The Director of Major Giving will work collaboratively with resource development staff and executive leadership in order to grow UWGC’s contributed income in support of a major campaign initiative. The Director of Major Giving is responsible for raising funds at major and transformational gift levels ($5K to $1M+) primarily from individuals and foundations. This position is responsible for creating a culture and system that supports a pipeline of donors, growing from leadership giving to Tocqueville Society to planned giving / legacy. The Director of Major Giving will manage a portfolio of current donors and create and implement new development plans and strategies for the identification/research, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of new donors. As a department leader, the Director of Major Giving will manage direct reports focused on leadership giving, planned giving and foundations / grant writing. The successful candidate will be expected to spend time meeting and interfacing with key individuals and organizations, and identify potential partners whose interests align with UWGC’s mission.
- Network with individuals and organizations, actively engaging the community to promote UWGC’s mission and vision
- Successfully manage a portfolio of donors and prospects and build deep donor relationships with assigned individuals and organizations
- Develop individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies for donors and prospects
- Develop a specific strategy to continually identify, cultivate and solicit individuals and organizations capable of making major gifts to the organization
- Assist in the development of goals and strategies for the resource development department
- Help determine/set goals to increase contributed income
- Regularly analyze and report results, comparing them to established goals
- Plan, manage and implement donor experiences
- Support VP of Strategy and Donor Engagement and CEO with other duties as assigned to advance the understanding, cause, mission and the support of United Way of Greater Chattanooga.
- Seven(+) years of fundraising management experience in supervisory role
- Ability to handle complex situations with tact and pose, appropriately representing the UWGC brand in the community
- Successful experience in developing cultivation and solicitation strategies for a portfolio of donors and prospects
- Demonstrated initiative and commitment to achieving and exceeding results
- Ability to plan and implement long- and short-range development initiatives to meet established priorities
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of individuals and constituencies
- Working knowledge of a variety of fundraising strategies and methods
- Strong interpersonal skills, as well as problem-solving, research, analytical, organizational, and verbal/written communication skills
- Ability to understand the needs and interests of leadership and major gift donors
- Working knowledge of database software; Microsoft Office skills are required
- Campaign experience preferred
- Must be willing to travel and must have a driver’s license; weekend and evening work will be required
Physical Requirements:
- These physical demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the Director of Major Giving. The employee is required to talk and hear, frequently stand and bend, walk, use hands and fingers to handle or feel. The employee is required to reach with hands and arms, and sit for long periods of time.
This is a full-time position, and general hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Occasional irregular hours and weekend work may be required.