Join Us in Transforming Lives
It’s an exciting time at The River Food Pantry in Madison, WI. Following a successful $12,000,000 campaign, The River opened our new facility in February and now we are building a best-in-class development team to fuel our next chapter of impact. Our Community Engagement Manager role is more than a fundraising position—it is an opportunity to join an extraordinary community, build meaningful relationships, inspire generosity, and directly support individuals and families facing food insecurity.
We are seeking top-tier talent who care deeply about people, believe in the power of community, and are motivated by the opportunity to connect generous donors with life-changing work. Every conversation, every campaign, and every gift helps ensure that our neighbors have access to food, dignity, and hope.
If you are driven, relational, strategic, and passionate about making a measurable difference, we invite you to join us.
Position Summary:
The Community Engagement Manager leads and executes strategies to grow and retain broad-based donors while managing fundraising events and recurring giving programs. This position works in-person at The River, in the community, and at events.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop an annual giving strategy in collaboration with the Executive Director and Major Gifts Manager.
- Enhance and implement a new donor strategy.
- Manage recurring donor programs.
- Steward donors in the $500-$2,500 range.
- Lead the planning and execution of The River's fundraising and engagement events to include our signature events.
- Develop event sponsorship packages, secure event sponsorships, and manage sponsor fulfillment.
- Manage and participate in third party fundraisers, as needed.
- Collaborate with internal and external partners, including colleagues and volunteers on fundraising initiatives.
- Participate in and give donor tours at The River Food Pantry.
- Analyze donor data for ROI on specific campaigns.
- Identify mid-level, sustaining donors and develop appropriate engagement and stewardship strategies.
- Manage all event logistics: venue, catering, AV, run-of-show, volunteer coordination, and vendor relationships.
- Partner with communications staff on event promotion across email, social media, and press.
- Track event revenue and expenses against budget; provide post-event analysis and recommendations.
- In collaboration with colleagues, support or lead direct mail and digital appeal campaigns (e.g., fall appeal, year-end, Giving Tuesday).
- Assist with grant reporting as it relates to donor or event-tied funding, as needed.
- Track and report on donor acquisition, retention, and upgrade metrics.
Qualifications:
- 3+ years of fundraising or signature events experience is required
- Annual giving experience required
- Previous experience with CRM is preferred
- Multilingual is preferred
- Commitment and passion for The River’s mission, vision and goals
- Demonstrated strong project management skills
- Demonstrated excellent communication and organizational skills
- Initiative to continue learning and be solutions focused
- Ability to work in-person on site, in the community, and at events with the ability to work some nights and weekends
- Ability to communicate information clearly and understandably through interactions with donors, staff, and volunteers
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively as a member of a team
- Ability to work with a broad group of people
- Strategic minded while executing against developed strategies
- Valid driver’s license and clean driving record
- Background and DMV check are required
In exchange for your talents, we offer a pay range of $60,000 - $75,000 based on experience. The River offers a comprehensive benefit package including health, dental, vision, disability insurance, employee assistance plan, Simple IRA with match, paid holidays, and paid time off. We work collaboratively to serve our clients and move towards our vision of a fully nourished community. You can learn more about The River by visiting https://www.riverfoodpantry.org/. To join our team, please share a cover letter and resume with us. We look forward to hearing from you!
The River Food Pantry is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The River is committed to providing an environment free from discrimination and harassment as defined by federal, state, and local law.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $60,000.00 - $75,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Vision insurance
People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply
Experience:
- building relationships: 1 year (Preferred)
- nonprofit fundraising : 3 years (Preferred)
- annual giving: 1 year (Preferred)
License/Certification:
- driver's license (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
