The Senior Major Gift Officer (SMGO) is responsible for the identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of individual United Way Ivan Allen Circle (IAC) members and high net worth donors and prospects who have the capacity to make transformative gifts of $25,000 or greater to United Way of Greater Atlanta (UWGA). The SMGO is responsible for maintaining and attaining goals set forth for both the Ivan Allen Circle and high net worth portfolios. Reporting to the Vice President, Major Gifts, this position focuses on strategy development as well as staff support, planning, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of initiatives for individuals assigned to the prospect pool.
The SMGO will work closely with the President & CEO, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Revenue Officer, Vice President, Major Gifts, Director of Tocqueville Society and all other key leaders in the organization to set short and long-term donor-centric strategies and develop initiatives to advance each prospect’s meaningful connection to the UWGA, setting the stage for solicitation in accordance with organization priorities.
- The SMGO will champion the strategic engagement, creativity, and poise required to inspire and mobilize internal partners and prospective donors alike.
This role supports the goals of:
- Tocqueville Society Portfolio: The SMGO will have a Tocqueville Society portfolio of corporate and individual accounts. The SMGO is responsible for all Tocqueville Society efforts in the assigned portfolio and will work collaboratively with Corporate Relations team on joint accounts.
- Strategic Planning: The SMGO will develop, implement and sustain strategies for soliciting individual gifts of $25,000 and more. The SMGO will identify the donor’s areas of interests and align those interests with strategies/products/programs of UWGA. Individual strategic cultivation plans will be developed for United Way’s highest net worth donors and prospects.
- Solicitation: The SMGO will lead all solicitation efforts, requiring cross department collaboration with United Way executives, programmatic, marketing and fundraising staff. The successful candidate will develop written solicitation materials that align with the donor’s interests.
- Prospect Identification: Working with internal staff leads and volunteers, the SMGO will determine which prospects are appropriate for further cultivation and solicitation for transformational gifts to UWGA.
- Stewardship & Cultivation: The SMGO will create and conduct stewardship and cultivation activities for donors and prospects within the IAC. The SMGO will serve as the primary point of contact and relationship manager for all high net worth donors. The SMGO will track contact histories in the CRM regarding all donor engagement, as well as, complete any other engagement tracking required by all signature events.
- Volunteer Engagement: The SMGO will work with the Tocqueville Society Director and the Vice President, Major Gifts to manage and coordinate an Ivan Allen Circle Committee, including scheduling meetings, building agendas, recruiting committee members, reporting out at meetings and building strategy and planning the IAC events (IAC Reception and IAC Impact Events.)
- Other duties as assigned.
- Demonstrated ability to think strategically and to shape messaging in order to move individuals and institutions across the spectrum of prospect development, culminating in significant and potentially game-changing solicitations appropriate to organizational priorities and donor interests.
- The ability to penetrate the most elite philanthropic networks seamlessly, and with aplomb, is a must.
- The ability to extract and analyze data to make effective, efficient decisions about donor strategy and process. A working knowledge of modern data management practices and techniques, including database information systems, data modeling, and analysis, required.
- Track record cultivating and soliciting six-figure donations.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in fundraising
- Consultative sales experience
- Excellent presentation and personal communication skills
- Proven track record of success in cultivating and soliciting prospects capable of five and six-figure gifts
- Broad knowledge of the principles of fundraising and able to participate in all aspects of the gift cycle: identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship.
- Basic understanding of constituent relationship management (CRM) systems
- Understanding of fundraising database programs and software
- Demonstrated leadership and the ability to successfully manage multifunctional or diverse areas.
Expectations
A successful individual in this role will have:
- Excellent oral, written and interpersonal skills
- Solid relationship-building skills, able to comfortably interface with high net worth individuals
- Able to effectively articulate the case for support so that individuals “buy in” to the vision/mission/goals, and gifts are secured at assigned donor giving levels
- Must be able to travel around the metropolitan Atlanta region; use of an automobile is required
- Must have a driver’s license; weekend and evening work is required
- Personal belief in and passion for United Way’s mission, goals and objectives
- Self-motivated and self-starter
- Strong team player, ability to work collaboratively
- Perseverance
- Optimism and positive attitude, attention to detail