Major Gifts Officer

The Major Gifts Officer is responsible for best practices of moves management and direct solicitation of supporters. The successful candidate will be an entrepreneurial, result-driven, development professional who has experience closing five and six figure gifts. This position requires up to 50% travel; evenings and weekends are also occasionally required. 

After 12 months in post, the successful candidate will have: 

• Helped to create case statements for priority fundraising projects.
• Successfully identified prospective donors and implemented a cultivation and contact strategy for new major gift prospects.
• Contributed to the development and implementation of a stewardship program to cultivate and develop donor relationships.
• Become competent in presenting a wide range of Audubon’s priority projects to prospective supporters.
• Successfully managed a portfolio of 100-125 prospects and donors.
• Demonstrated a flexible and ‘can-do’ approach in all elements of daily work.
• Become a strong, successful and respected member of the National Development Team and across the Audubon network.
• Kept accurate and up to date contact records in the database, and be able to demonstrated progress towards goals.

Essential Functions:

Prospect Identification and Solicitation

• Initiate and build effective long-term relationships with individuals who have the capacity to give $50,000+, prioritizing those able to give $500k+. 
• Help develop a detailed and integrated fundraising strategy that is tailored to the philanthropic motivation, needs, and interests of prospects and donors. 
• Represent Audubon to senior volunteers, potential and existing supporters, and colleagues. 
• Communicate with Audubon state offices, centers, and colleagues to ensure every prospect or donor relationship is supported by relevant staff. 
• Regularly review portfolio and donor strategy with the Director of Major Gifts/VP of Development and colleagues, to refine approaches, share success and problem solve. 

Income Generation and Reporting

• Maintain donor and prospect records on the database, capturing and sharing relevant donor and prospect information and taking a sensitive approach to confidential material. 
• Define and achieve income targets with the Director of Major Gifts/VP of Development. 
• Report monthly, quarterly and annually on income against budget and activities. 
• Produce clear, cost-effective expenditure budgets for specific activities (such as production of materials) and be responsible for cost control in order to maintain or improve return on investment. 
• Collaborate with colleagues regarding prospects and donors in order to maximize potential income. 

Stewardship

• Steward donor relationships to develop and enrich long-term personal relationships between the donor and Audubon. 
• Maximize funds raised by identifying further opportunities to solicit support (including additional personal gifts, submissions to foundations or approaches to companies), and working with colleagues to develop these opportunities. 
• Create briefs for major donor cultivation and stewardship events. 
• In conjunction with Development team, implement and maintain appropriate donor recognition for major donors. 

Project Management

• Work with colleagues across the Audubon network to articulate priority fundraising projects including seeking and managing expert input into the process of defining projects, drafting proposals and writing accurate and inspirational case statements. 
• Manage timely reporting to donors according to their criteria, interests, and expectations on funded projects. 
• Represent donors’ interests and requirements to colleagues where defined and agreed in funded project proposals, ensuring commitment to the delivery of appropriate and approved benefits or recognition. 

Other duties as required

• Participate in opportunities to engage with leaders and development colleagues across Audubon via in-person and virtual team meetings and training opportunities. 
• Execute other tasks within the Development team as necessary and within established performance standards and office routines (g. database inputting and data protection guidelines). 
• Adhere to all Audubon policies. 
• Participate in meetings, contributing to strategy, discussions, and decisions to achieve the acquisition of new donors and volunteers. 
• The role requires travel within the Flyways and to New York City up to 50% and may require after hours work.