Fundraising Coordinator

Lions Tigers & Bears is dedicated to providing a safe haven for unwanted and abused exotic animals and to educating the public about the abuses of the exotic animal trade. Lions Tigers & Bears (LTB) offers a wide range of programs and services including captive exotic and wildlife rescue, providing lifetime homes to rescued animals, educating the public about the abuses of captive exotic animals being used for entertainment/amusement, for canned hunts, and for the sale of body parts, and advocating for the regulation of private ownership of exotics. We are a sanctuary that allows the animals in our care to live out their lives with dignity in a caring and safe environment.

Our team is passionate, hardworking and believes in rolling up our sleeves for a mission that matters. If you’re a driven, experienced, and talented fundraiser, ready to make a lasting difference and have fun while doing it, we’d love to meet you.

Position Summary

The Fundraising Coordinator plays a key role in driving all aspects of Lions Tigers & Bears’ fundraising efforts — from developing and executing campaigns and events, to cultivating donor relationships and expanding our corporate and community partnerships.

This position focuses on increasing the donor pool, strengthening stewardship, managing fundraising projects and campaigns, and identifying new revenue opportunities. The ideal candidate is a confident relationship-builder with a proven ability to solicit donations, cold call and set meetings, and deliver results. You’ll work closely with leadership to implement strategic fundraising initiatives and manage ongoing campaigns, donor communications, and event sponsorships that directly support the rescued animals who call the sanctuary home.

This is an ideal position for a motivational self-starter who enjoys relationship-building, has strong attention to detail, and takes pride in seeing projects through from start to finish.

Advance your career!

This position is an exceptional opportunity for a motivated professional seeking a steppingstone for career advancement—someone eager to wear many development hats, refine and grow their skill set, and work directly with the Founder/Director and Board of Directors. The role offers exposure to organizational leadership, professional development, and high-level relationship building across the nonprofit sector.

Hours: Full-time, year-round. Occasional evening and weekend work.

Benefits: Health (55%), Dental (50%), Vision & Life Insurance, 403(b) Matching (after 1 year, up to 3%)

Title: Fundraising Coordinator

Reports to: Founder/Director

Salary Range: $70,000-$80,000

Fundraising Strategy & Execution:

• Execute and manage annual fundraising initiatives, donor appeals, membership drives, and special campaigns (e.g., Giving Tuesday, year-end giving, etc.).
• Identify, cultivate, and solicit new individual, foundation, and corporate donors through targeted outreach, cold calls, and in-person meetings.
• Set measurable fundraising goals and track performance against key benchmarks and ROI targets.
• Manage donor communications, proposals, and follow-up to ensure consistent engagement and retention.
• Support the Director/Founder in developing sponsorship proposals and materials for events and capital campaigns.

Donor Relations & Stewardship

• Build and maintain strong, lasting relationships with current and prospective donors through personalized outreach, thank-you communications, and impact reporting.
• Develop and manage a pipeline of major gift prospects, identifying opportunities for upgrades and new partnerships.
• Ensure donor data in DonorPerfect is accurate, up-to-date, and coded properly for communications and reporting.
• Collaborate with the communications team to develop donor-centered content such as appeals, newsletters, and social media campaigns.

Corporate & Community Partnerships

• Research and secure corporate sponsors for sanctuary events and programs.
• Establish partnerships with local businesses, civic groups, and philanthropic organizations to grow awareness and financial support.
• Represent Lions Tigers & Bears at community events, chamber meetings, and networking functions to promote our mission and build relationships.
• Develop custom partnership packages that align corporate giving with visibility and recognition opportunities.

Project Management & Administration

• Manage multiple fundraising projects simultaneously, ensuring timelines, budgets, and goals are met.
• Prepare monthly reports on fundraising progress, donor engagement, and sponsorship results.
• Support the grant writing process by providing background information, success metrics, and impact stories.
• Collaborate with staff and volunteers to ensure event fundraising efforts are fully supported, organized, and mission aligned.

Volunteer Services:

• Work closely with the Volunteer Coordinator and LTB staff and volunteers to ensure that volunteers are being recruited as needed for all events, properly trained and managed for fundraising events, and are recognized and appreciated for their important contributions.
• Work with Volunteer Coordinator, create and update volunteer job descriptions for each fundraising event.

Key Interfaces:

• Director/Founder, Board of Directors, various fundraising committees.
• Executives and decision makers of key partnerships and sponsors.
• Donors, business owners, corporate executives, community leaders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum 1-3 years of nonprofit fundraising.
• Proven track record of soliciting donations, building donor relationships, and securing sponsorships.
• Confident in making cold calls, setting meetings, and conducting in-person solicitations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to craft compelling donor messages.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and donor CRM platforms (DonorPerfect preferred).
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
• Valid CA driver’s license and reliable transportation required.

Skills and Abilities:

• Friendly, hard-working team player.
• Strong knowledge of philanthropy and fundraising strategies, procedures, and best practices.
• Sound judgement in maintaining the strictest confidentiality of proprietary, financial donor information.
• Confidently conduct face-to-face and phone asks and overcome objections.
• Partnering with the Founder/Director and board members to maximize fundraising opportunities.
• Ability to develop long-term donor relationships through effective stewardship tactics.
• Excellent interpersonal abilities, with a talent for building authentic relationships across diverse personalities and backgrounds, including with donors and stakeholders.
• Self-motivated and resourceful, with demonstrated ability to plan, prioritize, and manage tasks independently while solving problems creatively and effectively.

Work Environment:

Lions Tigers & Bears is an outdoor animal sanctuary in Alpine. The person in this role is expected to walk throughout the property to interact with staff and work events. The role involves both administrative work in an office setting and on-site event support in varied weather conditions.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate. The employee frequently is required to lift, squat, stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. This position requires the ability to occasionally lift up to 40 pounds.

Employer will provide reasonable accommodations as required by law.

EEO Statement:

Lions Tigers & Bears provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, disability, genetics, national origin, pregnancy, race, color, religion, sex or sexual orientation. In addition to federal law requirements, Lions Tigers & Bears complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Disclaimer:

This job description is only a summary of the typical functions of the job, not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks, and duties. The responsibilities, tasks, and duties of the person fulfilling this role might differ from those outlined in the job description and that other duties, as assigned, might be part of the job.

To Apply:

Send your cover letter and resume to anita@lionstigersandbears.org with the subject line to read, “Fundraising Coordinator – (First & Last Name) – (how you heard about the job (i.e., Indeed, LinkedIn, etc.).

Deadline:

Open until filled.

To Apply:

Send your cover letter and resume to anita@lionstigersandbears.org with the subject line to read, “Fundraising Coordinator – (First & Last Name) – (how you heard about the job (i.e., Indeed, LinkedIn, etc.).