Annual Giving Manager

Description

About Denver Botanic Gardens: Green inside and out, Denver Botanic Gardens was founded in 1951 and is considered one of the top botanical gardens in the United States and a pioneer in water conservation. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, The Gardens has a robust living plant collection, natural history collection and art collection along with temporary art exhibitions. The Gardens is a dynamic, 24-acre urban oasis in the heart of the city, offering unforgettable opportunities to flourish with unique garden experiences for the whole family – as well as world-class exhibitions, education, and plant conservation research programs. 

For more information, visit us online at www.botanicgardens.org.

Along with the mission of bringing plants to people, our Core Values are a fundamental driver of the Gardens culture. They are:

Sustainability. We are devoted to an institutional, environmental and human sustainability.

Diversity. We champion inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility for all we encounter, and also support programmatic, ecological and plant diversity.

Relevance. We make connections with all people using a lens of inclusion, equity and responsiveness.

Transformation. We believe ever-evolving public gardens change the world and lead to positive transformation of human spirit and knowledge. 

Denver Botanic Gardens is currently seeking a Full Time Annual Giving Manager in our Development Department! Read below to see if the requirements might be a good fit for you:

Applications will be accepted through August 31, 2026 or until a candidate is found

Position Summary

This position manages the fundraising efforts of the Development Department at the Denver Botanic Gardens through the development and execution of a comprehensive annual giving program. Responsibilities include donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship across key annual giving initiatives, including Gardens Fund appeals (direct mail, electronic communications, SMS, social media, and face-to-face fundraising), the Tributes and Memorials Program (Celebration Gardens, Benches, and Trees), and other annual giving initiatives.

This is a dynamic position that interacts with both internal and external stakeholders on a daily basis and plays a vital role in advancing the Gardens' fundraising goals.

The position requires a high level of proficiency in utilizing social media and other digital technologies to support fundraising and donor engagement efforts. It also demands exceptional attention to detail to ensure donor gifts are acknowledged accurately and in a timely manner.

As a leadership role within the Development team, this position is expected to serve as a role model by demonstrating professionalism, collaboration, accountability, and a strong commitment to donor stewardship and organizational excellence.

Requirements

General Duties and Responsibilities

Annual Fund

• Expands and manages the annual giving program to raise general operating dollars for the Gardens. Includes all available media and face-to-face donor meetings.
• Represents Denver Botanic Gardens in the community to promote our mission and identify additional giving opportunities. 
• Develops annual strategies along with expense and revenue budgets for annual giving program.
• Maintains portfolios of individual prospects for annual fund, while growing the pipeline for these donors into all aspects of fund raising for Denver Botanic Gardens.
• Manages the Tributes, Memorials program with oversight to assistant manager for tribute pavers.
• Designs and implements annual fund direct response campaigns including mail, email, and SMS.

Winter Appeal (February)

Summer Appeal (July or August)

Colorado Gives Day Appeal (October – early December)

Year End Appeal (November – December)

• Leads and oversees the work of direct mail, phone and co-op agencies.
• Develops and executes annual fundraising strategies for direct response campaigns.
• Establishes and manages campaign production schedules to ensure timely execution.
• Prepares, monitors, and manages campaign budgets and revenue projections.
• Analyzes campaign performance and prepares reports on results, recommending strategies to improve donor acquisition, retention, and return on investment. (ROI)
• Maintains donation pages for all online giving as needed.
• Collaborates with the webmaster and social media manager to optimize online presence for donations.
• Maintains satisfactory working relationships with managers, co-workers and others.
• Regular attendance at the worksite is required. Visitors often request to meet with development staff in real-time when they are visiting the Gardens. In these cases, it is important that the Annual Giving Manager is on-site and available to meet with donors. 
• As with all positions at Denver Botanic Gardens, the incumbent must be in good performance standing to be eligible for occasional remote work. Remote work is at the discretion of management at all times.

Donor Acknowledgement, Stewardship and Cultivation:

• Maintains a positive, helpful and solution-oriented demeanor when responding to or serving donors, members and visitors.
• Trains department administrator on batching gifts.
• Approves all gift batches as an alternate when needed. 
• Manages the process for timely acknowledgement of Annual Fund Gifts, including personal contacts and written acknowledgement as an alternate when needed.
• Reviews and signs donor acknowledgment and notification letters.
• Makes weekly donor thank you calls.
• Assists with donor stewardship event logistics including but not limited to
• Concert VIP attendees
• Donor cultivation events
• Fete des Fleurs annual gala
• Farm to Fork Dinners
• Holiday Luncheon

Database Management and Prospect Research

• Uses database analysis tools and prospect research techniques to identify prospective new donors.
• Maintains accurate donor and prospect information in database of record.  
• Consistently tracks donor activity in database including thank you calls, donor inquiries, and follow up.
• Coordinates with membership and IT on updates, conversions and projects.
• Conducts prospect research, identification and recording.
• Maintains knowledge of current giving trends and fundraising best practices.
• Researches and identifies additional tools that may be useful for prospecting and fundraising.

Position Qualifications: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Must be able to maintain accurate records, files, and schedules.
• Must have meticulous attention to detail with a knack for delivering high-quality, error-free work.  
• Must be organized and detail oriented.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, donors, customers, and the public. 
• Must be able to handle multiple and changing priorities.
• Ability to be on your feet for several hours at a time.
• Must have strong editing and proofreading abilities.
• Must be able to maintain confidentiality of information.
• Must have proven excellent customer service, interpersonal, and communication skills in dealing with the public.
• Ability to maintain stability under pressure and able to deal well with stressful situations.
• Ability to be flexible and willing to modify plans, when necessary, throughout the day.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends and/or holidays for donor events.
• Knowledge of donor database / CRM systems required. Salesforce proficiency preferred.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Suite products, specifically Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams.  
• Ability to work overtime as necessary.
• Must always be a positive representative of the Gardens both internally and externally.
• Must always work with respect and cooperation with fellow employees and the public.
• Must be committed to working safely at all times.

Experience/Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree from a four-year college or university. 
• Minimum 5 years in a nonprofit setting working in donor relations, or in a business setting with customer service experience and/or combination of education and equivalent experience is required.
• Experience in creating successful direct marketing campaigns including strategy, copy, audience segmentation, and strong ability to analyze results.  

Denver Botanic Gardens has an incredible benefits package for eligible employees!

Our major benefits include a choice of Medical Plans, a Dental and Vision Plan and Life Insurance Plan. We have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and a Healthcare Spending Account (HSA).

The Gardens offers a generous Retirement Savings Plan with Company contribution of 6% after one year of service for eligible participants.

The Gardens also offers paid holidays, vacation, sick time, and access to personal lines of insurance. Additional benefits include short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and an RTD ECO pass.

For eligible employees, The Gardens employment also includes a complimentary Denver Botanic Gardens Membership, access to Gardens education classes and summer concert tickets.  

Come work for a place that offers you SO much more than just a paycheck!