Join our team · Philanthropy & Development
This is a rare moment to join a team being built — not filled.
Multiple positions open
At Hawai'i Foodbank, we are making a deliberate, multi-year investment in expanding our commitment to Philanthropy, by building a team with the capacity to match the scale of our mission. The positions you see here are not the result of turnover — they are the result of intention. We are building new structure, new discipline, and new capacity to deepen our relationships with donors and unlock the potential that fuels our mission: nourishing our ‘Ohana today, while we work to end hunger tomorrow.
If you are a development professional who wants to be part of building something, not just maintaining it, this is that opportunity.
OPEN POSITION:
DIRECTOR OF DONOR ENGAGEMENT | You'll build trust — and the systems that scale it. As our Director of Donor Engagement, you'll manage your own donor portfolio and lead organization-wide stewardship strategy, ensuring every donor experience reflects the same relationship-first approach.
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Reports to: Vice President of Development
Department: Development, Marketing, and Communications
Location: Hawai‘i – Hybrid
Status: Full-time | Occasional evenings and weekends required
Position Summary
The Director of Donor Engagement is responsible for building, stewarding, and growing meaningful, long-term relationships with individual and corporate donors in support of Hawaii Foodbank. This role is relationship first, focusing on trust, alignment, and partnership rather than transactional fundraising.
The Director of Donor Engagement manages a personalized portfolio of donors and prospects, cultivating relationships that drive increased engagement, financial support, and a shared commitment to the mission. This role personally secures cash and planned gifts and works closely with the Vice President of Development to advance strategic fundraising priorities.
In addition, this position plays an active role in planning, supporting, and executing four key donor-focused events each year, using these moments as strategic opportunities for relationship-building, stewardship, and donor engagement.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Donor Relationship Management
- Work in close partnership with the Vice President of Development to secure financial support for Hawaiʻi Foodbank’s programs and services.
- Develop and manage a personal portfolio of donors and prospects, focusing on deepening relationships, increasing engagement, and growing long-term support.
- Design and execute customized donor stewardship and cultivation strategies in collaboration with the Vice President of Development.
- Maintain a consistent schedule of personal visits, tours, and meetings, effectively sharing the mission, vision, and impact of Hawaiʻi Foodbank.
- Serve as a primary relationship manager for assigned donors, ensuring timely, thoughtful communication and follow-up.
- Invite donors into partnership with Hawaiʻi Foodbank through giving, volunteerism, and advocacy.
- Maintain accurate and detailed donor records in Raiser’s Edge, including relationship history, interests, and engagement strategies.
- Follow an intentional engagement process with corporate leaders that fosters trust based, mission-aligned corporate giving.
- Coordinate donor tours, mission awareness luncheons, and briefings, including preparing leadership when their presence is needed.
- Proactively communicate Hawaiʻi Foodbank’s needs, progress, and impact to donors in alignment with stewardship standards.
- Ensure all gifts are acknowledged promptly and appropriately in accordance with Hawaiʻi Foodbank’s policies and donor expectations.
Event Sponsorships
- Actively assist in the sponsorship coordination, and execution of four annual donor and fundraising events, including the Food Drive Day, Nourish Gala, and additional events as scheduled.
- Use events as strategic touchpoints to deepen donor relationships and advance long-term engagement.
- Collaborate with internal teams to ensure events are relationally strong, well-coordinated, and donor focused.
- Assist with securing sponsorships, gift-in-kind donations, and donor engagement opportunities connected to events.
- Support event donor documentation, and post-event donor follow-up as needed.
General Responsibilities
- Prepare customized proposals, donor communications, and stewardship materials.
- Participate in development strategy, planning, and portfolio review meetings.
- Maintain awareness of tax and regulatory considerations related to charitable giving.
- Adhere to the highest ethical standards in fundraising and donor care.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Team Collaboration & Mission Support
- Collaborate with the Director of Annual & Leadership Giving to support donor progression strategies, portfolio growth, and fundraising goals.
- Work closely with the Director of Development Operations to ensure accurate donor records, portfolio management, reporting, fundraising analytics, and data integrity.
- Support volunteer, board, and donor engagement activities that strengthen donor relationships and fundraising outcomes.
Qualifications & Experience
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Business Administration, Nonprofit Management, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in donor relations, stewardship, fundraising, communications, customer engagement, event coordination, nonprofit administration, or related field.
- Experience coordinating donor stewardship activities, donor recognition programs, donor communications, or customer engagement initiatives.
- Proven ability to build trust, rapport, and long-term donor partnerships.
- Strong understanding of relationship-based fundraising principles.
- Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to create donor-centered communications and professional correspondence.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy, accountability, and follow-through.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and database reporting tools.
- Ability to drive to and from donor meetings and engagement locations.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with donor databases or CRM systems, preferably Raiser’s Edge NXT.
- Experience developing donor communications, impact reports, donor recognition programs, or stewardship materials.
- Familiarity with stewardship best practices, donor retention strategies, and donor engagement programs.
- Passion for community impact and Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit work.
- CFRE certification is desirable.
Core Competencies
- Mission-driven and service-oriented
- Relationship-focused and donor-centered
- Strong communicator and storyteller
- Highly organized and proactive
- Detail-oriented with strong project management skills
- Process-oriented with a focus on accountability and follow-through
- Professional, ethical, and trustworthy
- Collaborative and team-oriented
- Skilled in donor stewardship, recognition, and engagement
Description of Tasks
Most tasks are covered within the essential duties and responsibilities outlined above.
Mathematical Skills:
Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs. Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, percentages. Ability to apply all concepts of bookkeeping and all generally accepted accounting procedures.
Reasoning Ability:
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
Equipment, Machines, Tool, Vehicles Used:
- Ability to use a computer workstation including keyboard, mouse, printer, fax and multi-line phone systems to execute tasks.
- Computer literacy with working knowledge of Microsoft office is required with emphasis on proficiency in Word and Excel.
- Computer literacy with experience working with a database system.
- Valid driver’s license and access to insured personal vehicle.
Physical Demands:
- The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to walk. The employee is occasionally required to stand. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include distance vision and the ability to adjust focus.
Work Environment:
- Hybrid, working 4 days in office and 1 day remote after 90 days.
- Requires driving for off-site days, evening and weekend meetings and fundraisers and marketing events, as needed or assigned.
- Requires the use of computers, mobile, telephonic equipment, etc.
- The noise level ranges from quiet to moderate to loud at times.
Additional Information
- This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee filling this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by management. Management has the right to add to, revise, or delete information in this job description.
Pay: $82,000.00 - $108,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Please share a short statement about your experience in building trust and rapport in donor / client relationships that demonstrates your understanding of relationship-based fundraising principles.
Education:
Experience:
- Donor Relations or related: 5 years (Required)
- event coordination: 1 year (Required)
- coordinating stewardship activities: 1 year (Required)
- Fundraising: 1 year (Required)
- coordinating donor communications: 1 year (Required)
- coordinating donor recognition programs: 1 year (Required)
- nonprofit : 1 year (Required)
Location:
- Honolulu, HI 96819 (Required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Honolulu, HI 96819
