Donor Relations Senior Officer

at  The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

Job Title
Donor Relations Senior Officer
Job Description
An excellent opportunity is available for an early career event manager to join the Fundraising and Philanthropy Team at Australia’s pre-eminent biomedical research institute.
About the Position
The Fundraising and Philanthropy Department (F&P) contributes to the financial sustainability of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) by attracting revenue from non-government sources, including philanthropic individuals, trusts and foundations, community-based fundraising organisations and bequests. Philanthropic funding helps the Institute to remain at the forefront of research and technology, to recruit and retain the best scientific staff, and creates a buffer against changes in government funding programs.
Under the leadership of the Head of Philanthropy, the F&P Department is comprised of five teams; Trusts and Foundations, Major Gifts and Bequests, Annual Giving, Philanthropy Services, and Donor Relations.
The role of the Donor Relations Senior Officer is focused on providing an excellent donor experience for all donors to WEHI, in collaboration with the frontline fundraisers, to strengthen relationships with donors through appropriate levels of thanking, acknowledgement and recognition, and demonstrating how their gifts are having ‘real world’ impact on improving and saving lives.
With a focus on the management of stewardship events, the Donor Relations Senior Officer ensures relationships with donors are respected and nurtured through high quality donor relations and stewardship initiatives, delivered both at-scale and bespoke, commensurate with levels of giving and donor wishes. By supporting the development and strengthening of meaningful relationships with all donors, including individual philanthropists, community groups, trusts and foundations and bequestors, the Donor Relations Senior Officer will contribute to building a community of passionate and engaged supporters who continue to give to the Institute and increase their giving over time.
The successful candidate will contribute to developing, implementing, and regularly reviewing the donor stewardship matrix and calendar, including the coordination of high-quality donor engagement activities and communications which serve to appropriately and frequently thank, recognise, and acknowledge donor contributions. Donor relations activities will include the coordination of online and in-person events, multi-channel and multi-stakeholder communications, social and digital communications and direct donor engagement. The Donor Relations Senior Officer will make a strong contribution to the strategic and integrated stewardship activities of the Fundraising and Philanthropy Team.
Selection Criteria

Essential Knowledge and Skills:

• Proven track record in a donor relations, or similar, role within a complex organisation.
• Demonstrated event management experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, including the ability to communicate highly complex scientific information to a non-scientific donor audience in a compelling and engaging manner, across multiple platforms.
• Strong organisational and time-management skills to meet deadlines and manage multiple competing priorities.
• Highly developed interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate respectfully and sensitively with a broad range of stakeholders, including major donors and senior staff.
• Strong team player - highly collaborative, responsible, flexible, approachable with a donor-centric focus.
• Self-motivated, entrepreneurial, creative, and excellent attention to detail.
• Proficient database skills, preferably with Raiser’s Edge/RE NXT, and competent with the Microsoft Office suite, especially Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• A commitment to the values and behaviours of WEHI.

Desirable Knowledge and Skills:

• Excellent understanding of how an effective donor relations program strengthens relationships with donors.
• Excellent listening and communication skills including influencing, negotiating, persuasion, facilitation and networking skills.
• Highly organised, detail-oriented and creative with the ability to manage priorities under tight deadlines.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively and develop meaningful relationships across the team.
• Personal empathy with disease focused causes, including cancers, infectious diseases, auto-immune diseases and diseases related to ageing and childhood development, and an understanding of the importance of medical research with the capability and integrity to communicate this effectively to inspire trust with WEHI’s donors.
• Collaborative team player with a strong commitment to achieving the most positive outcomes for the whole Fundraising and Philanthropy team.
• Highly developed planning and organisational skills with the ability to prioritise projects, work within time frames and meet deadlines.
• Advanced written and digital communication skills, including the ability to express material with clarity, validity and precision, with persuasion, and in a manner that appeals to the audience.
• Ability to interpret, dissect and analyse complex written material such as scientific and health information.

Personal Qualities:

• A high level of initiative and self-motivation.
• Action-oriented and target-driven with a competitive edge.
• An innovative problem-solver with a creative approach.
• Efficiency and focus, with strong attention to detail.
• Persistence and resilience.
• An agile and flexible approach, with the ability to respond and adapt to pressure and change quickly and positively.
• Highly developed interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate respectfully and sensitively with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Customer service focus with a ‘how can I be of service’ attitude.

Terms of Appointment
This position is an ongoing role in a full time capacity. Salary is Professional Services Employee Level 6 ($92,364 - $99,979). Up to 17% superannuation and very attractive salary packaging options are available.
General enquiries can be directed to Barbara Fernandez
fernandez.b@wehi.edu.au
A position description is available
here
.
How to Apply
Please apply by uploading your CV, cover letter and a document addressing the key selection criteria in pdf format.
Application Closing Date: 9 July 2024

Please refer the Job description for details