Partner Engagement Manager

The Partner Engagement Manager (Mid-Level Giving & Donor Development) is responsible for building meaningful relationships with Christianity Today's (CT) Sustaining Partners and emerging major donors, creating personalized engagement strategies that strengthen retention, increase annual giving, and develop a strong pipeline of future major donors. The manager will guide the Sustaining Partner program (those giving $1K or more annually), steward active donors up to $5K, build systems for appropriate touchpoints, move relationships from transactional to relational to transformational, and invite increased giving. 

Functions and Responsibilities 

Donor Relationships

• Build authentic, trusted relationships with a caseload of approximately 250-300 mid-level donors at $1K-$5K, inspiring and aligning those donors with CT’s mission and values, contributing to the achievement of the annual philanthropic budget. 
• Optimize Virtuous CRM processes and tools to create and deploy meaningful touchpoints (including email, calls, letters, video meetings), individual giving goals, and stewardship/ask plans relevant for each donor within the assigned donor categories and caseload, based on the individual donor’s passions, interests, motivations, giving history, and giving capacity. Execute these plans in a timely, cost-effective manner resulting in the upgrading of average gifts and  improved donor retention. 

Donor Programs

• Lead the growth and relational engagement strategy for the Sustaining Partners ($1K+ gifts) and The Thread (recurring giving) programs, partnering with Mission Advancement colleagues to strengthen acquisition, retention, upgrading, and donor experience. 

Pipeline Development

• Identify and qualify donors with the capacity and demonstrated interest to make major gifts at $10K or more, developing relationships and preparing qualified prospects for transition into a major gift portfolio in collaboration with the SVP of Mission Advancement and Director of Partner Engagement. 
• Support prospect identification, research, and qualification for the Mission Advancement team by developing efficient research processes, donor profiles, and briefing materials that help relationship managers better understand and engage qualified prospects. 
• Support an event strategy on behalf of the President, Board, and President’s Council as well as major donors in order to enhance CT’s vision and mission to advance the stories and ideas of the kingdom of God. 

Strategic Development & Operations

• Maintain updated constituent records and provide monthly reports to accurately reflect meaningful  connections and meetings, updates, and performance. 
• Collaborate with the SVP of Mission Advancement to craft strategic plans, annual budgets, and donor communications that achieve the long and short-term funding goals of the ministry. 
• Stay current on fundraising best practices, including mid-level giving, major giving, sustaining programs, prospect research, non-cash asset gifts, and  planned giving. 
• Perform additional job-related duties as assigned.

Education and Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree 
• 5+ years fundraising and mid and major gifts experience 
• Christian nonprofit experience 

Competencies and Additional Criteria  

• Mid and Major donor cultivation and proposal writing 
• Proven track record of building donor relationships through giving circles/clubs and personal engagement that result in multiple annual gifts of $1K-$5K+
• Strong relationship-building skills with a demonstrated ability to move donors toward deeper engagement and increased giving
• Experience retaining and upgrading donors through personalized cultivation and solicitation
• Experience managing a large portfolio and building scalable systems for meaningful and engaging donor touchpoints
• Demonstrated skill in both digital and personal donor engagement
• Comfort using CRM data and technology to prioritize and systemize donor outreach
• Ability to identify, qualify, and develop emerging major gift prospects 
• Ability to authentically represent the ministry’s mission, vision, and values 
• Strong communicator; excellent written and verbal communication skills 
• Excellent project management and organizational skills with high attention to detail 
• Ability to travel six times a year on average 

Employment Details

• CT headquarters are located in Wheaton, Illinois
• Work Location: Remote
• Type: Full Time
• Classification: Salaried, Exempt FLSA Status
• Benefits: CT offers a comprehensive benefits package - check out our careers page to learn more

Exact compensation may vary based on experience, skills, and location.