Senior Donor Experience Specialist, Donor Experience and Stewardship

Title: Senior Donor Experience Specialist, Donor Experience and Stewardship

Employee Working Location: Partially Virtual / Hybrid (Canada)

Employment Status: Permanent Full-time

The Canadian Red Cross (Red Cross) - an inspirational not for profit organization, helps people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and supports them in strengthening their resilience. As a Canada's Best Employers 2024, we are committed to having an accessible, diverse, inclusive, and barrier-free work environment.

The Senior Donor Experience Specialist plays a pivotal role in designing and implementing personalized donor journeys that deepen connection, enhance loyalty and create meaningful, lasting relationships with the Canadian Red Cross. This mid-level role bridges strategic insight with hands-on execution, combining empathy, creativity and data-driven decision-making to elevate the donor experience across multiple channels.

This is a unique opportunity to shape how donors experience their impact. You'll work closely with Donor Experience Specialists, Relationship Managers, Event Managers, Donor Impact and Creative Design Specialists, and philanthropy colleagues across streams (Major Gifts, Corporate, Foundations & Grants, and more) to ensure donors feel connected, cared for and inspired every step of the way. In this role, you will not only deliver on moments that matter but also manage and optimize the overall donor journey - ensuring each stage unlocks a donor's potential to give more deeply. Ultimately, your success will be measured by how well our work drives donor loyalty, long-term satisfaction, and revenue growth.

The ideal candidate brings a deep understanding of donor motivations and an ability to translate them into meaningful journeys and moments of recognition. They combine empathy, creativity and analytical skills to design experiences that both inspire and deliver measurable results. They keep an eye not only on moments that matter, but on the overall donor experience - optimizing each stage of the journey to unlock greater potential to give. They are collaborative, detail-oriented and energized by cross-functional teamwork, thriving at the intersection of storytelling, data and relationship-building. Above all, they are motivated by connecting people to purpose in ways that strengthen loyalty, inspire continued engagement and drive revenue to advance humanitarian impact.

In this role, you will :

• Design and manage segmented donor journeys, optimizing each stage to strengthen connection and unlock donor potential.
• Partner with Relationship Managers (MG/TG/PG/Corporate/Foundations) to co-create customized stewardship journeys, engagement plans, and recognition aligned to donor priorities and agreements.
• Develop compelling stewardship communications including impact reports, recognition moments and custom proposals
• Utilize CRM and engagement analytics to assess donor behaviour and refine journeys for stronger connection and ROI.
• Translate donor motivations into meaningful moments of recognition, reporting, and impact storytelling.
• Support the evolution of journey mapping frameworks and donor experience standards across the organization.
• Work with Associates to ensure seamless execution, accurate Unity inputs, data tracking, and on-time deliverables.
• Lead and contribute to cross-functional initiatives aimed at enhancing donor satisfaction and lifetime value.
• Monitor donor engagement trends and philanthropic best practices to continuously improve our approach.
• Ensure consistent donor messaging that reflects Red Cross values, impact and humanitarian purpose.
• Support emergency and signature campaigns with responsive donor experience strategies.

What we are looking for :

• Minimum 5 years of experience in donor relations, client experience, or high-net-worth relationship management and a 3-year college diploma or university degree in philanthropy, fundraising, business administration, marketing or related field and/or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Proven experience developing and executing multi-channel donor journeys and personalized engagement strategies.
• Experience working with corporate partners or institutional donors, with the ability to align stewardship to partnership agreements and organizational priorities
• Strong understanding of donor psychology and philanthropic motivations.
• Excellent writing and communication skills with the ability to craft compelling, donor-centered content.
• Advanced skills in CRM systems and donor databases (e.g., Salesforce, Raiser's Edge), including segmentation and engagement tracking.
• Experience applying donor insights and analytics to improve retention, deepen connection and demonstrate impact.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on delivery and cross-functional collaboration.
• Empathetic, curious and driven by a deep desire to connect people to purpose in meaningful, human ways.
• Fluency in English is required; French is an asset.

Working Conditions :

• Requires concentration, attentiveness and strong attention to detail when designing donor journeys and communications.
• Ability to adapt to frequent changes in priorities and respond quickly to time-sensitive donor needs.
• Requires significant attention to detail and the ability to mentally process large amounts of information.
• The work pace is often unpredictable with significant time pressures.
• Ability to make decisions under pressure and maintain accuracy while working at an unpredictable pace.
• Work will be conducted in an office-like setting with a hybrid/virtual arrangement.
• In a large-scale emergency, where staff numbers are compromised or additional resources are required, may be asked to provide disaster relief and/or emergency field operational support.
• As we work with and support people (managers, colleagues, beneficiaries/customers, volunteers, donors and external partners) and communities in Canada and around the world, applicants whose first language is not English may be required to perform the responsibilities of the role in English.
• Eligibility to work in Canada: At this time, we welcome applications from candidates eligible to work in Canada. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, we encourage you to carefully review your visa to find out whether you are eligible to work in the job you are considering applying for. Refer to our FAQ for more information.
• If you are selected for this role, you will be required to complete a successful pre-employment screening process which includes a satisfactory Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC).