Director, Donor Engagement

Organization Overview

Our Mission

To inspire people to invest in pediatric research, care, and programs that support the physical and mental health of kids.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Chief Campaign Strategy & Communications Officer, the Director of Donor Engagement creates and delivers a dynamic donor engagement and stewardship program that strengthens relationships with individuals and organizations making or capable of making leadership gifts. This role oversees key functions including curated cultivation experiences, proposal development, gift acknowledgment, impact reporting, naming, and recognition. The Director leads a team while contributing directly to high-priority projects and works closely with development officers, hospital partners, and campaign teams to ensure donor experiences are personalized, meaningful, and aligned with organizational priorities.

Position Specifics

Expectations for All Managers

Working closely with the Leadership Team:

• Develop and Influence Riley Community Culture: As a manager, realize the importance of modeling and influencing our Riley Community culture. Exhibit trust, innovation, and inclusion.
• Lead the Way and Be Accountable: Manage staff in planning and organizing projects. Develop goals and accountabilities. Follow Foundation performance management practices and meet Human Resources deadlines. Model the way.
• Hire the Best: Have up-to-date job descriptions for all direct reports. Follow Foundation hiring practices. Prepare and participate in new employee orientation.
• Guide Your Staff: Set clear expectations and high standards of performance. Provide training, coaching, feedback, and corrective action when necessary.
• Engage Your Staff: Be approachable to direct reports and others. Use forms of recognition to thank employees within your team and across the Foundation. Collaborate across the Foundation.
• Create a Best Practice Operation: Stay up to date on best practices. Effectively allocate resources. Manage budget as necessary. Establish metrics to minimize costs and maximize impact.
• Manager Training: Actively participate in all Manager Briefings and use the skills and behaviors identified.

Planning and Execution

• In partnership with Foundation leaders, develop and lead comprehensive strategies and systems to support gold-standard cultivation, stewardship, and recognition of donors based on their giving levels, giving milestones, capacity, interests, and behaviors. Strategies should encompass high-touch, tailored communications, personalized interactions with foundation and hospital leadership, compelling impact and endowment reporting, recognition, and other such activities.
• Partner with development leaders and colleagues to customize and implement donor engagement plans for top donors and prospects to promote meaningful, regular involvement and strengthen relationships.
• Provide leadership and establish quality standards for proposal development, ensuring that giving opportunities align with hospital and foundation strategic priorities and receive necessary approvals.
• Monitor and enhance processes to ensure all donors are thanked promptly, accurately, and authentically for their gifts.
• Maintain a proactive pipeline of naming opportunities and collaborate on creative recognition concepts that inspire philanthropy in collaboration with foundation, hospital, and medical school leadership, while adhering to Riley Children’s Foundation, IU Health, and Indiana University policies.
• May maintain a select portfolio of leadership donors for stewardship, engaging through personalized, high-touch interactions, such as face-to-face visits and phone calls, on a periodic basis.

Analysis and Continuous Improvement

• Ensure cultivation and stewardship activities, proposals, and other Donor Engagement functions are tracked in the donor database, and partner with the Fundraising Data Analytics team to analyze the effectiveness of these activities both short- and long-term.
• Leverage analytics to identify patterns in donor engagement and recommend enhancements that improve ROI, create efficiencies, and deepen relationships.
• Stay abreast of industry best practices and recommend amending processes for piloting new strategies so Riley Children’s Foundation remains at the leading-edge of donor experience.

Administrative

• Meetings: Prepare for and actively participate in all Riley Children’s Foundation meetings as appropriate.  Ensure expectations and tools for meeting agendas and follow-up are implemented.
• Budget: Work with your officer/direct manager to develop, manage, and monitor the budget, staying within overall budget guidelines.
• Technology: Understand and effectively use the technology available at Riley Children’s Foundation.     
• Compliance: Ensure strict compliance with all Foundation policies, as well as local, state, and federal laws that govern business practices.

Riley Children’s Foundation Representative

• Tours: Give tours of the hospital and provide information on Riley Children’s Health, Riley Hospital for Children, Riley Children’s Foundation, Wells Center for Pediatric Research, and JWR Museum Home, as appropriate.

Other Duties as Assigned

• Participate in Riley Children’s Foundation Events as necessary.
• Occasional weekend and evening work.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must have the following education and/or experience. 

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in communications, fundraising, marketing, or a relevant field required.
• Experience: Minimum 5-8 years of donor engagement, fundraising, customer experience, or communications experience with 3 to 5 years of people management experience.    
• Skills: Strong leadership and management skills, both strategic and operational, with a demonstrated ability to build, manage, mentor, and motivate an effective team. Proactive, with evidence of having worked as a true business partner. Strong work ethic. Excellent judgment. Thoughtful, creative, and innovative problem-solving skills. Strong analytical skills. Competency in planning and execution of projects and plans. Attention to detail and organization. Collaborative and flexible style with a strong service mentality. Must be seen as a team player who is committed to lifelong learning. Very strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Qualities: Personal belief in Riley Children’s Foundation vision, mission, core values, and strategic direction. Results-oriented. Ability to work independently under pressure and effectively prioritize a varied and diverse workload. Creative and resourceful, always thinking of how to wow donors. Inquisitive and sharp-minded, coupled with demonstrated aptitude for strategic donor or customer experience strategy. Self-motivating and self-starting. Team player. Must adhere to the highest ethical standards. Professional demeanor.  

Salary & Benefits

Here at Riley Children's Foundation, we also understand that your well-being is just as important. That's why we've crafted a benefits package that not only supports employee professional growth but also creates pathways to well-rounded success for our incredible team. You can learn more about our benefits and work culture here: https://rileykids.org/employment.

Link to Apply