BNRC is looking for a Donor Relations Manager to succeed a retiring team member.

Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) is a conservation organization in the westernmost region of Massachusetts. As a land trust, BNRC conserves land, protects wildlife and habitat, supports local farmers, builds climate resilience, and provides free access to the Berkshire outdoors for everybody, at over 50 locations across the region.

BNRC cares for ancestral homelands of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans, who were forcibly displaced from the region by European colonization.

Since 1967, BNRC has helped conserve more than 100,000 acres of forest, fields, wetlands, and farmlands; now holds over 23,000 acres of land and conservation restrictions; and manages over 60 miles of trails.

Are you:

• Excited by the possibility of helping a prominent, growing, regional conservation organization maintain and expand its fundraising work with donors for the sake of open space, wildlife, farmers, climate, and free public access to the outdoors?
• Prepared to take responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of BNRC’s constituent and donor relations database, according to best practices and nonprofit sector requirements?
• Aware of community-centric and donor-centric fundraising principles?
• Enthusiastic about the quality of relationships with members of the BNRC community and administratively contributing to the achievement of annual metric fundraising goals?
• Interested in a starting salary of $45,000-$55,000/year, annual bonus program, 13 holidays, 29 PTO days (vacation/sick/personal), access to health and dental insurance and a 401k savings plan with the possibility of a 10% total annual contribution, other benefits, a great team of coworkers, and flexible hours?

If so, let’s talk.

Further details:

The Donor Relations Manager at Berkshire Natural Resources Council holds primary responsibility for managing BNRC’s donor management systems, data, and donor stewardship programs. They support donor identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts executed by BNRC’s fundraising officers, president, board and committee members, volunteer fundraisers, and similar. The Donor Relations Manager ensures that fundamental donor and gift receipt practices are sound, responsive, audit-ready, donor-centric, and community-centric.

Responsibilities include:

• Accurate, consistent management of BNRC’s fundraising database, including data entry and running reports
• Recording of financial and in-kind gifts according to industry standards and best practices
• Production of gift acknowledgments, including custom communications
• Participation in the production and coordination of constituent outreach materials—especially those related to donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Preparation of reports for analysis, and queries for segmented outreach
• Providing support for special BNRC events, board meetings, and online store
• Some reception and office management duties
• Proofreading correspondence, newsletters, and other publications

Key personal interactions include:

• Development team: director, assistant director, and grants specialist
• President’s office: president, special assistant to the president
• Community Conservation team: particularly with regard to volunteer data
• Finance and Administration: director, bookkeeper
• Board of Directors: development committee, members
• Donors and supporters: Respond quickly, helpfully, and sympathetically to donor questions, needs, and complaints, using judgment to refer such queries to the appropriate BNRC department when appropriate, with the goal of ensuring donors know they are loved and appreciated by BNRC staff. Also, donor stewardship fulfillment of perks and benefits.
• Public: Greet visitors, emailers, phone callers, with good cheer and helpfulness
• Vendors: Occasionally work with designers, printers, and others

Skills needed:

• Database management
• Excellent verbal and written communications including extraordinary proofreading skills
• Microsoft Office Suite proficiency—particularly, but not exclusively, Excel and Word

Qualities sought:

• Maturity, poise, patience, humor
• Fastidious attention to detail
• A planner who is also able to improvise
• Comfort with change

Preferred but not required:

• Experience with fundraising databases such as Bloomerang, Little Green Light, Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce, or similar
• Experience with online fundraising platforms and tools such as Classy, Donorbox, FreeWill, The Giving Block, Stripe
• Experience with process automation apps such as Ablebits, Zapier, or similar

BNRC staff value open, candid, and respectful communication and favor teamwork. The ideal candidate will be a motivated individual with a passion for the mission of Berkshire Natural Resources Council.

To apply: Email your resume and cover letter to jobs@bnrc.org with “Donor Relations Manager” in the subject line. No phone calls please. Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

BNRC is an equal opportunity employer
BNRC does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identification and expression, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, being a member of the Reserves or National Guard, status as disabled or Vietnam Era veteran or status in any group protected against discrimination by federal, state, or local law.

We welcome applications from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, women, and veterans. BNRC is actively engaged in ensuring its properties are welcoming to all, and in increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of its work.

Though the job described above will begin entirely or almost entirely in English, BNRC welcomes interest from bilingual candidates who can support the organization in being more inclusive in its work.

Rarely will a candidate fulfill every aspect of a job description in their experience and qualifications. If you believe that you can bring talent and passion to this role at BNRC while needing to learn a few new skills, please feel encouraged to apply.