Setting up a grassroots fundraising campaign is not a one-person job. The best results come out when individuals with specific responsibilities and skills come together as a team.
Before you set up the campaign, you may want to look at what skill sets seem fit to hit a specific objective within your grassroots fundraising campaign.
In this article, we look at some of the most common grassroots fundraising jobs to help you make the right positions available and find the right fit.
Grassroots fundraising jobs
This section covers 9 grassroots fundraising job roles:
- Grassroots Giving Director
- Fundraising Consultant
- Assoc. Director, Community Fundraising
- Development Director, Fundraising and Donor Relations
- Fundraising Research Analyst
- Creative Director, Fundraising and Mobilization
- Digital Advocacy and Fundraising Digital Campaign Manager
- Fundraising Manager
- Individual Giving Manager
along with the
- The core focus of the role,
- Common responsibilities, and
- Skills and experience required for each.
Let’s get to it.
1. Grassroots Giving Director
The focus of this position is
- Raising money for social causes
- Directing, inspiring, and engaging volunteers to expand the donor base
Responsibilities include:
- Design, implement and evaluate strategic fund development plans.
- Set a strategy, develop and manage budgets for grassroots fundraising campaigns.
- Cultivate existing donors through monthly donor programs, fundraising appeals through print, emails, phone calls, and other outreach activities.
- Direct, implement and grow fundraising events to build the donor base.
Skills and experience required:
- Development, community organizing, event planning.
- Ability to work effectively in a team environment.
- Success in making asks
- Project management
- Excellent communication skills
- Comfort with data management systems and reporting
- Exceptional relationship-building skills
2. Fundraising Consultant
The focus of this position is
- Identifying potential donors and securing their support.
- Creating and sending out proposals.
Responsibilities include:
- Develop and maintain relationships with donors.
- Create and maintain a donor database.
- Plan fundraising campaigns and activities.
- Gather information for grant proposals.
- Maintain donor records and files.
Skills and experience required:
- Experience in fundraising
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- An outgoing personality
- Time management
- Ability to handle multiple tasks
- Ability to work well independently and in a team environment
- Strong analytical skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
- Knowledge of the latest fundraising tools and technology
3. Assoc. Director, Community Fundraising
The focus of this position is
- Managing and supporting a team of fundraising professionals
Responsibilities:
- Manage and grow a portfolio of relationships with supporters and donors.
- Develop strategy for fundraising and retaining current donors.
- Lead efforts to strengthen stewardship, incentives, and rewards.
- Lead the team’s efforts to track funds and optimize the usage of tools.
- Evaluate investment opportunities to optimize ROI.
- Deepen community engagement and support community fundraising efforts
Skills and experience required:
- Experience in fundraising
- Managerial and leadership skills
- Microsoft Office
- Interpersonal skills
- Strong attention to detail
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively
4. Development Director, Fundraising and Donor Relations
The focus of this position is
- Managing a donor program and cultivating relationships with existing donors through stewardship, rewards, and incentives.
Responsibilities include:
- Lead stewardship programs to ensure the programs are creative and impactful.
- Guide the team with respect to setting goals and evaluating performance.
- Lead the hiring efforts within the team.
- Manage the key touchpoints for welcoming a new donor.
- Lead the existing efforts and create new initiatives to strengthen the donor retention process and inspire further giving.
- Ensure a personalized and elevated donor experience, including gathering feedback.
- Oversee the donor database and reporting.
Skills and experience required:
- Managing teams and programs
- Project management
- Ability to work collaboratively
- Process development to help the structure of working
- Strategic thinking and planning
- Problem-solving and decision making within the set policies
- Exceptional attention to detail
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office
5. Fundraising Research Analyst
The focus of this position is
- Providing insights and analysis regarding fundraising across the team.
- Help the organization understand the market, context, and donors to make effective decisions concerning fundraising and donor relations.
- Contribute to the annual fundraising target.
Responsibilities include:
- Strategic research to understand the market and competitive landscape.
- Provide insight into understanding donor requirements and experience.
Skills and experience required:
- Excellent communication
- Ability to collect and assess information rapidly and draw appropriate conclusions
- Strong attention to detail
- Working effectively in a team environment
6. Creative Director, Fundraising and Mobilization
The focus of this position is on
- Improving the brand strategy and communication concerning fundraising and mobilization.
- Developing a creative process to inspire the team to deliver result-oriented work.
Responsibilities include:
- Guide the development and implementation of digital fundraising campaigns.
- Provide creative solutions to the team and oversee the deliverables.
- Lead inspiring brainstorming sessions to lift team’s ideas, encourage collaboration and create strategically informed creative processes.
Skills and experience required:
- Knowledge of grassroots fundraising, mobilization, engagement, and strategy
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Providing constructive feedback
- Working well with a team
7. Digital Advocacy and Fundraising Digital Campaign Manager
The focus of the role is on
- Developing, implementing, and managing compelling multi-channel online fundraising campaigns.
Responsibilities include:
- Create a fundraising campaign plan and write the associated copy for multiple digital platforms.
- Coordinate with internal and external teams to develop the campaigns.
- Create strategies to acquire new donors and retain existing donors.
- Develop and incorporate testing strategies into campaigns.
- Assist in developing campaign reports and drawing insights to make tactical decisions.
Skills and experience required:
- Digital fundraising
- Strong writing and editing skills
- Working knowledge of CRMs
8. Fundraising Manager
The focus of this position is on
- Lead the fundraising team, including volunteers.
Responsibilities include
- Develop goals and plans for raising funds
- Adopt strategies and create campaigns to support the fundraising goals
- Identify and explore donor pools
- Create grant proposals
- Plan and manage marketing campaigns
- Plan fundraising events
Skills and experience required:
- Organizing and managing campaigns and teams
- Experience in fundraising
- Public speaking
9. Individual Giving Manager
The focus of this position is on
- Cultivating, developing, and overseeing relationships with existing and potential donors.
- Securing gifts and donations from individuals.
Responsibilities include:
- Provide strategic leadership to the team in developing a resource development program to secure gifts.
- Manage a portfolio of potential donors.
- Prepare promotional and communication materials needed to secure gifts.
- Help the management team establish goals aligned with fundraising, create objectives and strategies to support those goals, and assess progress periodically.
- Reach out to prospective donors for securing donations.
- Lead organization of events for prospective donors.
- Track and report fundraising metrics.
Skills and experience required:
- Donor identification, cultivation, and stewardship.
- Demonstrated success in implementing cultivation strategies
- Ability to build relationships with prospective donors and existing ones
- Analytical and strategic thinking
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office
What next?
Once you have gone through these grassroots fundraising jobs, compare them with your fundraising goals. You may not need to fill all the positions right away, so considering the activities you have planned for the year may help.
Also, here’s an article that covers the top grassroots fundraising strategies linked directly to securing funds.
Featured image: Teamwork hands photo created by rawpixel.com
