Donor Services Director

Description

Nexus Family Healing is looking to hire a Donor Service Director to join our fantastic Development team!

For more than 50 years, Nexus has empowered thousands of children, families, and adults to find hope and healing. What started in 1972 as a single program in Minnetonka, Minnesota has grown into a nationally recognized network across five states. As a progressive leader in youth and family mental health, we’re driven by a clear mission: to close gaps in care and create brighter futures for those we serve.

At Nexus Family Healing, we embrace diversity, promote equity, and foster inclusion. As a national mental health organization, we serve a diverse group of youth and families, and we strive for our workforce to support and represent that diversity.

Pay and Schedule:

• Full-time Hybrid opportunity from Minnesota
• Regular travel for donor engagement events and working in office.
• Starting salary range: $110,000-$120,000annually

Nexus’ Comprehensive Benefits Include:

• Five weeks paid time off (PTO) in the first year of employment
• Multiple options for health insurance coverage
• No-cost life insurance
• Short/long-term disability insurance
• 401k match
• NEW - Talkspace Therapy Benefit for the whole family
• NEW - Hinge Health Benefit for the whole family
• NEW – Carrot Fertility Benefit
• Tuition assistance and training opportunities
• Advancement pathways and internal promotion
• And much more!

Position Summary: Our Donor Services Director provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for all donor-facing service functions that enhance donor experience, strengthen relationships, and support philanthropic revenue growth. This role oversees donor operations, gift processing, database integrity, prospect research, donor portfolio management, recognition programs, reporting, and stewardship strategy. The Donor Services Director supervises the Operations Manager, Donor Relations Manager, and prospect research functions, ensuring a high level of service, compliance, and efficiency across all donor services functions.

Primary responsibilities:

Leadership & Strategy

• Develops and implements a comprehensive donor services strategy that supports organizational fundraising goals.
• Collaborates closely with the development leadership team to strengthen donor retention, engagement, and satisfaction.
• Leads, mentors, and evaluates direct reports (Operations Manager, Donor Relations Manager) fostering a culture of accountability, excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Establishes service-level standards and performance metrics for donor operations, prospect research, portfolio management, and stewardship functions.
• Provides leadership in developing systems and tools that optimize frontline fundraisers' effectiveness and portfolio performance.

Donor Operations & Data Management

• Oversees timely, accurate gift processing, data entry, and receipting in accordance with IRS regulations and organizational policies.
• Ensures the integrity, security, and optimization of the donor database (e.g., Raiser’s Edge).
• Partners with the Operations Manager to streamline workflows, improve efficiency, and maintain compliance with internal controls.
• Develops and manages processes for data hygiene, reporting, analytics, and prospect data governance.
• Oversees prospect research operations, including identifying new prospects, maintaining research profiles, and ensuring high-quality data to support fundraising strategy.

Prospect Research & Donor Portfolio Management

• Leads the development and implementation of a comprehensive prospect research strategy that identifies, qualifies, and prioritizes prospective donors.
• Designs and manages portfolio assignment processes, ensuring equitable, strategic, and data-informed portfolio distribution across fundraising staff.
• Monitors portfolio health and activity, providing analysis, training, and coaching to strengthen pipeline development and donor movement strategies.
• Develops tools, dashboards, and systems that support proactive fundraising, donor retention, and pipeline growth.
• Partners with fundraisers and leadership to provide research briefings, wealth analysis, and strategic insights that inform cultivation and solicitation planning.

Donor Relations & Stewardship

• Oversees creation and execution of stewardship plans that meaningfully recognize and engage donors at all giving levels.
• Collaborates with the Donor Relations Manager to produce personalized acknowledgments, impact reports, donor communications, and recognition events.
• Ensures consistency and quality across all touchpoints to reinforce donor trust and loyalty.
• Supports Foundation team and leadership by providing tailored stewardship materials and insights.

Reporting, Analysis & Compliance

• Produces accurate and timely fundraising, prospect research, portfolio management, and donor service reports for internal teams and leadership.
• Analyzes donor trends, portfolio performance, giving behaviors, and pipeline health to guide strategy.
• Maintains compliance with regulatory, audit, and financial reporting standards.
• Partners with finance to reconcile revenue and ensure gift acceptance policy adherence.

Cross Department Collaboration

• Serves as liaison between donor services, finance, fundraising, marketing, and program staff.
• Supports organization-wide initiatives that impact donor experience, fundraising systems, or prospect management.
• Represents donor services and prospect management functions in planning meetings, forecasting discussions, and development strategy sessions.

Company Policy, Procedure, Training & Compliance

• Remains self-motivated and demonstrates the ability to work independently and as a part of a team
• Ensures appropriate boundaries are maintained in all staff/donor interactions
• Exercises moral judgement and sound decision making
• Ensures confidentiality regarding client and donor information and comply with Nexus policies
• Demonstrates an acceptance and respectfulness toward diversity concerning commonalities and differences such as: gender, race, age, culture, ethnicity, class, religion, sexual preference, disability, and gender identity.

Requirements

Required Education and Licensure:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of experience in development operations, donor relations, fundraising, or nonprofit management.
• 3+ years of supervisory experience, preferably in a structured donor services or development environment.
• Strong knowledge of/experience with donor databases (e.g., Raiser’s Edge).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite.
• Valid driver’s license required. Must meet state regulating agency and Home Office driving requirements

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Experience in a mid size or larger nonprofit environment.
• Familiarity with philanthropy trends, donor stewardship best practices, and IRS charitable giving regulations.
• Proficiency in data visualization or reporting tools (e.g., Power BI).
• Exceptional organizational, analytical, and project management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining a commitment to accuracy and service.

ICARE Values & Behavioral Competencies:

• Innovation: Leading the way and implementing creative, cutting-edge ideas and approaches
• Compassion: Listening, honoring differences, and showing respect, kindness, empathy, care, and concern
• Agility: Exhibiting flexibility and adapting quickly
• Responsiveness: Being quick, positive, and accurate
• Excellence: Demonstrating quality results that surpass ordinary standards

APPLY TODAY TO BE CONTACTED BY OUR RECRUITING TEAM! When you work at Nexus, you have the opportunity to change lives — including your own!