Donor Engagement Specialist Full Time NEW

About the Role: 

The Individual Giving and Events Specialist is responsible for managing Clayton Early Learning’s overall donor experience, with a focus on planning and executing high-impact fundraising events, maintaining strong donor communication strategies, and ensuring seamless gift reconciliation. This role works collaboratively with the Development Team to strengthen relationships with donors, increase community engagement, and support Clayton’s mission to nurture thriving, equitable communities.  

Who we are: 

Clayton Early Learning is a leading nonprofit dedicated to providing children from birth to five with an exceptional start and empowering families for lifelong success. We directly serve approximately 500 children annually through our school, home-based programs, and community partnership sites. As a proud member of the Educare Learning Network and the Head Start community, we are deeply committed to providing high quality early childhood education through a whole-child, whole-family approach. Our unique location on a 20-acre historic campus in Denver is the foundation for our strategic vision to become a thriving neighborhood center to serve the community more fully, addressing needs including food security and health care access.  Our team of over 125 dedicated professionals works in a supportive environment of collaboration, innovation, and personal growth. 

What this Role involves: 

Event Delivery 

• Plan, coordinate, and execute annual fundraising events and special donor-focused activities, both on and off-site. 
• Track spending and against events budgets set by Executive Team Members.  
• Lead vendor and creative consultant relationships to ensure high-quality event delivery. 
• Host donor tours to increase engagement and visibility. 

Donor Communications 

• Lead the delivery of digital and print communications for annual events and campaigns. 
• Draft donor appeal letters, manage regular email communications, and support the messaging and creative design for donor-related events. 
• Collaborate with the Chief Development Officer and consultants on messaging and design for annual donor campaigns, including providing consultative guidance pertaining to donor experience on videography, photography, and other media elements. 
• Support the development of consumer-facing communication strategies in alignment with departmental goals, including social media activity and email communications from the CEO. 
• Support the development and execution of annual and special donor campaigns, including year-end mailings and appeals. 
• Contribute to creative design and messaging for donor engagement initiatives in partnership with the Chief Development Officer. 

Donor Stewardship 

• Hold primary responsibility for a small portfolio of Clayton donors. 
• Support the CDO, CEO, and other key stakeholders in donor outreach, scheduling, and stewardship of gifts. 
• Serve as a liaison between major donors and organizational leadership.  

Data and Reconciliation 

• Work with the Finance Team and Chief Development Officer to perform monthly Salesforce reconciliations for donor gifts. 
• Automate Salesforce processes to improve efficiency in donor tracking and reporting. 
• Maintain accurate records of donor interactions and gifts in Salesforce to ensure data integrity. 
• Keep meticulous care of donor contact information, giving history, and conduct thorough and complete outreach to acknowledge gifts.  
• Complete, accurate, and timely tax acknowledgement of all donor gifts.  

Collaboration and Strategy 

• Act as a key member of the Development Team, contributing to strategic discussions and planning for donor engagement and retention. 
• Build relationships with donors to enhance their experience and connection with Clayton’s mission. 
• Collaborate with the Finance Team to ensure alignment on donor contributions and reporting. 
• other duties as assigned 

What we are looking for: 

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Nonprofit Management, or a related field preferred. 
• 3+ years of experience in donor relations, event delivery or nonprofit fundraising. 

Skills 

•  Proficiency in Salesforce or similar donor management platforms, with experience automating processes preferred. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to draft compelling donor appeals and event messaging. 
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills with the ability to handle multiple priorities simultaneously. 
• Experience in working with creative consultants and vendors for event planning and communications. 
• A collaborative and proactive approach to problem-solving and teamwork. 
• Must be able to pass a comprehensive background check, including CBI/FBI fingerprinting, a physical and a national sex offender registry check 

What we offer: 

• 16+ paid company holidays 
• Accrued vacation time, starting at 10 days per year up to 30 days per year, based on years of service 
• Paid sick time 
• Medical, vision, and dental insurance coverage 
• Life, AD&D insurance 
• Mental health support through our medical coverage and our employee assistance program (EAP) 
• Long-term disability coverage 
• 401(k) with 5% employer match after 1 year of employment 
• FSA plans 
• College 529 investment plans 
• Identify theft and protection plans 

Compensation: 

 $58,000- $62,000 annually

Clayton’s Core Values 

At Clayton Early Learning, we believe that our core values help to drive actions and create habits that allow our belief in the unlimited potential of young children to become a reality. We seek candidates who demonstrate our core values and are motivated by a values-driven environment. 

• Collaboration builds trust and relationships and brings new ideas, skills, and knowledge to help us do better work. 
• Community fosters resiliency, stability, and strength. 
• Fun reduces stress, keeps us motivated, builds connections, and models joy for our children. 
• Growth allows us to develop as professionals and provide the best service. 
• Stewardship enables us to have the greatest impact with the resources we have. 

Clayton Early Learning is an equal opportunity employer that values workplace diversity. We strive to create an inclusive work place that embraces diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives. We prohibit discrimination of employees or applicants on the basis of race, creed, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disability, or any other classification considered discriminatory under applicable law 

Salary: $58000 – $62000 per year

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