Individual Engagement Manager/Major Gifts

United Way of East Central Iowa is hiring an Individual Engagement Manager/Major Gifts to lead major gifts fundraising and deepen relationships with individual donors. This position manages a personal portfolio of major gift prospects and donors, with responsibility for cultivating relationships, soliciting annual investments, and stewarding donors toward leadership, planned, and endowment giving.

The Individual Engagement Manager collaborates with UWECI leadership, volunteers, and internal teams to implement donor engagement strategies, support giving societies and affinity groups, analyze donor trends, and drive sustainable philanthropic investment in the community. This is a full‑time, exempt, on‑site role based in Cedar Rapids dedicated to advancing UWECI's mission and impact across East Central Iowa.

Essential Job Functions

Individual Portfolio Work:

• Act as primary relationship manager for a portfolio of individual prospects; playing lead role in stewardship, moves-management, inviting donor investment in UWECI, and closing major gifts.
• Identify prospective major gift donors inside and outside corporate workplace giving/annual campaign by working closely with UWECI's Resource Development staff, Campaign Cabinet, and the corporate engagement team.
• Identify prospective major gift donors inside corporate workplace giving/annual campaign who are retiring or are retired and invite them to invest in UWECI on an individual level.
• Promote leadership giving and advance donors to their next giving society level, support the activities of all UWECI's giving societies, and develop and lead Sinclair and Quarton Giving Societies.
• Assist in development and leadership of Tocqueville Giving Society.
• Research, identify, analyze, and communicate key donor trends, results, and opportunities to ensure continued growth in donors and revenues while meeting predefined metrics.
• Benchmark and measure retention and donor value attrition.
• Attend UWECI Events.
• In collaboration with the VP, Donor Engagement & Development and President/CEO, identify potential donors at the major gift level for planned giving, endowment giving, or capital giving investments to UWECI.
• Work closely with the VP, Donor Engagement & Development in developing and implementing major giving strategies and a recognition program for major and endowment donors.

Donor Engagement:

• Lead Campaign Cabinet Subcommittees as assigned.
• Work closely with volunteers and internal departments to recognize donors year-round.
• Utilize CRM software to record visits and communications, as well as gather and maintain accurate donor information to maintain donor database integrity.
• Direct involvement with implementation of department's strategic plan.
• Collaborate with the Community Impact staff and partners to understand and effectively articulate how donor dollars support UWECI's work in the community.
• Assist as needed in all fundraising programs and activities and perform other duties as assigned by UWECI leadership.

Affinity Group(s):

This position will be assigned to the Emerging Leaders United affinity group associated with UWECI. Tasks may include:

• In conjunction with the ELU committee chairs and vice chairs:
  • Lead monthly steering committee meetings including creation of the agenda and meeting notes.
  • Lead affinity group event planning.
  • Lead/Co-Lead monthly/bimonthly affinity group event subcommittee(s).
  • One-on-one stewardship of individual committee members and affinity group supporters.
  • Recruit new steering committee members.
  • Monitor affinity group campaign designations.
  • Lead affinity group fundraising effort.
  • Spread general awareness of UWECI and affinity groups in the community.

Grants:

• Work interdepartmentally as needed to project manage the grant writing process.

Education

• Level of Education: Bachelor's Degree
• Work Experience: 5-7 years required
• Education Requirement: 10+ years of related experience will be accepted in place of required degree
• Preferred field(s) of study: Non-Profit, Fundraising, Marketing, Business, Public Relations, Communications, Relationship Manager, or related