Major Donor Relations Officer

Amara serves the evolving needs of children, youth, and families impacted by the child welfare system. Centering equity, we advocate for systems change and bridge gaps by providing compassionate wrap-around resources, while helping to reduce trauma and bring healing. Our work helps maintain family and community connections while preventing child welfare involvement when possible.

At Amara, we believe that a supportive, equitable and inclusive workplace, where everyone feels valued, trusted, and nurtured, is key to shaping organizational culture and investing in underrepresented communities. Amara believes that a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace enhance our ability to fulfill our mission. We strongly invite candidates from diverse backgrounds, including communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply.

The Major Donor Relations Officer is responsible for securing funds to advance Amara’s mission by building relationships with donors and inviting them to support areas of Amara’s work that align with their interests and passions. The Major Donor Relations Officer will be expected to provide donors with giving opportunities, encourage donors to give, and will work to assure that as many donors as possible are retained as continuing partners to Amara and that their engagement is increased as measured by giving and mission involvement. 

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Major Donor Relations Officer is a member of Amara’s External Relations team and works closely with staff across the organization. Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Revenue Accountability & Performance Management:

o Develop and manage a portfolio of approximately 75-100 donors (individuals) who have capacity to make leadership gifts to Amara ($2,500+) through on-going engagement, solicitations, and stewardship.

o Develop annual fundraising and engagement plans for each donor in this portfolio.

o Develop a pipeline of donors of approximately 200-400 donors with capacity to move into leadership giving by qualifying, engaging, soliciting, and stewarding current mid-level donors ($500-$2,499).

o Engage monthly donors with ongoing stewardship. 

o Meet or exceed annual fundraising goals tied to portfolio performance (revenue, retention, and upgrades) 

o Regularly analyze donor portfolio performance and adjust strategies to improve outcomes 

o Develop and track key performance indicators (KPIs), including donor retention, average gift size, and upgrade rates 

o Provide regular revenue forecasts and pipeline updates to the Chief Executive Officer.

Major Gift Strategy & Management:

o Work with External Relations team members, program teams, and the finance team to secure program and project information, including budgets, and create meaningful offers, proposals, and asks to secure gifts and report back on how the donor’s gift is making a difference to Amara’s mission. 

o Implement a structured move management process to guide donors through identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship 

o Identify and execute upgrade strategies to move donors into higher giving levels 

o Partner with leadership to develop and execute strategies for securing multi-year and planned gifts

CRM & Data Integrity Leadership:

o Ensure accurate and timely entry of all donor interactions, proposals, and gifts into CRM 

o Utilize CRM tools to segment donors, track engagement, and generate reports 

o Collaborate with development operations staff to improve data quality and reporting systems.

o Consistently document and coordinate donor engagement activities. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration (Programs + Finance):

o Maintain familiarity with Amara’s programs and issues related to child welfare.

o Represent Amara as a professional collaborator at public functions and events, including social and professional gatherings. 

o In coordination with communications department staff, translate programmatic outcomes and financial data into compelling donor-facing messaging 

o Partner with program staff to identify fundable opportunities and gather impact stories 

o Collaborate with finance to ensure accurate gift tracking, restricted fund management, and reporting

Donor Experience & Communications:

o Lead development of personalized communication strategies for top-tier donors (impact reports, updates, site visits).

o Ensure timely, meaningful, and mission-centered donor acknowledgments

o Support creation of donor-facing materials (case statements, proposals, reports)

Event Strategy & Donor Activation:

o Identify and execute opportunities to leverage events as cultivation and solicitation tools 

o Support targeted donor invitations, hosting strategies, and post-event follow-up

o Partner with External Relations team to align event strategy with major gift goals

o Provide audience engagement support for Amara fundraising and friend-raising events.

Board & Volunteer Fundraising Engagement:

o Support the CEO to engage and steward Board members and other leadership volunteers in Amara’s mission and philanthropic goals. 

o Support and coach board members in donor engagement and solicitation activities

o Help identify and prepare board members for donor meetings and asks 

o Track and support board giving and engagement goals

Equity-Centered Fundraising Practice:

o Apply an equity lens to donor engagement strategies, storytelling, and fundraising practices 

o Ensure donor communications reflect dignity, strengths-based narratives, and community voice 

o Participate in conversations about ethical fundraising within systems impacted by racial inequities

o Adhere to Amara’s policies and procedures and the Association of Fundraising Professionals Code of Ethics. 

o Actively participate in Amara’s efforts to advance racial and LGBTQIA+ equity, unlearn biases, and engage in the organization’s broader work in diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

o Attend required meetings including monthly All-Staff, departmental meetings, 1:1’s and others as needed. 

Amara is seeking someone with demonstrated success in fostering relationships with donors and community members. The successful candidate is driven by providing exceptional customer service, enjoys relationship building and engaging stakeholders, enjoys a collaborative environment, and is passionate about connecting supporters to Amara’s programs to advance Amara’s mission.

We list our preferred qualifications and are open to candidates who can demonstrate their experience and/or education supports alignment with the skills we are seeking.

• Comfortable building relationships and in-person engagement with current and potential donors.  Ability to move in social settings and rooms with Chief Executive Officer to support awareness building of Amara’s mission and vision. 

• 5+ years of progressive nonprofit fundraising experience, including direct management of a donor portfolio and solicitation of major or leadership gifts ($2,500+).

• 5+ years in nonprofit fundraising, friend-raising, and communications with experience in relationship development, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 

• Demonstrated success in meeting or exceeding fundraising goals, including donor retention and revenue growth.

• Experience developing and executing donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies using a move management approach.

• Demonstrated ability to personally solicit gifts and confidently engage donors in conversations about giving, including aligning donor interests with organizational priorities

• Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills, including experience developing donor-facing materials such as proposals, impact reports, and solicitation messaging.

• Experience using a donor database/CRM (e.g., Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, or similar) to manage portfolios, track engagement, and analyze performance

• Demonstrated commitment to inclusion, equity, and anti-racism:

o Experience working in racially and ethnically diverse environments.

o Demonstrated commitment to understanding and dismantling structural racial inequity.

o Desire to further personal understanding of racial and social justice work.

• Relationship builder with a highly collaborative style; experience bringing supporters and partners closer to an organization’s mission.

• Ability to design and implement donor engagement strategies, including individualized cultivation, solicitation and stewardship plans and activities.

• Commitment to ethical standards in fundraising, the Donor Bill of Rights, and strength-based storytelling. 

• Ability to engage donors in the mission, including conversations on advancing equity and anti-racism in the child welfare system. 

• Goal oriented, resourceful, flexible, positive, and good humored. 

• Sincere commitment to work collaboratively with all constituent groups, including staff, board members, volunteers, donors, program participants, and other supporters.

• Self-starter, able to work independently, and enjoys creating and implementing new initiatives.

• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office suite.

• Willingness to prioritize in-person meetings and travel between both King and Pierce County offices as well as to donor engagements throughout the Puget Sound region.

Salary and Benefits:

This is a full-time position (40+ hours per week) with a salary range starting at $87,550 and capped at $102,998.97. The final salary offer will be commensurate with the selected candidate's experience, qualifications, and demonstrated abilities. Amara offers a generous leave and benefits package including 10 company holidays, 4 personal days, paid sick leave, a paid holiday closure at years end and 15 days of vacation per year. Competitive health, dental and vision insurance rates, 401k with a company match, life, disability insurance and a paid sabbatical. Amara supports a hybrid work schedule with some flexibility to work from home. Travel between our King and Pierce County offices as well as to donor engagements throughout the Puget Sound region will be required.

Criminal Background Check:

Amara conducts background checks appropriate to the contractual requirements of the position. A previous conviction will not necessarily bar individuals from employment at Amara. For specific requirements please feel free to contact the hiring manager or human resources.

To Apply:

To express your interest in this position, please send your resume and a one-page cover letter indicating why this position is the right opportunity for you in Smart Recruiters. Applications submitted without a cover letter will NOT be considered. Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled. Amara is an Equal Opportunity Employer.