Philanthropy Coordinator

PHILANTHROPY COORDINATOR

Land Acknowledgement

Waterfront Park is situated on the land of the Coast Salish peoples, who have resided here since time immemorial and continue to thrive. With respect and humility, we acknowledge the history of the waterfront, the dispossession of land from the Coast Salish people, and, most importantly, the strength and resilience of Native people and their culture through this history and to the present.

Equity Commitment

Friends recognizes and acknowledges historic and existing systemic racism embedded in our city. We are committed to becoming an anti-racist organization by prioritizing racial equity within the organization and in the public spaces we operate.

About Friends of Waterfront Seattle

Friends of Waterfront Seattle (“Friends”) is a non-profit partner to the City of Seattle, established in 2012 to help fund, steward, and activate a new 20-acre park along the downtown shoreline from Pioneer Square to Belltown. Construction of Waterfront Park will be fully complete in summer 2025. This new public space will serve as:

An invitation to reconnect to the water, to the mountains, to our city, and to one another.
A new cultural hub created in partnership with local nonprofits to deliver a full suite of free arts, recreation, and education programs at Pier 62. Partnerships will expand as Overlook Walk and Pier 58 are completed.
A place to share the stories that illuminate the multiple histories and cultures that define Seattle and must shape its future.
A safe and welcoming public space created through active programming, 24/7/365 on-site safety staff to support positive activity and discourage crime, and by compassionately connecting people in need to social services and resources.
A green waterfront that will add 700 new trees and 150,000 shrubs and native plants to support the nearshore habitat and serve as a massive filtration system to remove pollutants from stormwater before it enters the sound. A massive new seawall supports healthy marine life and the migration of juvenile salmon.
An economic accelerator – in addition to a one-time overall economic impact of $1.1B from construction, the Waterfront Seattle is expected to generate $317M in new visitor spending annually.

Philanthropic support is critical to finish the construction of Waterfront Park and to ensure that this public space is safe, welcoming, and activated well into the future. Friends is engaging individual, institutional and corporate supporters in the $200 million Campaign for Waterfront Park. $102 million has been raised to date, and the campaign will culminate in 2025 when the park opens. In addition to campaign fundraising, Friends must lay the foundation to ensure organizational sustainability in the long-term, including the build out of annual giving, major gifts, and membership programs.

The Role

The Philanthropy Coordinator will be a central member of the Philanthropy team, working with colleagues across the organization as well as leadership volunteers to support prospecting, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts. This newly created role is an opportunity to be a critical part of a growing team that is working to complete the $200M comprehensive campaign, and build a robust, community-focused philanthropy program that will sustain Waterfront Park in perpetuity.

Position Responsibilities

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Center and embed the Friends’ diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) values and goals into every aspect of the role
Contribute to an inclusive workplace culture; adhere to and help evolve Friends’ Community Agreements
Propel a culture of inclusion while collaborating cross departmentally within Friends
Work with the Philanthropy team to incorporate Community-Centric Fundraising Principles into fundraising efforts, recognizing that this will take time and continue to evolve
Engage in regular conversations about race and equity through all-staff meetings, lunch-and-learns, and trainings

Gift Processing and Donor Services

Field inquiries from donors and members about their gifts, acknowledgements, and gift documentation as frontline customer service for the philanthropy team
Enter and verify accuracy of donations made to Friends of Waterfront Seattle
Manage the entry of individual and organization contact information entry and exports in the Salesforce
Manage philanthropy-related credit card and vendor relationships and resolve exceptions and problems in gift processing
Support membership tracking and fulfillment efforts
Coordinate with accounting and database teams to ensure that gift data is properly coded
Using Salesforce, produce donor acknowledgement letters and gift receipts for all gifts, route them to the appropriate parties for signature and mailing, and oversee their timely delivery
Create and run queries, reports, mailings, and exports to support fundraising efforts
Create a culture of data quality by following, establishing, and regularly updating quality assurance protocols, processes, and documentation
Cross-train team members in gift processing procedures to ensure a continuum of donor services during busy cycles, including end-of-year gift processing

Campaign

Staff Campaign Steering Committee by scheduling meetings, taking notes, and supporting follow-up activities
Perform prospect research and compile briefings to support the work of fundraising staff and volunteers
Schedule staff, volunteer, and donor meetings
Schedule waterfront walks for cultivation and stewardship of individuals and groups
Oversee supply of donor and prospect materials for briefings and events
Manage and maintain donor contact lists
Provide occasional support with institutional prospecting and other data-related projects as necessary

Events & Other Support

Provide support for donor stewardship and cultivation events including mailing lists, invite and RSVP management, day-of and follow up needs
Support the launch and roll out of Friends new membership program
Support annual giving efforts as needed
Lead and assist with waterfront tours as needed
Manage inventory of supplies needed for gift processing, acknowledgements, and stewardship programs; maintain gift intake forms and supplies

Minimum Qualifications

2-4 years of fundraising, customer relationship management, project management, or similar experience
Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
A commitment to incorporating the practices and ethos of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) in all facets of your work
Constituent relationship management or database experience
Interest in and ability to build relationships on behalf of Friends
Strong communication skills and commitment to collaboration to help ensure coordinated, integrated, and efficient workflow
Excellent time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
Ability to handle sensitive information in a confidential manner
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook) and online meeting tools, such as Zoom and Teams

Desired Qualifications

Lived experience and cultural competency with underrepresented communities, including Black, Indigenous, Latine, disabled, and/or LGBTQ+ communities, and the ability to bring this lens to conversations about anti-racism, anti-oppression and embedding equity in all aspects of work
Experience with Salesforce
Nonprofit experience
Experience with project management tools (e.g., Asana)

Compensation and Benefits

The Philanthropy Coordinator is a full-time, exempt position. The annual salary range for this position is $55,000 to $70,000. Benefits include employer paid medical, dental, life, and vision insurance, paid time off, WA PFML and additional supplement, ORCA card, and a 3% retirement account match.

Working Conditions

This position is a flexible, hybrid role with at least 50% of the work being in Friends’ office in Pioneer Square. While typical office hours are Monday-Friday, 9-5, Friends is an event-based, seasonal organization. During event season (roughly May-September), many employees work a higher percentage of their time in-person. Friends has a dedicated onsite and during the event season, office employees are invited to assist onsite employees for events at the Waterfront.
Exempt employees are asked to work a flexible schedule as determined by volume of work; however, the organization works hard to ensure proper work-life balance and to prevent burnout.
All employees must have full COVID-19 vaccination status. Friends follows King County Public Health guidelines.
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 open office format with a fluctuating noise level – Friends' office is an open floor plan and teams often meet in person to collaborate. Noise levels can be low to moderate.
Occasionally lifting up to 20 pounds; however, assistance with lifting or moving items can be provided
The office in Pioneer Square has approximately 10 stair steps to the main building. Our office is on the first floor.
The Philanthropy team is often required to attend in-person, outdoor waterfront tours which involve travelling about one mile around the waterfront area of downtown.
How To Apply

Please upload a cover letter that answers the following: How would you describe your journey to understand anti-racism and anti-oppression? And what does it currently mean for you to embed equity into your fundraising-related work?

Friends 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 dei@waterfrontparkseattle.org.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.