Associate Director, Major Gifts

Summary

Join Search for Common Ground as the Associate Director, Major Gifts (West Coast), a new position responsible for building a major donor program on the West Coast. You will cultivate relationships with high-net-worth individuals, manage a portfolio of 150+ prospects, and secure major gifts. This role requires experience in major gift fundraising, particularly within the Jewish American philanthropic community. The position is remote, based on the West Coast, with frequent travel required. You will work closely with the CEO, Director of Development, and board members to achieve fundraising goals for the organization's conflict resolution work in Israel and Palestine. This is a leadership role with the opportunity to make a significant impact on Search for Common Ground's mission.

Requirements

• Demonstrates a proven track record serving in a development leadership position and closing major gifts of five, six, and seven-figures from individuals and family foundations
• Has documented experience with launching and building new fundraising campaigns
• Demonstrates comfort with Jewish culture and Jewish philanthropy, with an interest in conflict resolution and Israel/Palestine
• Works collaboratively with senior managers and colleagues sharing senior expertise; builds teams for successful implementation of projects and programs
• Effectively influences vendors, organizations, professional associations, partners, funders, and Search's network of experts critical to the area of purview
• Makes decisions on existing information when it may not be complete
• Adapts to the personal style and preferences of colleagues to assess their needs and preferences; tolerates ambiguity
• Articulates Search/function program/project goals and objectives within and external to Search; develops program objectives, indicators, and results; and participates in strategy development for the team
• Creates standards across functions globally within Shared Services teams with the ability to create a best fit that considers international norms and compliance while supporting an organizational culture for work
• Overcomes obstacles, including personal biases, by following Search's ethics code in complex situations, displayed in activities as ethical principles and values that guide professional interactions
• Assesses risks and opportunities in a complex environment and convenes discussions to lead to a favorable outcome
• Establishes tools to monitor the quality of work and verification of information
• Has knowledge of project management tools, including technology as resources, and applies delegation skills to support the development of others, as well as the building of efficiency and reduction of stress
• Supports employees in their efforts to achieve job goals (e.g., by providing resources, removing obstacles, acting as a buffer)
• Engages with Shared Services teams, cross-functional teams, and colleagues to produce innovative solutions
• Uses analysis (costs, benefits, risks) to manage within a global standards and best practices framework
• Guides colleagues, Shared Services teams, and cross-functional teams and direct reports toward learning resources to broaden their skill sets and understanding and continue to grow in both breadth and depth of knowledge of organizational functions, standards, and objectives
• Remains alert and responsive to any safeguarding risks, acquires relevant knowledge and skills that will enable you to promote strong safeguarding practices, understands the safeguarding policy and procedures, and conducts yourself in a manner consistent with the Safeguarding Policy
• BS/BA with a minimum of 11 years experience securing major gifts and cultivating relationships with high-net-worth individuals and philanthropic donors

Responsibilities

• Identify, cultivate, and solicit major gifts from individual donors, family foundations, and other prospective high-net-worth supporters aligned with the organization's mission and values
• Build, provide leadership on, and manage a portfolio of 150+ prospects
• Create individual goals for each prospect in the portfolio based on the donor’s history of giving and the organization’s knowledge of the prospect’s capacity
• Develop and execute personalized cultivation and stewardship strategies, including meetings, events, and communication plans, to foster long-term relationships and maximize donor engagement
• Work closely with our CEO and Director of Development to strategically prioritize and make requests for gifts of five- and seven-figures, tailoring proposals and solicitation materials to align with individual donors' interests and philanthropic goals
• Collaborate with the CEO and fundraising team to create compelling fundraising materials, proposals, and impact reports tailored to the interests and priorities of major donors
• Establish a robust donor stewardship program to ensure continuous donor engagement, recognition, and appreciation through correspondence, professional proposals, mailings, and acknowledgements
• Conduct in-depth prospect research to identify new major gift opportunities and expand the organization's network of potential philanthropic supporters
• Coordinate closely with program staff to stay updated on the organization's initiatives, impact, and success stories, effectively communicating the organization's programmatic achievements to donors
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date donor records, donor correspondence, and gift documentation in compliance with organizational policies and procedures
• Act as an ambassador for Search for Common Ground, representing the organization at donor-related events, conferences, and networking opportunities to promote its mission and philanthropic initiatives

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven track record of successful portfolio management, campaign experience, and closing major gifts
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to articulate complex issues in a clear and compelling manner
• Excellent attention to detail
• High degree of integrity, initiative, resourcefulness, and decision-making skills
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment, meet concurrent deadlines, organize time and priorities, and do so in collaboration with diverse stakeholders
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build rapport with donors, board members, program staff, and other diverse stakeholders
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications especially Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, and experience managing donor databases and utilizing fundraising software for donor relationship management (Salesforce preferred)
• Demonstrated understanding of philanthropic trends and best practices in major gift fundraising and donor stewardship, especially related to Jewish American philanthropy
• Prior successful experience with a fundraising campaign
• Demonstrated experience engaging celebrities around visibility and fundraising
• An advanced degree or certification in fundraising is a plus
• Interest in and ability to visit field offices on official Search trips, e.g., donor missions, etc

Benefits

• Remote-based on the West Coast only, with preference for LA-area
• $90,636 - $140,395 a year