Major Gifts Officer

Office of Philanthropy & Communications

The Major Gifts Officer will be an innovative development professional responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and securing major individual gifts to St. Thomas University as part of the Office of Philanthropy team. The Major Gifts Officer works closely with the Vice President for Philanthropy & Communications, and works collaboratively and strategically with and in support of the University President, faculty, other campus leaders, volunteers, and other development and advancement staff, to develop and implement strategies for individual major gift donor relationship management and cultivation, to meet the short and long-term fundraising goals of the department and University. The primary objective of the Major Gifts Officer is to develop long-term relationships with alumni, donors and prospects built on a firm understanding of the donors’ interests, passions and values, with the purpose of cultivating, soliciting and closing five, six and seven figure gifts.  We are seeking an experienced and highly professional individual responsible for the development and implementation of a strategic gift solicitation plan for generating major gifts from high-level donors and prospects.

Duties & Responsibilities:

 Position responsibilities will include, but, not be limited, to:

• Act as primary manager for a portfolio of up to 150 prospects, in order to move potential donors in an appropriate and timely fashion toward solicitation and closure, maintaining a balance between discovery, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship;
• Identify, cultivate and play lead role in soliciting and closing major gifts from that generate donations of $25,000 and up, primarily from individual friends and alumni as well as corporations;
• Recommend and implement short, intermediate and long-term individual major gifts cultivation and solicitation strategies for individual prospects (e.g. alumni, parents, trustees, friends of the University, current students, board members, faculty and staff), working with administration, faculty, board members, volunteers (as appropriate) to identify and engage new prospects for purposes of meeting established personal and university fundraising goals;
• Plan and implement events and activities (volunteer experiences, tours, receptions, friend-raisers, etc.) for individual major gift donors, using existing activities as appropriate; engage in networking activities or other opportunities to generate potential prospects for cultivation;
• Cultivate and expand planned giving opportunities with new and existing donors, and integrate planned gift objectives into major individual donor requests in collaboration with Vice President, Office of Philanthropy & Communications;
• Work closely with advisory Board members, academic leaders, faculty, staff and other volunteers to identify and engage new prospects;
• Work with Office of Philanthropy & Communications to develop major gift materials (e.g. research, briefing memos, proposals and stewardship materials), and request information on University alumni, parents, and friends to qualify interest and giving potential;
• Monitor weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual activity to achieve individual performance measures (e.g. meetings, proposals, major gift revenue);
• Assist administrators and faculty in the recognition and prioritization of institutional and departmental funding needs, in particular for any assigned schools, departments, units or programs; keep abreast of institutional and departmental priorities, University programs, personalities and events;
• Track and report relationship management activity using Raisers Edge® constituent relationship management System, including identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, proposal submission and stewardship of prospective and current individual major donors; assist with review and verification of major gift donor recognition lists;
• Maintain knowledge of current tax laws, investments and planned giving opportunities; use knowledge in prospect cultivation and solicitation as appropriate;
• Develop and maintain strong collaborative working relationships with other team members;
• Participate in regular Philanthropy & Communications staff and organization-wide meetings, and develop and maintain strong collaborative working relationships with other team members;
• Know and follow the CASE Code of Ethics for Fundraisers.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS/SPECIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university is required;
• Individual must have five to seven years’ successful, demonstrated experience in major or planned gift fundraising, preferably in higher education, or significant comparable work in sales, marketing or other client-management professions;
• Must possess strong written, oral and presentation communication skills, and have experience in developing clear and concise funding proposals;
• Must have a demonstrated ability to meet financial goals for major gift giving, with a proven track record of cultivating and securing five-figure gifts and above, and successful experience in making cold calls, as well as developing cultivation and solicitation strategies;
• Individual must be able to think strategically and creatively, and must have excellent interpersonal skills and a demonstrated record of completing assignments, multi-tasking, meeting deadlines, and working with minimal supervision;
• Attention to detail and strong project management skills, ability to work as part of a team and professional attitude and appearance are required;
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Office Suite computer skills are required;
• Experience with constituent relationship management system, such as Raisers Edge®, is preferred. Position requires travel (local and occasionally out of state), and at times work in the evenings and weekends.

 APPLICATION PROCESS:  Send cover letter, résumé, and contact information for three (3) professional references to:

E-mail:  jobs@stu.edu

MS Word or PDF attachments only. 

St. Thomas University is an E-Verify® Equal Opportunity Employer.

All employees are required to pass a criminal background screening and official degree transcripts will be required upon hire.