Donor Engagement Manager

This position can be fully remote in the US, hybrid in Yarmouth, MA, Washington, DC or London, England

The Donor Engagement Manager is responsible for communicating IFAW’s vision, strategy, and impact to inspire significant philanthropic commitments for IFAW's work from high-net-worth individuals and family foundations. By spearheading best-in-class donor communications, engagement, and stewardship, this role serves an essential function: developing and building IFAW’s reputation to position IFAW as a top charity worthy of significant donations. The Donor Engagement Manager plays a key role in improving the HNW donor journey and achieving our fundraising goals for enhanced programmatic impact globally in conservation, rescue, and policy.

Role and Responsibilities 

The Donor Engagement Manager is an integral component of IFAW’s global Development team. Reporting to the Deputy Vice President, Development, the Donor Engagement Manager leads a robust donor communications, engagement, and stewardship program for high-net-worth (HNW) individuals, spearheading the development of strategy and plans, and supervising a team of contractors and freelancers for project implementation. The successful candidate will contribute to the attainment of ambitious growth goals (including current use, endowments, and significant gifts in will), by inspiring donors’ philanthropic support and leading the creation and implementation of a suite of donor communications and experiences.

Create dynamic donor engagement plan 

• Spearhead donor engagement plans, including cultivation, stewardship experiences, and recognition


• Drive a robust calendar of communications and activities to optimize donor engagement, mission impact, and a best-in class donor experience with IFAW


• Advise and support frontline fundraisers with strategy and content for donor communications and proposals; collaborate with gift officers on HNW individual donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts, including development of custom proposals and cases for support


• Collaborate with communications and program teams to create compelling donor impact reports, donor newsletters, webinars, bespoke proposals, and other tools that drive and support effective engagement, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major- and principal-level gifts as well as larger legacy commitments; maintain curated library of assets for gift officers to use or customize


• Gather and share impact stories, data, and testimonials to demonstrate the value of donor contributions


• Plan and oversee execution of exclusive engagement opportunities (in-person and virtual) for target audience, designed to highlight IFAW programmatic expertise and build stronger donor relationships


• Develop and implement personalized stewardship plans for select principal and major donors, working closely with frontline fundraisers and relationship managers


• Ensure all donor touchpoints reflect the organization’s mission and values, and that donors feel valued and connected

Manage projects and personnel 

• Lead, coach, and manage a team of freelancers responsible for communications, stewardship, and engagement activities; oversee contracts, monitor deliverables and expenditures


• Maintain strong relationships with program leaders across the global organization, keeping apprised of IFAW’s programmatic work to identify topics that will appeal to high-net-worth donors and prospects


• Analyze donor engagement metrics, track trends, and report on the effectiveness of engagement and stewardship strategies.

Collaboration and fundamentals   

• Ensure routine fundraising communications and templates for major gifts are up-to-date, accurate, and on brand (e.g., fundraising appeals, donor education emails, gift acknowledgments, holiday cards, swag)


• Manage creation and updates of bespoke proposals so that they are timely and well-designed


• Improve integration of mail / email outreach


• Collaborate with communications and marketing teams to optimize use and creative repurposing of resources and collateral materials


• Enhance web presence (philanthropy pages) to incorporate donor testimonials and demonstrate impact of philanthropic support


• Update and improve naming opportunities for major and principal gifts, named and endowed funds, larger legacies and blended gifts from HNW individuals

Strategic guidance and innovation 

• Collaborate with DVP Development to recommend and implement effective points of contact with donors for the purposes of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of six-figure+ gifts


• Identify opportunities to present our work more effectively and enhance the donor experience


• Launch or relaunch giving societies – e.g., cumulative lifetime giving, high-end annual giving, legacy society – with an emphasis on philanthropy and engagement rather than perks and benefits


• Advise on ways to streamline and improve donor communications and engagement, e.g., by leveraging technology, balancing push / pull outreach, adjusting the mix of print / digital and other media


• Guide the larger Development team in positioning our programs to inspire greater philanthropic support

Qualifications and Education Requirements 

• Minimum 4-5 years of related experience in nonprofit stewardship, donor communications, fundraising, or related transferable experience


• Experience leading a team in a development setting, including direct supervision of colleagues in donor engagement and stewardship; and/or management of a stable of contractors and freelancers


• Demonstrated ability to work well in a fast-paced, multifaceted environment and lead numerous functions and various projects simultaneously


• Exceptional written communication, relationship-building, project management and collaboration skills


• Intellectual curiosity


• Must be professional, highly organized, creative, efficient, and collaborative.


• Cultural competence: ability to work seamlessly with colleagues across four continents.


• Able to work successfully both individually and as part of a team.


• Must be flexible and willing to take on new responsibilities within a growing program


• Ability to travel regionally/internationally for trainings and team meetings


• A degree from a four-year college or university preferred


• Knowledge of Microsoft products, including PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Outlook required; familiarity with Adobe, Canva or other graphic design / visual communications programs a plus


• Must be fully fluent English speaking/writing

At IFAW, we aim to create and foster a workforce that reflects and contributes to the diverse, global community in which we work to improve the lives of both animals and people.    We are dedicated to fostering justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion so we actively encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds.

Hiring range in US is $68,000-$84,000 USD

Hiring range in UK is 46,000-55,000 GBP