Senior Officer – Core Donor Strategy

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

The IRC’s External Relations team comprises colleagues and teams delivering marketing, fundraising, brand stewardship and communications to support this work. As part of External Relations, the Mass Markets USA (MMUSA) program is responsible for raising $70+ million in unrestricted revenue annually in the U.S. market and plays a meaningful strategic role in the creation of the IRC’s brand, awareness and support for its advocacy goals.

Job Overview

The Senior Officer – Core Donor Strategy leads strategy and execution for the IRC’s largest donor segment: supporters who give under $500 annually. This audience represents the largest share of total donor volume (300,000+) and is a critical source of sustainable unrestricted revenue and future pipeline growth. This role is responsible for developing and optimizing omnichannel journeys that drive donor retention, reactivation, conversion to monthly giving, and upgrades into the Bridge, Mid-Level, and Planned Giving programs. The Senior Officer partners closely with acquisition leads, channel leads, the Sustainer Retention team, and other audience leads to ensure a cohesive supporter lifecycle and seamless donor experience. This includes working with acquisition partners to ensure the pipeline of new standard donors remains strong and well-segmented for retention.

The Senior Officer leads the full strategy for the Standard audience, including identifying when and how sustainer conversion fits into broader retention goals. The Sustainer Retention role supports this strategy by executing and optimizing conversion campaigns in partnership with the Senior Office of Standard Retention. This position is ideal for a strategic and data-informed fundraiser who thrives in fast-paced environments and understands how to blend storytelling, segmentation, and channel coordination to strengthen donor relationships at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Retention & Pipeline Development (40%)

• Lead omnichannel audience-led strategy and execution for standard donor retention and reactivation across direct mail, email, SMS, p2p, telemarketing, and digital campaigns
• Design and implement audience-led donor journeys that increase retention, deepen engagement, and drive long-term value.
• Partner with acquisition leads to ensure a strong and steady pipeline of new standard donors for retention efforts.
• Lead on developing conversion campaigns and test messaging to grow monthly giving in collaboration with the Sustainer Retention team
• Analyze retention trends and develop tailored strategies for key segments (e.g., second gift, multi-year, rescue gift, pre-lapsing, lapsed).
• Identify upgrade pathways and collaborate with Bridge, Mid-Level, and Planned Giving leads to move high-potential donors into pipeline programs.
  
  

Lifecycle Alignment & Journey Optimization (20%)

• Collaborate with acquisition leads to align onboarding experiences and optimize second-touch messaging.
• Work with MarTech and analytics to build and refine triggered journeys (e.g., thank-you, milestone, reactivation).
• Ensure journey sequencing, tone, and segmentation reflect donor insights and organizational priorities.
  
  

Campaign Development & Execution (20%)

• Develop briefs, segmentation strategies, and creative direction for donor journeys and appeals.
• Coordinate with the centralized production team to execute campaigns across all offline and digital channels.
• Partner with creative teams on testing, content development, and calendar planning.
• Track campaign timelines, results, and improvements for continuous optimization.
  
  

Insights & Innovation (10%)

• Use data, testing, and donor feedback to refine segmentation and messaging strategies.
• Pilot new tactics to increase retention, deepen loyalty, and elevate donor experience.
• Monitor sector trends and benchmarks to ensure the IRC remains at the forefront of donor retention innovation.
  
  

Cross-Functional Collaboration (10%)

• Represent the Standard Retention program in internal planning and performance forums.
• Collaborate with Supporter Care to address donor experience and service issues that impact retention.
• Partner with fundraising, communications, and content teams to amplify the voice and value of the standard donor segment.
  
  

Education

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, or equivalent six years of experience in direct marketing, philanthropy, or development.
  
  

Work Experience

• At least six years of nonprofit mass marketing fundraising experience, with a strong emphasis on donor engagement and revenue growth.
• Demonstrated success in executing standard/low-dollar audience strategies across multiple channels.
• Experience managing cross-functional campaigns with CRM, analytics, and vendor partners.
  
  

Demonstrated Skills And Competencies

• Strategic, audience-led thinker with strong campaign instincts and an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Demonstrated ability to translate data and insights into actionable strategy.
• Strong project management and segmentation skills.
• Clear communicator and collaborator across departments and stakeholder levels.
• Experienced in CRM and marketing platforms (Salesforce, Springboard, Pardot, etc.).
• Adept at juggling multiple priorities in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
• Deep commitment to donor-centric fundraising and the values of the IRC.
  
  

Working Environment: This role may require working remotely full- or part-time (i.e., telecommuting). Applicants must have a home or alternate workspace they can effectively complete their work from during regularly scheduled hours.

Compensation: (Pay Range: $88,000 - $104,000) Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $143 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

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Compensation: Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $143 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.