MANAGER, DONOR EXPERIENCE & COMMUNICATIONS
Chicago
Who We Are and What We Believe:
Founded in 1997, Bottom Line is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization with a mission to partner with degree-aspiring students of color from under-resourced communities as they get into college, graduate, and go far in life. We achieve this mission by providing one-on-one guidance during the college application process through college graduation and the successful launch of their careers.
Our vision is to dramatically transform urban communities by producing thousands of new career-ready college graduates.
When you join Bottom Line, you will find a rewarding, fast-paced, results-oriented environment. We build strong relationships with our students and with each other. We take our work seriously, and we know that a focus on data and metrics is integral to our continued success. Experts in our fields, we are driven by our mission and extremely proud of the work we do.
What You Will Do:
The Manager of Donor Experience and Communication (MDEC) will lead the Chicago region’s cultivation and engagement strategies to successfully steward donors and prospects. The primary responsibility of the MDEC is to implement a robust calendar of events, activities, and communications that attract, cultivate, and steward a diversified donor base, including a signature fundraising event, which we hope to grow to $500,000 annually.
A successful MDEC will effectively work with development team members, programmatic staff, the Regional Advisory Board and other team members to execute shared goals around fundraising, donor cultivation and engagement. They will be able to balance the requirements of an annual signature event with the need to engage in donor segments throughout the year in a variety of ways. They will be able to take insights and ideas from the portfolio managers in Chicago about donor engagement needs and opportunities and execute them, viewing in-person and virtual events and strong communication and marketing as a valuable tool for our front-line fundraisers. They will also be able to work with program-focused staff to ensure that our donor engagement activities not only reflect our programs and students authentically but also connect our external stakeholders directly with our students and programs in a meaningful way. The MDEC will be a great communicator who can use a variety of media to share our story in inspiring and meaningful ways that attract new donors and engage current supporters.
With a successful MDEC in place, the development team will be able to ensure that each member of the team can focus on building meaningful relationships that maximize donor contributions. Portfolio managers focus on cultivating donors via “1:1” activities and interactions; the Manager of Donor Experience and Communication executes “1: many” touchpoints and the vision of the Executive Director.
This is an individual contributor role with no direct reports.
Therefore, the MDEC needs to be able to:
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Understand the needs of each of Bottom Line’s donor segments, which currently include individual major donors and prospects ($5K or more), grant-makers, corporate partners (companies who support Bottom Line financially and partner with us to advance our programmatic goals), and connectors;
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Partner with portfolio leaders on the development team to ensure their revenue and engagement goals are supported by strong engagement and communication strategies; and
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Create and execute experiences of many sizes, audiences, and goals that elevate Bottom Line’s ripple effect and impact with details and logistic execution that signal best-in-class, starting with the potential and achievement of our students and alums.
Primary Responsibilities:
Leadership of Fundraising & Donor Cultivation Events (40%)
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Lead the planning and execution of the annual signature fundraising event and all other revenue-generating events (working closely with the event planner, development team, Host Committee, and Executive Director). Responsibilities include:
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Execute a clear and detailed event plan that includes goals, committee structure and roles, staff roles, event logistics, and a timeline for execution
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Design and manage the revenue campaign that provides portfolio directors the tools they need to be successful in securing pre-event sponsorships and on-site donations
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Lead committee meetings and engagement strategy
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Oversee internal event coordination, manage Progress to Revenue Goal reporting for the event, guest engagement, and other critical metrics
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Execute a series of cultivation events, including volunteer opportunities and donor acquisition events
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Build and manage online fundraising campaigns using Bottom Line’s preferred technology platforms (currently Classy) in collaboration with the development team to support overall regional fundraising efforts
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Create and incorporate campaign and event-specific communications strategies into the overall communications plan
Donor Stewardship and Communications (35%)
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Play a leadership role in executing a strategy to achieve Chicago’s annual fundraising goals, including key messages, communications calendar, and event slate
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Design and execute segmented donor communications and marketing calendar that reflects the regional development strategy
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Distribute invites, regional or organizational updates, and solicitation campaigns to assigned donors in portfolios
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Lead the development team’s planning and content creation efforts for regular social media posts on Bottom Line’s accounts in coordination with Bottom Line's External Affairs Team in the national office
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Serve as the first point of contact for donors before they are assigned
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Ensure regional stewardship efforts are executed according to plan and activities are accurately tracked in Salesforce on donor records
Leadership (10%)
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Co-lead the Bottom Line Associate Board, ensuring that all events are supported and managed, Salesforce is updated, and coordination between operations and development team is seamless, prioritizing the experience of the BLAB
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Co-lead the Student Ambassador (BLSA) initiative with the Success Team Director, recruiting new students and managing the program annually
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Provide leadership in developing and implementing a framework for engaging students as representatives of Bottom Line to funders (via written stories, appearances at meetings, donor events, etc.)
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Ensure that all students who participate are prepared and empowered in their interactions with external stakeholders (via in person, social media, video, etc.)
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Lead all research on new donors, funders, and Regional Advisory Board prospects, at the discretion of the Executive Director and Development team.
Corporate Event and Volunteer Management (10%)
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Fulfill volunteer engagement and hiring proposals with corporate partners and work with the Bottom Line Program and Career Connections Teams to ensure alignment
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Advance the successful rollout of the new Bottom Line Connect platform, including designing materials and communication to encourage corporate partners and volunteers to sign-up and utilize the platform to directly connect with Bottom Line students and alumni
Team Support (5%)
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Work closely with the national finance and regional development teams to ensure all donations are accurately recorded;
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Collaborate with the development team to track gifts allocated to the Chicago region, ensuring that portfolio managers properly record donations and generate appropriate stewardship touch points
Embedded Responsibilities:
Through all the work outlines above:
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Work with the program team to recruit/support student/alumni ambassadors for events
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Oversee relationships and coordinate the work of external vendor(s), ensuring an inclusive selection process that advances and reflects Bottom Line’s DEI strategy.
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Update and maintain accurate donor, opportunity, and payment information in the Salesforce system (donor database), coordinating with the National data support team as needed
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Coordinate with colleagues at National and across regions on strategies they lead or co-lead
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Represent the Bottom Line brand in a positive light, and take actions to increase brand awareness throughout the community
Duties, responsibilities , and activities may change at any time with advanced notice.
Work Schedule:
Monday - Friday 9a – 5p or 10a – 6p (local time), flexibility may be requested; additional hours as needed. Hybrid schedule with minimum 3 days in the Chicago office/in the field.
Direct Reports:
None.
Expected Travel:
Frequent travel across the region, limited travel outside of the region (may include 1-2 trips to other regions throughout the year)
Who Should Apply:
If you meet the qualifications below, you should apply.
- Bachelor’s Degree required
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A minimum of 3 years of related experience.
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Previous fundraising experience preferred, including events management
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An exceptional communicator – both written and oral – with the ability to build campaigns and social media content and tailor tone and key messages per audience
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Highly organized with demonstrated ability to build and execute strong plans
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Strong relationship-builder with a keen understanding of the context and motivations of others
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Strong communication and project management skills, including the ability to draft clear donor-facing communications, coordinate inputs, drive projects forward to completion, and manage up to MDD and Executive Director.
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Able to work effectively with ethnically, culturally, and socially diverse donors, board members, senior executives, staff, students, and other constituencies
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Demonstrated ability to adapt based on the context of a situation and identify solutions quickly when faced with challenges
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Track record of exhibiting strong initiative and ability to work both independently and collaboratively to achieve goals
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Familiarity with Constant Contact, Donor Search, and Salesforce a plus
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Demonstrated commitment to Bottom Line’s Mission, Vision, and Core Values
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Demonstrated growth in Bottom Line's seven core competencies: Relationships, Results, Communication, Inclusiveness, Talent Development, Agility, and Planning
How To Apply/Application Deadline:
All applications must be submitted via Bottom Line’s Career Page.
Please share your resume and cover letter.
Start Date:
August 2026
Compensation:
$70,000 – 75,000
Benefits:
Learn about our benefits here.
