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:
DONOR SERVICES SPECIALIST | When a gift gets complicated, you're who we count on. As our Donor Services Specialist, you'll handle complex gift processing and escalated donor issues, bringing sound judgment and steady expertise to every case.
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Job Title: Donor Services Specialist
Department: Development
Reports to: Director of Development Operations
POSITION SUMMARY
The Donor Services Specialist is an individual-contributor role responsible for the more complex, judgment-driven side of Hawaiʻi Foodbank’s donor services function — sitting above the Donor Services Associate’s day-to-day gift processing and below the people-management and program-ownership scope of a Donor Services Manager. The Specialist reports to the Director of Development Operations and does not carry formal supervisory or hiring authority over other Donor Services staff.
Where the Donor Services Associate role focuses on routine gift entry, receipting, and data maintenance, the Specialist takes ownership of higher-complexity gift types and escalated donor service issues, exercising independent judgment within standards set by the Director. The Specialist also provides day-to-day procedural guidance and technical support to Donor Services Associates — informal peer mentorship, not formal supervision — and supports the Director on reporting, reconciliation, and system administration work.
The Specialist must demonstrate an active commitment to the Hawaiʻi Foodbank mission and to a consistent, donor-centered service experience in all aspects of daily work.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:
Complex Gift Processing & Escalated Support
- Processes and troubleshoots higher-complexity gift types requiring independent judgment — including stock gifts, donor-advised fund contributions, planned/bequest gifts, in-kind and food-poundage valuations, and multi-year corporate sponsorship commitments — escalating only the most complex cases to the Director.
- Serves as the team’s primary point of escalation for gift-processing and receipting issues that fall outside standard procedures.
- Oversees monthly giving (Fight Hunger Hui) donation administration, including recurring gift updates, NCOA processing, and preparation of monthly EFT files for Finance.
- Manages appeal code assignment and gift attribution across fundraising channels — annual giving, leadership giving, corporate giving, institutional giving, and events — in coordination with those teams.
Receipting, Reconciliation & Compliance
- Leads day-to-day receipting and acknowledgment operations in Raiser’s Edge NXT, ensuring timely, accurate donor communications consistent with IRS charitable gift substantiation requirements and Hawaiʻi Foodbank standards.
- Supports monthly reconciliation of fundraising revenue with the Finance team, helping ensure PCI compliance on credit card and online giving transactions.
- Documents and maintains donor services procedures, business rules, and data standards in partnership with the Director of Development Operations.
Team Support & Training
- Provides day-to-day procedural guidance and technical support to Donor Services Associates — informal peer mentorship rather than formal supervisory or performance-management responsibility.
- Assists in onboarding new Donor Services Associates on systems, procedures, and data standards.
- Leads or co-leads regular Donor Services process check-ins at the Director’s direction.
Vendor & System Coordination
- Supports coordination with donation-processing vendors (e.g., mailing, postage, and gift-processing vendors) and platforms such as Omatic and online giving tools, under the Director’s oversight.
- Assists with Feeding America reporting (QPR, NAR) and cause marketing campaign tracking, as directed by the Director.
OTHER FUNCTIONS
- As a member of the Development team, is actively engaged with Food Drive Day, Great Chefs Fight Hunger, and other Hawaiʻi Foodbank events, as assigned.
- Complies with all federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations.
- With team, presents recommendations and assists in implementing quality initiatives.
- Provides support on any other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Working evenings, holidays, special events, project work, and weekend hours, as needed.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Nonprofit Management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 3–5 years of experience in donor services, gift processing, or nonprofit database administration, with demonstrated ability to independently resolve complex gift-processing and receipting issues.
- Strong working knowledge of Raiser’s Edge NXT or a comparable CRM, including receipting, coding, and reporting functions.
- Familiarity with IRS charitable gift substantiation requirements and PCI compliance standards for donation processing.
- Strong organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to train and support peers on procedures without formal supervisory authority.
- Experience with reporting or data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI) a plus.
Pay: From $70,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Education:
Experience:
- donor services, gift processing or database admin: 3 years (Required)
- Raiser's Edge NXT or comparable CRM: 1 year (Required)
- IRS charitable gift substantiation and PCI requirements: 1 year (Preferred)
- report or data visualization tool (e.g. Power BI): 1 year (Preferred)
- Nonprofit : 1 year (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
