, as well as successful development and marketing processes to steward donors, Hope Reins is looking for a development professional to build deep relationships with a team of passionate and committed volunteers and staff. 

Want to know more? Visit Hope Reins’ website at https://hopereins.org/.  

What will you do as Hope Reins’ next Donor Relations Officer? 

Reporting to the Development Director, the Donor Relations Officer will build relationships and manage a portfolio of donors and prospects that have the capacity and affinity to make major or planned gifts. Day to day responsibilities include major donor acquisition, engagement and solicitation, donor stewardship and prospect management.  

Donor Engagement and Solicitation 

• Manage a personal portfolio of 150+ donors. 
• Secure major gifts ($2,500 to $50,000+ level) with a goal of raising $500,000 annually. 
• Engage, solicit, and steward prospects as needed, maintaining accurate records of Moves showing continual progress towards gifts. 
• Create and implement moves management plans for major donors to increase giving and maintain donor retention ensuring that each donor and prospect has a clear strategy and timeline for cultivation, solicitation and stewardship 
• Engage portfolio through face-to-face cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. 
• Utilize systems and software to track relationships with donors and prospects. 
• Work collaboratively with members of the development team to support the execution of annual plans, campaigns and calendar in order to achieve goals. 
• Track and report progress using specific metrics. 

Donor Stewardship 

• Creatively steward donors through personal touches and invitations to tours, meetings or events. 
• Support the execution of the donor stewardship and recognition program. 
• Maintain timely records of donor communications and visits in the donor database. 
• Ensure thank you letters and other communications for the portfolio occur in a timely manner. 

Prospecting Pipeline 

• Support the donor acquisition and prospecting process. 
• Coordinate regularly prospecting screening sessions with other development team members. 
• Conduct donor research and prospect reviews to identify major gifts prospects in the $10,000 to $25,000+ range. 
• Utilize the moves management process to qualify prospects.  
• Ensure planned and estate giving is a viable and compelling option for donors. 

Key lived experiences, attributes, and skillsets sought in the Donor Relations Officer 

• Proven success as a major gifts officer at a nonprofit with a minimum of 5 years’ experience with successful face to face solicitations of individual gifts ($2,500+). 
• Process and detailed-oriented with an ability to work independently while still being highly connected and collaborative. 
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to develop relationships quickly, with the appropriate level of assertiveness to engage, solicit, and follow up with donor prospects. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, ability to communicate passionately about Hope Reins’ mission. 
• Collaborative and effective working on a small team with high accountability. 
• Goal, results, and detail-oriented with exceptional planning and time management skills. 
• Demonstrated understanding of using data to drive fundraising and CRM database (Bloomerang) experience.   
• Success working in a hybrid work environment with flexible office space. 
• Uphold personally and professionally Hope Reins’s core values: Jesus Heals, Grace is our default, Be authentic, Share your story, and Make it better. 

Think you are the next Hope Reins Donor Relations Officer? 
To apply, click on the link to the Donor Relations Officer position profile at ArmstrongMcGuire.com/jobs. You will see instructions for uploading your cover letter, resume, salary requirements, and professional references.  Please provide all requested information to be considered. In case of any technical problems, contact [email protected]. No phone calls, please, and no applications will be accepted by email or directly from third-party posting sites. 

Review of candidates will begin in October with an application deadline of November 8. Salary is commensurate with the requirements of the position and is in the $70-80K range. Benefits include health care stipend, 3% IRA match, 23 PTO days, and 11 holidays.