About KIND
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) is a global leader in the protection of unaccompanied and separated children who are forcibly displaced from their countries of origin. Launched in 2008, KIND champions a world in which every child’s rights and well-being are protected throughout their journey to safety.
Building on its extensive programming and successful model in the United States, KIND is expanding in the Americas and Europe to bring its experience to bear in working with unaccompanied and separated children. Our work focuses on addressing the legal and mental health needs of this population; building strong partnerships and engaging in training and capacity strengthening with governments, NGOs, and the private sector; and advocating for systemic and pragmatic reforms to advance the rights of unaccompanied and separated children.
Position Summary
KIND seeks a Leadership Circle Officer to facilitate the strategic growth of KIND’s midlevel giving program, Leadership Circle. Managing a fluctuating pipeline of midlevel donors, the Officer will work with external vendors and internal team members to qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward both loyal and prospective donors giving between $1,000 - $9,999 cumulatively annually. The Officer will be responsible for contributing to the Individual Giving team’s annual revenue goals. This role is critical to building donor loyalty, increasing annual revenue, and strengthening the pipeline for major and principal gifts. The Officer will make a significant impact by fostering meaningful connections with donors and contributing to KIND’s mission of protecting vulnerable children around the world.
The Officer will thrive in a dynamic, evolving work environment and seize emerging opportunities to grow KIND’s revenue. This position is ideal for someone with strong communication skills, a proactive approach to donor outreach, and a passion for building relationships in support of a mission-driven organization. The Leadership Circle Officer will report to the Senior Director, Individual Giving.
This is a remote position based from any location in the U.S.
This position is contingent upon continued funding.
Essential Functions
Leadership Circle Fundraising
Partners with other Individual Giving team members develop and implement cultivation, solicitation, upgrade, and stewardship plans for assigned top-tier Leadership Circle donors with the goal of establishing a productive midlevel pipeline to enhance donor engagement and loyalty.
Manages all aspects of donor stewardship for assigned donors by establishing moves management and building strong relationships leveraging telephone calls, written correspondence, and in-person visits.
Maintains relationships with donors throughout the year to nurture giving, share KIND updates, and enhances connection to the organization.
Develops and implements engagement strategies across all channels with the goal of increasing retention and upgrading giving through personalized solicitations aligned with donor capacity and affinity.
In conjunction with the Donor Communications Manager, supports the development and execution of an integrated multi-channel engagement plan including welcome communications and ongoing stewardship efforts.
Contributes ideas and experience to help evolve messaging, design and processes for the Leadership Circle.
Collaborates with Development Operations and Strategy team to ensure a cohesive acknowledgment program.
Partners with the Manager, Prospect Research and Portfolio Optimization to regularly evaluate portfolio alignment to support the fluid movement of donors between midlevel and major gift programs.
Strategy, Research and Reporting
Tracks and analyzes donor data to inform strategies and measure progress against goals.
With the Manager, Prospect Research and Portfolio Optimization identifies high-capacity donors for qualification.
Maintains accurate records of donor interactions, plans, and gifts in Salesforce.
With the Development Operations and Strategy team, create actionable reporting to benchmark and measure effectiveness of midlevel strategies.
In collaboration with Individual Giving team members, supports the development and execution of small, donor-led events to build connection and support fundraising goals for the department.
Team Collaboration
Serves as the point of contact to all midlevel donors, overseeing the Leadership Circle email inbox and resolves conflicts, questions, requests, etc., about specific KIND priorities, policies, and donor service needs,
Advises, trains, and aligns with the Development Operations and Strategy team to ensure excellent customer service and accurate record keeping for this donor group.
Participates in team meetings, portfolio reviews, and strategy sessions to support the overall growth of the Leadership Circle Program.
Contributes insights and ideas to enhance donor experiences and achieve annual revenue goals.
Performs other duties as may be assigned.
Qualifications and Requirements
Undergraduate degree and with a minimum of 3 years of experience in individual fundraising or a minimum of 7 years of experience in lieu of education.
Professional experience in fundraising, donor relations, or philanthropy. Proven success in managing donor portfolios, donor cultivation, or similar initiatives.
Demonstrated ability to build and maintain meaningful and successful supporter relationships in an external-facing role.
Ability to communicate effectively and comfortably with donors in person and over the phone. Comfort in “cold calling” and soliciting donations.
Demonstrated ability to develop successful strategies for donor recruitment and retention.
Familiarity with moves management process, defining the steps along the donor continuum.
High level of discretion with donor’s private information and motivations.
Collaborative team player able to work effectively in cross-functional teams.
Proficiency in tracking progress through fundraising CRM such as Salesforce NPSP.
Strong analytical skills for data interpretation and reporting.
Self-starter with strong organizational and time management skills; attention to detail and process.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with attention to detail and storytelling expertise.
High degree of comfort with the ambiguity that comes with building a new program, and the ability to operate amidst change.
Embraces the mission, principles, and messaging of KIND with enthusiasm.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a remote environment with virtual teams.
Willingness to travel for donor visits and KIND events (up to 20% of the time).
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (such as Teams, Excel, etc.).
Ability to work collaboratively and multi-task in our KIND environment, managing numerous priorities and emerging opportunities.
Excellent organizational skills with the ability to work on multiple projects in a deadline-oriented environment; ability to prioritize tasks and delegate as appropriate.
Ability to multitask and work with a sense of urgency in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Committed to practicing and supporting wellbeing and a work-home life balance.
Experience working and communicating in a remote environment preferred but not required.
Our Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance with KIND paying 100% of the employee only portion of the premium for one of the three medical plan options, dental, and vision.
- Pre-tax flexible spending account (FSA) for both medical and dependent care.
- Pre-tax transit and parking spending account.
- Employer-paid life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment insurance.
- Employer-paid short and long-term disability insurance.
For a complete list of benefits, please click
here.
Our Focus on Wellness
KIND recognizes that our ability to help our clients starts with helping our team members. KIND has prioritized wellness for employees through Mindfulness and Wellness Trainings, Wellness Platforms, Employee Assistance and Resilience Programs, Time Away and Office Wellness Activities.
For more information regarding our Wellness initiatives please visit this
link.
Application Instructions
To be considered for this role, please submit an employment application at
supportkind.org/join-the-team, along with your resume and cover letter.
Disclaimer: KIND is committed to an ethical recruitment and hiring process and maintains a firm “no fees” recruitment policy. We will never charge a fee or ask for money as part of the application process. KIND also conducts all interviews via telephone or video conference, and at no time will KIND engage in a text or mobile app-based application or interview process. For more information, please visit the following website: https://supportkind.org/join-the-team/kind-employment-practices/. 