Donor Relations Specialist (Mid-Level Donor Portfolio)

Hope Air • Toronto, ON

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

Hope Air is Canada’s only national charity providing free travel and accommodations to ensure all Canadians can access essential medical care, regardless of distance or cost. Reporting to the Senior Manager, Annual Giving, the Donor Relations Specialist plays a key role in strengthening relationships with donors and supporting long-term fundraising outcomes. This role is responsible for managing a portfolio of mid-level donors, while also contributing to a consistent and thoughtful stewardship experience across the broader donor community. Through personalized outreach, donor recognition, responsive communication, and relationship-building, the Donor Relations Specialist helps improve donor retention, increase engagement, and support upgrades in giving. This position is remote or hybrid (with occasional travel as required) and requires strong autonomy, organization, and comfort working independently while staying closely connected to a collaborative fundraising team.

Requirements

• Post-secondary education in fundraising, communications, marketing, nonprofit management, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in donor relations, fundraising, customer relationship management, or similar relationship-based role.
• Strong experience managing relationships or portfolios independently.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with ability to adapt tone to different audiences.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities in a remote environment.
• Comfortable working independently with a high degree of accountability.
• Experience with CRM systems (Salesforce an asset).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, Outlook).

Nice To Haves

• Bilingualism (English/French) is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Manage and steward a defined portfolio of mid-level donors through personalized engagement, with clear accountability for donor retention, renewal, and measurable growth in giving, including upgrades within the portfolio where appropriate.
• Build and maintain long-term donor relationships through regular, meaningful touchpoints (phone, email, mail, and occasional meetings).
• Drive donor retention and renewal efforts, while identifying and acting on upgrade opportunities.
• Track donor engagement and ensure timely follow-up aligned with stewardship plans.
• Collaborate with the Senior Manager, Annual Giving and Chief Development Officer on donor strategy for assigned relationships.
• Contribute to stewardship activities across donor segments, including entry-level, monthly, mid-level, and major donors.
• Deliver timely and thoughtful thank-you communications (calls, emails, and written notes).
• Respond to donor inquiries with professionalism, care, and responsiveness.
• Support donor recognition and gratitude initiatives across the organization.
• Ensure donors feel valued, appreciated, and meaningfully connected to impact.
• Draft, personalize, and edit donor-facing communications including thank-you messages, emails, impact updates, and stewardship materials (for assigned portfolio).
• Translate organizational impact into clear, donor-centered messaging.
• Collaborate with internal teams to gather content and stories that support donor engagement.
• Maintain accurate and timely records in Salesforce, including donor interactions, notes, and follow-up actions.
• Ensure portfolio activity is consistently tracked and updated.
• Generate reports related to assigned donor portfolio activity and outcomes.
• Support data integrity and CRM best practices within assigned responsibilities.
• Work closely with the Fund Development team to support aligned donor engagement strategies.
• Provide input on donor behaviour, engagement trends, and opportunities for improvement.
• Participate in planning and continuous improvement of stewardship practices.
• Provide occasional support for gift processing coverage when required (shared responsibility across team).

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits, including health, dental, vision, and paramedical coverage
• Team bonus plan based on performance and achievement.
• Generous vacation leave with support for professional development.
• Celebrate your birthday with an extra day off.
• Opportunities for career advancement and professional growth.
• Regular team-building activities and social events.
• A holiday closure to relax and spend time with family & friends.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree