Strategic Initiatives Manager
The Strategic Initiatives Manager plays a critical role in advancing Junior Achievement of Maine’s fundraising goals by driving major gift strategy and capital campaign execution. This position manages a portfolio of donors and prospects, as well as all grant-related activities, and builds systems that strengthen pipeline management and donor engagement. Working closely with the President & CEO, this role ensures high-quality donor interactions, maximizes executive time spent on fundraising, and supports the successful achievement of campaign revenue goals.
Primary Responsibilities:
Manage and strengthen a portfolio of major donors and prospects to advance philanthropic support and fundraising goals.
Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors through all stages of the donor engagement cycle.
Build meaningful donor relationships through personalized communications, engagement opportunities, and stewardship activities that promote long-term giving and retention.
Support the planning and execution of capital campaign strategies and initiatives to achieve campaign objectives.
Monitor and analyze fundraising performance, including donor pipelines, solicitations, commitments, and campaign outcomes; prepare reports and recommendations for leadership.
Develop and maintain fundraising dashboards, tracking tools, and performance metrics to support data-informed decision-making.
Identify opportunities to strengthen fundraising results by expanding prospect pipelines, increasing major gift activity, and improving donor engagement strategies.
Lead all grant-related activities, including researching funding opportunities, drafting compelling grant proposals, developing budgets, preparing supporting documentation, and ensuring timely submission and reporting to foundation, corporate, and government funders.
Coordinate and support donor engagement activities for the President & CEO, including meeting logistics, donor briefings, and follow-up actions.
Maximize leadership fundraising effectiveness by establishing clear engagement objectives, strategies, and next steps for donor interactions.
Maintain accurate and timely donor, prospect, and campaign records within the organization's CRM and fundraising systems.
Develop and implement efficient systems, processes, and best practices for donor stewardship, proposal development, campaign management, and donor engagement.
Foster a culture of philanthropy by collaborating with staff, volunteers, and leadership to advance the organization's mission and fundraising goals.
Qualifications (required)
3-5 years of experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, project management, or related field
Proven success in major gifts fundraising or donor relationship management
Strong writing and communication skills, including proposal development
Experience working with CRM systems and fundraising analytics
Highly organized with strong project management skills
Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
Collaborative and proactive mindset with strong attention to detail
Qualifications (desired)
Accountability
Accepts responsibility for delivering on assigned goals and deliverables.
Maintains composure in difficult situations and can shift quickly to objective, problem-solving behaviors in order to deliver results.
Avoids excuses and blame-shifting.
Active Engagement
Actively participates in projects, tasks, meetings and workplace interactions with positive enthusiasm.
Demonstrates an obvious energy in performing the role and is confident, encouraging member of the team.
Growth & Improvement
Actively seeks opportunities to increase industry knowledge and become a stronger subject matter expert in the field.
Willing to accept stretch goals and challenging projects to gain valuable experience and continuously develop as a professional.
Integrity & Trust
Earns the trust and confidence of coworkers and clients through honest communication, ethical behavior and professionalism in all interactions.
Admits mistakes, does not misrepresent self or information, and keeps confidences.
Is dependable and known to be someone who will do what is promised.
Junior Achievement Teamwork
Contributes to meeting team deadlines and engages effectively with others to achieve goals.
Maintains an approachable demeanor to encourage positive working relationships and promote effective communication.
Demonstrates a willingness to pitch in to help team members succeed (even in areas outside their normal role)
Interacts well with many types of personalities and handles difficult interactions without escalating tension.
Application Process
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