Director of Donor Engagement

RIVET is a new social enterprise bringing together brands, influencers, and NGOs to fund and amplify youth-led social change. With 100+ years of experience elevating young changemakers, RIVET’s founders have seen firsthand that young people don’t lack talent or imagination; they lack access to resources.

In response, we have created the world’s first micro-finance platform focused on young social innovators, funded by youth themselves. This engine will transform young people’s everyday purchases into philanthropic power for their generation’s ideas to change the world. Created by, for, and with young people, RIVET represents the largest investment in youth-led social change. Ever.

As RIVET’s inaugural Director of Donor Engagement, you will help build and then lead the stewardship implementation for our 70+ major donors who serve on our Leadership Council, Youth Impact Council, and Youth Impact Fund, providing them with a meaningful experience that reflects our shared values and desired impact. RIVET’s operating budget is $2.5M, with most of that currently coming from philanthropic support. Our four-year sustainable business model strategy reflects an increasing reliance on brand revenue. The Director of Donor Engagement plays a critical role in helping us secure the capacity building funds needed to help the RIVET rocket get into orbit in the meantime. Your success is largely defined by donors renewing and deepening their support, and increasingly serving as an engine for RIVET’s expanded global impact.

You will be responsible for:

Donor Relations: You will be the frontline contact for five- and six-figure potential and current donors representing foundations, families and private equity firms. You will help design and then serve as the primary implementation driver for the donor lifecycle experience.

Prospecting & Cultivation: By closely working with our current donors on their friendraising activities, you will help them identify and cultivate prospective new supporters.

Donor Systems: While RIVET will not be dependent on philanthropic support in the future, there are systems that need to be refined or put in place to achieve fundraising goals over the next two years and to continue to nurture donor relationships and funding opportunities beyond 2025. We have built an initial CRM platform and you will further define and refine that and other necessary system work.

The Director of Donor Engagement joins a dedicated, passionate, low-ego team of founders in launching a first-of-its-kind social movement led by young people. This new role reports into the CEO, working across the organization with all team members and volunteer leadership.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Donor Stewardship (60%):

• Design and lead the annual life cycle experience for a portfolio of 70+ major donors who represent families, foundations and private equity firms.
• Onboard donors, ensuring their initial RIVET experience reflects a service mindset and organizational values.
• Implement in-person and virtual donor experiences that connect current + potential donors to mission and vision.
• Closely partner with donors to activate their expertise, resources and networks against organizational needs.
• Respond to donors’ requests.
• Leverage learnings from the donor experience to inform RIVET’s founders’ strategies including donor stewardship design.

Event Management (20%):

• Design and execute monthly online or in-person supporter-hosted cultivation events.
• Lead timely follow up activities for supporter-hosted cultivation events, including prioritization and integration with founders’ work streams.
• Support founders’ on their speaking opportunities in alignment with donor cultivation and stewardship strategies.

Systems (20%):

• Establish the systems that support stewardship best practices for high impact funders.
• Manage donor lifecycle activities, moves management and reporting in our CRM.
• Manage donor marketing activities including monthly newsletters and donor listings.
• Refine donor tracking system to ensure appropriate recognition, gift acceptance, and stewardship.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We recognize that no one candidate will possess every qualification and welcome candidates from different professional backgrounds who bring many of these qualifications and personal attributes:

• Relationship Steward – You not only understand how to foster a meaningful experience for major and prospective supporters, but delight in providing one. You deeply listen to others and understand how to align values, strategy and desired impact. You have a proven track record of identifying, cultivating, and stewarding supporters at the five+-figure level.
• Team Player Your interpersonal and organizational skills and geopolitical awareness allow you to work effectively with a diverse community of global stakeholders.
• Vision – You have a passion for championing a vision and helping others see themselves in it.
• Startup Fit – You thrive as an energetic and independent operator in an early-stage startup environment while maintaining a high attention to detail. You can easily spend time efficiently focused on systems tasks and then pivot to donor-facing relationship activities or to thought partnership conversations with founders.
• Implementer – You make data-driven decisions and understand how to translate strategy into effective systems and operations. You are able to execute on moves management administrative responsibilities or direct others to do so.
• Prioritization – You can set clear priorities and steer others towards achieving goals.
• Equity & inclusion – You have a clear commitment and vision for how donor cultivation and stewardship can be a driver for access.
• Communicator You are fluent in written and spoken communication skills in English.

A full deck with more information about this role, the responsibilities, and an FAQ can be found here. Please review before applying.