DonorsChoose is hiring a
Senior Major Gifts Officer

Summary

The job is for a Senior Major Gifts Officer at DonorsChoose based in California. The role involves managing high-net-worth individual donors and prospects, with the goal of raising $150M in FY23 through strategic management and relationship building. The officer will work remotely but may need to travel within California and to the NYC office occasionally.

Requirements

• Minimum 7 years of professional experience, at least 4 of which are in major gifts fundraising or corporate business development, including direct solicitation of donors or clients
• Consistent track record of closing five- and six-figure gifts or contracts from a dynamic portfolio, including acquisitions and upgrades

Responsibilities

• Cultivate and Grow Major Donors
• Actively engage portfolio of 60-90 high-net-worth individual donors and prospects through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Contribute to major gifts revenue goal by securing ambitious five- and six-figure commitments from portfolio
• Incorporate a focus on West Coast based donors and identify opportunities to expand regional pipeline
• Independently devise creative tactics and long-term engagement strategies to strengthen donor commitment and increase giving
• Prioritize in-person meetings to build engagement and deepen donor relationships; travel within Bay Area region and beyond as needed
• Send personalized correspondence, including cultivation emails, reports, and updates relevant to donor interest
• Maintain Fundraising Best Practices
• Collaborate with the team’s operations senior associate to actively track and measure progress towards financial and non-financial goals
• Choreograph, prepare strategy, briefing, and debriefing materials for face-to-face meetings and solicitations with donors conducted personally and with leadership staff
• Maintain Salesforce records, continuously updating key details and logging emails, calls, and meeting notes
• Align fundraising efforts to key priorities and imperatives of DonorsChoose, with a focus on equity in education and diversifying its major donor community
• Contribute to Team
• Share donor strategies and successes, support teammates when needed, and identify other opportunities to contribute to the team and organizational culture
• Partner with VP, Major Gifts to develop West Coast growth strategies
• Undertake special projects through proactive initiative and/or as requested

Preferred Qualifications

• Experienced relationship manager with strong listening skills and an ability to engage with internal and external stakeholders in a thoughtful, inclusive manner
• Entrepreneurial self-starter who will prioritize strengthening the West Coast donor pipeline
• Success closing a variety of funding opportunities, including multi-year and blended commitments
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills as well as an overall ability to be clear and concise in all communications
• Ability to identify and implement processes vital to support effective donor relationships
• A strong command of fundraising best practices; experience with CRM databases, like Salesforce

Benefits

• Full-time staff are eligible to receive annual performance-based raises as they grow in their role
• 25 paid vacation days per year and 11 paid holidays
• A rich employer-paid individual and family health plan
• A matching 401(k) plan (up to 5% of base salary)
• Annual professional development stipend
• Casual and flexible work environment