Senior Gift Officer

Summary

Join the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) as a Senior Gift Officer for the Henry Kendall Society (HKS)! This remote, full-time position focuses on managing, stewarding, cultivating, and soliciting mid-level donors ($1,000-$24,999 annually). You will develop and implement strategies to retain current HKS members, attract new ones, and increase revenue. Responsibilities include mentoring an Associate Gift Officer, managing a portfolio of donors and foundations, developing donor communications, and collaborating with other teams. The ideal candidate possesses seven or more years of fundraising experience, strong communication and organizational skills, and proficiency with donor databases. The expected start date is after July 16th, 2025, and the salary is $106,567.82 (with a 12% differential for CA residents).

Requirements

• Seven or more years of fundraising experience, including experience with direct donor contact and in-person solicitation, as well as knowledge of donor tracking systems
• A goal and results orientation is required, as is an interest and desire to excel in frontline fundraising
• Possess the following key characteristics: a high degree of initiative, strategic agility, ability to deal with ambiguity, quality decision making, collaborative spirit, persistence, and creativity
• Superior communication skills, both written and verbal, and a desire to initiate and engage in conversations with donors regarding their giving priorities and UCS activities
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills, including the ability to anticipate tasks, manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, and function smoothly under strict deadlines and shifting priorities with thorough attention to detail and follow-through
• The ability to learn about and work with a complex donor database, and learn, retain, and utilize complex data entry routines and rules

Responsibilities

• Develop goals and strategy for overarching HKS program
• Partner with the Membership Director in proposing, developing, and adopting programs that will retain current HKS members and attract new society members
• Contribute to and co-author annual work plans for the HKS program
• Help develop HKS yearly revenue and membership goals, reporting back regularly
• Manage and mentor Associate HKS Gift Officer, providing support, resources, and autonomy to fulfill their role and meet performance-based, professional development, and JEDI-related goals
• Implement targeted development strategies for individual portfolio of HKS donors
• With Associate Gift Officer, Membership Society Coordinator, and the Membership Director and in collaboration with the Major Gifts (MG), Planned Gifts (PG), and Events & Engagement (E&E) teams review and update individual donor portfolios, stewardship matrix, and cultivation plan at least annually
• Additionally, manage a portfolio of grant-making organizations and family foundations to meet submission and report guidelines with support as needed from the Foundations team
• Develop persuasive donor communications materials, proposals and reports to individual donors, family foundations, grant making organizations, meeting all deadlines
• Scope and develop solicitation strategies for upgrades for portfolios members
• As requested by the program and other Development department staff, approve efforts to contact portfolio members with personalized requests for advocacy actions
• Implement broad outreach strategies for the entire universe of HKS donors
• Work with the Membership team to review and edit regularly scheduled direct mail and digital renewal and upgrade solicitations
• Manage the Associate HKS Gift Officer and collaborate with Membership Society Coordinator to oversee the stewardship for all HKS members for new gifts through (calls, emails and note cards)
• In addition to assigned portfolios, solicit targeted populations of lapsing and lapsed donors, and downgraded donors, in the larger HKS universe through individual phone calls, emails, and letters
• Collaborate with Events and Engagement team to develop content, coordinate invitations, facilitate production of online and offline communications with members of the Kendall Society, and occasionally staff events with Kendall Society members; event offerings may include in-person and virtual programs
• Execute CRM (constituent relationship management) database and administration routines
• Working closely with Development Database Operations, oversee the work of the Associate HKS Gift Officer and support the work of the Membership Society Coordinator to maintain accuracy of HKS donor records in CRM databases; enter records, actions, and reminders based on contacts with donors, and update required database maintenance forms to log expected duplicate or inaccurate records
• Use donor surveys, research, analytical data and other date reporting tools to determine strategies for targeted cultivation and solicitation of Society members and prospects with high engagement interest and/or giving potential
• Support efforts to ensure quality of Annual Report listings of HKS donor population
• Other duties as assigned
• Up to 20% of any individual job may contain work that is not specifically listed in this document. This may reflect temporary assignments, individual professional development opportunities including but not limited to
• Attend relevant fundraising conferences; report back on findings and adapt strategies derived from peer organizations in retention and acquisition practices
• Find/join relevant courses to strengthen foundational understanding of fundraising
• Handle, maintain and safeguard confidential data
• Manage fluctuating workload
• Maintain and update knowledge of UCS programs, goals, and priorities, including JEDI initiatives
• Maintain awareness of role as representative of UCS
• Consider impact of activities on organization reputation and credentials in public and private sectors
• Advance organizational objectives and enhance funding opportunities

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office software a plus, as is a commitment to the environment and interest in UCS issue areas
• Prior experience working with complex CRM or Donor databases is preferred but not required

Benefits

• This position is eligible for remote work, with occasional travel to UCS’s headquarters in Cambridge, MA, possible
• Zero to 5 days of overnight travel may be required per year
• For those who meet all position requirements, the salary is $106,567.82
• UCS offers excellent benefits and a rewarding work environment
• CA Resident Only, we offer a 12% salary differential