Sustaining Gifts Officer

Houston Food Bank•Houston, TX

15h•$55,000 - $68,750•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sustaining Gifts Officer is responsible for advancing the mission of Houston Food Bank by managing and growing a robust monthly giving program that generates more than $4 million in annual revenue from 6,000+ recurring donors. This frontline fundraiser cultivates long-term relationships with a portfolio of sustaining donors, optimizes donor retention and lifetime value, and designs and executes sophisticated multi-channel campaigns that deepen engagement, increase monthly contributions, and advance donors through the giving pipeline. Adhere to PACT values. (Purpose: Using our strengths passionately to contribute to our mission. Accountability: Choosing to rise above one’s circumstances and showing ownership to achieve results. See It. Own It. Solve It. Do It. Courage: Standing up for what’s right and acting. Transparency: Doing things openly and honestly.)

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Communications, Nonprofit Management, Liberal Arts, Business Administration, or related field
A minimum of 3-5 years of demonstrated successful experiences in fundraising, donor relations, or a related field, with a strong preference for experience in recurring or sustaining giving programs, major gifts, or mid-level donor engagement.
Experience at a proficient level with CRM databases (e.g., Raiser’s Edge NXT, Luminate Online, Salesforce, or equivalent), including reporting and analysis functions.
Knowledge of fundraising techniques and recurring donor programs, strongly preferred.
Experience with multi-channel donor engagement (digital, video, direct mail, phone), strongly preferred.
Must have reliable transportation, a valid driver’s license, and insurance.
Ability to work with a diverse population, including the public.
Strong donor stewardship and relationship-building skills, with the ability to create personalized and meaningful donor experiences.
Experience with multi-channel donor engagement (i.e., digital, video, mail, photos).
Effective leadership, project management, and the ability to direct initiatives with measurable outcomes.
Strong interpersonal, customer service, and communication skills.
Excellent writing and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate program outcomes into compelling donor impact messages.
Detail-oriented, organized, self-motivated, and work well independently and collaboratively.
Capacity to analyze donor data, evaluate program performance, and make recommendations to improve donor retention and giving upgrades.
Proficiency in Microsoft applications such as Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and video conferencing platforms.
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.
Is legally able to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) preferred.

Responsibilities

Develops, grows, and manages the monthly giving program, including donor acquisition, retention, reactivation, and upgrade strategies.
Manages a portfolio of high-value sustaining donors, building individualized engagement strategies to deepen commitment, increase giving levels, and identify prospects for pipeline advancement to mid-level or major gifts.
Designs and executes multi-channel stewardship and cultivation campaigns (i.e., digital, direct mail, video, phone, in-person, and emerging channels) to foster donor loyalty and increase donor lifetime value.
Participates in all aspects of the donor cycle for sustaining donors:
Creates personalized stewardship strategies for donors at all giving levels within the sustaining portfolio.
Initiates and completes donor strategy documents, briefing memos, stewardship/cultivation reports, and other correspondence as necessary.
Ensures all donor interactions are recorded accurately and timely in the constituent relationship management (CRM) database.
Moves sustaining donors in an appropriate and timely fashion toward giving upgrades and deeper engagement.
Makes upgrade solicitations and additional giving asks when strategically appropriate.
Maintains meaningful and consistent communication with donors.
Manages and directs all sustaining donor communications, acknowledgements, and impact reporting, including but not limited to handwritten notes, birthday cards, phone calls, e-cards, monthly stewardship emails, and quarterly newsletters, ensuring consistent and meaningful donor touchpoints.
Analyzes and reports on the performance of the recurring giving program and related initiatives, providing insights and recommendations to improve retention, payment recovery, upgrade rates, and donor satisfaction.
Collaborates with the Major Gifts teams to build and support a donor pipeline from recurring gifts to mid-level and major giving.
Works closely and collaboratively with the Marketing and Communications Team on sustainer program needs, including but not limited to social media posts, donation form optimization, storytelling, and web/digital strategy to effectively enhance sustaining donors’ experience.
Works closely with the Donor Services Team to ensure the accuracy of donor records, including, but not limited to, donor information, gift coding, action imports, attributes, solicit codes, and notes.
Handles and maintains confidential information with sensitivity, integrity, and accuracy.
Supports the Annual Giving Manager with planning, reviewing, and resource gathering for annual giving appeals and stewardship/cultivation pieces, including direct mail and telefundraising campaigns, and provides logistical and administrative support for all annual giving appeals.
Documents and maintains standard operating procedures and annual plans in appropriate software, including Asana and SharePoint.
Assists with development projects, as needed.