Description
MAJOR DONOR RELATIONSHIP MANAGER
About Long Live the Kings (LLTK)
Long Live the Kings (LLTK) was formed in 1986 with our continuing mission to restore wild salmon and steelhead and support sustainable fishing in the Pacific Northwest. Our salmon recovery work seeks to advance the science needed for evidence-based recovery solutions, provide decision makers with the latest information and practices to improve salmon management, and implement on-the-ground solutions at key sites in Puget Sound and beyond. We envision a sustainable Northwest culture with a growing human population, a thriving economy, and flourishing salmon runs.
Our 18-member Board of Directors and 19 full-time staff members seek broad involvement to help us accomplish our goals. Our core values are stewardship, collaboration, results, and learning. Our staff are in Seattle, Hood Canal, and Orcas Island, and work throughout western Washington and the Pacific Northwest. Learn more about us in our 2025 Strategic Roadmap, Resilient Salmon Initiative (RSI) project page, and on our website.
LLTK's Staff and Board are committed to authentically embracing the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a core value that drives the success of our people, our partners, and our work. We have been engaged in this work formally since 2021. We seek team members who are committed to advancing this work and are excited to join us on this journey.
Position Summary
The Major Donor Relationship Manager is a pivotal new, full-time role reporting to the Director of Development. The position is responsible for deepening and expanding LLTK’s donor relationships, including identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding key donors. LLTK is seeking a relationship-focused professional with a proven track record of cultivating mutual trust that leads to lasting donor relationships and significant investments in LLTK’s work. This position will build upon LLTK’s firmly established culture of philanthropy, ensuring our work continues to fuel the most impactful and essential salmon recovery efforts happening in the Pacific Northwest today.
Responsibilities
Major Donor Gifts & Engagement
- Develop and implement a personalized, value-aligned strategy to establish meaningful relationships and cultivation strategies for each qualified donor, identifying opportunities to align their passion and resources with our work.
- Collaborate with key staff across the organization to prepare compelling value-driven appeals and secure transformational investments, specifically focused on scaling existing donor commitments into the four-, five-, and six-figure levels.
- Strategically leverage organizational assets, such as hatcheries, project sites, and field operations, to design and curate meaningful engagement opportunities for donors.
- Collaborate with key staff to plan and deliver unique experiences to strengthen donors’ sense of shared purpose and connection to our mission and impact.
Prospecting & Portfolio Management
- Develop and manage a portfolio of 100+ qualified donors from our active and lapsed base, focusing on values alignment and investment potential to advance the organization’s mission.
- Collaborate with the board and staff to identify and continuously qualify new prospects from all organizational touchpoints, ensuring capacity and mission alignment.
- Accurately track all strategic donor interactions, opportunities, and progress in LLTK’s donor database (currently Bloomerang) to support a shared organizational strategy.
- Lead prospect research for insights into partner capacity, values, and engagement history to inform strategies for upgrading commitments and strengthening donor relationships.
Major Gifts Strategy
- Lead innovation to accelerate transformational giving, while embracing values-based and regenerative practices to meet LLTK’s ambitious goals for sustainable growth.
- In collaboration with the team, establish, track, and regularly evaluate key metrics (e.g., partner interactions, acquisition rates, investment opportunities) to assess progress, inform course corrections, and refine engagement strategies.
- Employ a robust suite of giving mechanisms (e.g., planned gifts, securities, real estate, and sophisticated investment vehicles) to facilitate transformational resource commitments and maximize tax-advantages for donors.
- Develop and execute a comprehensive annual plan and timeline for partner engagement and investment opportunities throughout the year.
Team Collaboration, Values, and Culture
- Act as a strategic thought partner within the Development Team, lending expertise and collaborative support to achieve shared goals.
- Collaborate with Communications, Projects, and Development staff to develop compelling, value-driven materials and talking points to optimize partner investments and engagement.
- Maintain strong working relationships across all organizational teams, ensuring collaborative participation in Development and organization-wide meetings.
- Actively contribute to and support the Development Team’s commitment to Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) practices that are equitable, respectful, and mission-aligned.
- Fully engage with organizational Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and contribute to building a fun, welcoming, and productive workplace culture.
Requirements
Minimum Skills & Qualifications
- 5+ years of successful experience with major gifts or planned giving.
- Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or 4 additional years of relevant work experience.
- Commitment to the mission of Long Live the Kings and Community-Centric Fundraising principles.
- Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to articulate complex impacts with enthusiasm and candor to align partner interests and secure investments.
- Proven ability to meet ambitious revenue goals for major giving and an established track record of cultivating and securing five-figure gifts and above.
- Demonstrated success in applying a robust variety of giving mechanisms.
- Strategic, creative, and innovative thinker with excellent interpersonal skills.
- Ability to delegate, collaborate, manage and track tasks to achieve goals.
- High degree of situational awareness and the ability to engage respectfully and appropriately with partners from diverse backgrounds and settings.
- Ability to effectively leverage technology to connect with geographically dispersed donors and team members, including using cloud-based collaborative tools.
- Ability to work independently and remotely while still functioning as an integral member of a team.
- Capacity to travel (locally and occasionally out of state), as well as complete limited evening and weekend work for special events.
Desired Skills & Qualifications
- Experience with constituent relationship management (CRM) systems, especially Bloomerang.
- Experience curating high-touch, exclusive partner engagement experiences (e.g., site briefings, house gatherings, and field tours).
- Direct experience with Community Centric Fundraising and/or values-based fundraising.
- Familiarity with impact investing frameworks related to regenerative economies or environmental stewardship.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively represent the organization as a principal ambassador in high-stakes public or private settings.
- Experience in the nonprofit conservation sector.
Compensation & Benefits
This is a full-time, exempt position. The salary range for this position is $96,000-$108,000. The range aims to accommodate those with varying years of relevant experience and/or education. Final salary offers are dependent on how candidates’ skills, abilities, and experiences align with LLTK's salary framework (Level: Senior Manager I, Tier: 1-6).
Benefits include:
- Paid Time Off (Vacation accrued at 10 hours per month for the first 3 years of employment and 13.33 hours per month thereafter, Sick time accrued at 8 hours per month, 13 Floating PTO days (104 hours))
- Health Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Health Reimbursement Account (HRA)
- 401k with matching opportunities (after one year of employment and 1,000 hours worked) at 5%
- Long Term Disability Insurance
- Flex Spending Account
- Dependent Care FSA
- Quarterly Cell Phone Stipend ($60)
- ORCA Pass for commuting
- Dog-Friendly Office
Long Live the Kings completes annual reviews and establishes multi-year employee growth plans so our staff have a clear vision for their future at the organization. We envision that the person who fills this role will, over time, grow into a Senior Major Donor Relationship Manager role, who in addition to overseeing major gifts, will also meaningfully contribute to development and organizational strategy.
Working Conditions and Location
Long Live the Kings is currently using a hybrid workplace model:
- Frequent travel for in-person meetings with donors across Puget Sound is an expectation as part of this position.
- We ask all staff to work from our office in downtown Seattle at least one day per week. Our anchor days are currently Tuesdays.
- Additionally, we have quarterly staff gatherings that require in-person participation, and there may be additional work location and travel needs specific to this position.
- Note that this may change as we continue to assess and balance public health guidelines with our continued desire to improve our collaboration and deliver our mission.
The physical requirements of this role listed below are representative of those that may need to be met by an employee in this role:
- Operating a computer and other office equipment.
- Ability to work in an office environment with fluctuating noise levels.
- Occasionally lifting up to 20 pounds, however, assistance with lifting or moving items can be provided.
How to Apply
We welcome and encourage qualified people of all identities and abilities to apply. Please apply via Asana. Your application packet should include a resume and a cover letter, which answers all the following questions:
1. Please describe your motivation for applying to this role at Long Live the Kings. How do your values align with our mission and commitment to Community-Centric Fundraising?
2. Outline your 5+ years of experience in major donor engagement. Describe your personal approach to stewardship, relationship building, and securing value-aligned investments.
3. Describe an example of securing a major investment ($10,000+). Please share your approach to cultivating the relationship, aligning the donor’s values with organizational need, and illustrating the measurable impact of their commitment.
Notes:
- We do not use artificial intelligence (AI) to review applications or evaluate candidates. In turn, we ask that applicants do not rely on AI when creating their application packets, and especially when answering the questions above.
- We accept competency equivalences for education, job experience, and lived experience (e.g., athletics, volunteer experience, or tribal membership). Please let us know if you have specific competence or experience that may substitute for one or more of the minimum or desired qualifications listed above.
Timeline: We are opening the application process in October 2025. The Priority Application Deadline will be November 14, 2025, but we will keep the application open until the position is filled. Interviews will be held via phone as well as in-person. Our ideal start date is early to mid-January 2026, but an earlier or later start could be possible in consultation with the final candidate. We look forward to learning more about you!
Accessibility: Long Live the Kings is committed to improving hiring practices to be more inclusive and anti-ableist. We have reviewed the job requirements and only include physical abilities when completely necessary. During the interview process, we email the panel questions ahead of time. We are also able to provide captioning and/or interpretation (e.g., ASL) if requested. If you need specific assistance and/or accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please let us know by emailing our People & Culture team at echen@lltk.org.
Long Live the Kings is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity. We do not discriminate in employment based on any individual’s race, socioeconomic status, national origin, color, disability, religion, gender, age, marital status, criminal background or arrest record, sexual orientation, or gender identity and encourage all candidates to apply.
