Golden Circle Officer

Location: Remote -The duties of this job cannot be performed in Washington.

Hiring Range: This position's hiring range is anticipated to be $65,000 to $70,000 annually, depending on experience, plus great benefits!

Position Summary: The Golden Circle Concierge will be the face of Golden Circle for all donors not in a portfolio. They will respond to all general Golden Circle inquiries, as well as inquiries from donors wishing to donate via a DAF, IRA, or stock. The Concierge is part of the fundraising team and will have excellent relationship-building skills. They will engage donors in discovery to determine the opportunity to increase giving and refer the donor to a portfolio on the PG, GC, mid-level or major donor team to further deepen the donor's relationship with Best Friends. The Concierge will also manage a portfolio of 50-100 donors who have $10,000+ giving potential yet still need more time to develop a personal connection with the organization. The Concierge will have a specific focus on improving GC retention and upgrade, and advancing donors up the pipeline, introducing donors to fundraisers who will continue a long-term relationship with the donor. The Golden Circle Concierge will work closely with Major Gifts, Direct Response, Digital, Planned Giving, Stewardship, Donor Services, and other Best Friends teams to be responsive to the needs of Golden Circle donors and ensure all donors feel special and connected to the organization while strengthening relationships to inspire more giving and movement up the pipeline.

This position will create meaningful relationships through regular phone, mail, email, and other channels of communications to grow the support of Best Friends. This position must be able to promote the goals of Best Friends, articulate the mission and strategic priorities, and effectively present a case for support. This person will have experience leveraging fundraising tactics and technology (e.g. AI tools) to engage, cultivate and steward mid-level donors. The Concierge will utilize traditional and innovative tactics to upgrade giving, deepen donor commitment, and expand relationships. This person will collaborate with others on the Development team and throughout the organization to increase the overall pipeline portfolio giving annually.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Respond quickly to all inquiries from donors interested in donating via DAF, IRA or stock to help provide any information needed to expedite the gift. Record data in HERO to track gift inquiry, intention, and receipt. Collaborate with Donor Services, Finance, and Operations to ensure gifts are received and credited to the donor correctly and acknowledged personally and promptly.

• Respond to all general inquiries received through the Golden Circle phone number or email address. Resolve questions or issues promptly, seeking support from others within the organization when needed. Follow up with donor to ensure complete resolution and donor satisfaction.

• Increase donor value by cultivating close, meaningful, personal relationships with an assigned portfolio of 50-100 donors with significant growth opportunity through quarterly communication and surprise-and-delight touches.

• In addition to assigned portfolio, this position will serve as point of contact for unassigned Golden Circle members nationwide and his/her name will appear on print and digital correspondence . This person's role will include responding to correspondence from this group as they connect and engage. The Concierge will perform discovery with donors who contact them with inquiries and will refer GC donors to be considered for middle or major portfolios if they qualify them as a higher level donor.

• Perform donor outreach to various special donor audiences to improve retention, donor satisfaction, or enhance donor experience.

• Work in a collaborative and supportive manner to facilitate donor transfers up the development pipeline, by determining interest and capacity so they may be pre-qualified for inclusion in the major gifts/philanthropy pipeline or into Planned Giving portfolios.

• Demonstrate effective capture of personal data and experience integrating other data sources, including AI tools (or desire to learn how to use AI), to strategically craft an excellent donor journey that matches donors' philanthropic goals.

• Make thank-you calls and GC welcome calls to unassigned GC donors within 30 days of receiving $1k+ gift or GC qualification with a focus on completing the majority of this outreach within two weeks of the gift. Use these calls to determine if donor should be assigned into an actual portfolio or remain in Golden Circle general audience journey.

• Make pre/post calls to those attending virtual events or visiting the Sanctuary, offering special touches where appropriate such as VIP tours and lunch with a founder.

• Solicit and secure unrestricted annual gifts in the range of $1,000 - $4,999 annually and collaborate with other fundraisers to solicit gifts above this range.

• Maintain up-to-date CRM reports and contact logs in HERO.

• Work alongside Best Friends staff to bring the magic of the Sanctuary to the donors through various thoughtful personalized touches (e.g., videos, virtual events, Friends & Founder events, phone calls and more).

• Work to identify opportunities to expand donor engagement to include planned giving, major giving, stewardship, and other departments. Collaborate with subject matter experts on other teams to create cultivation plans. Support healthy transfers of donor relationships that honor a positive donor experience.

• Treat people around you with Kindness and Compassion, build trust by demonstrating authenticity and following through on your commitments, prioritize your well-being like you do our mission, and work to build strong relationships with your colleagues by participating in communication loops to share and receive honest feedback. You are responsible and accountable for the culture you add to your team dynamic.

• Other duties as assigned.

Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or comparable work experience.

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to make meaningful connections over phone, email, text, letters, or other communications.

• Strength and experience in utilizing statistical information to inform, develop, and implement strategies and program direction. Desire to incorporate advanced technologies, such as AI tools, to effectively deliver the best donor experience.

• Proven attention to detail with advanced organizational and time management skills.

• Flexibility to pivot with changing needs and organizational priorities.

• Ability to collaborate and influence others positively when working with internal and external partners.

• Customer-centric, non-judgmental approach to engaging with donors, adopters, partners, visitors, volunteers, and colleagues; familiarity and comfort with nonjudgmental philosophies.

• Commitment to collaboration, independent thinker with the ability to act decisively, a get-it-done attitude; a team player, upbeat, energetic, tactful, and diplomatic, able to get along with people from different backgrounds, as well as the ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to professionally advocate Best Friends' positions on issues; experience in supporting, engaging with, and developing relationships with donors.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products; Blackbaud CRM, or similar donor management system, comfortable learning new systems, including online information systems

Physical Requirements:

• Able to work at a computer for extended periods of time with repetitive typing, arm and hand motion.

• Able to spend the majority of the day communicating on the phone (via Teams).

• Ability to travel up to 5%, including overnight stays, when needed.

Thank you for your interest in pursuing a career at Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends Animal Society is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or domestic partner status.

Applicants for employment in the U.S. must have valid work authorization that does not now and/or will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S. by Best Friends Animal Society.