Major Gifts Officer

About the Organization

The mission of the Oak Park River Forest High School (OPRFHS) Imagine Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is to champion community excellence by raising funds to support OPRF facilities improvements to meet evolving educational needs. The Foundation is currently in the midst of a $15 million capital campaign to support OPRF's Project 2, a crucial phase of the district's long-term facilities plan.

General Job Description

The Imagine Foundation is seeking a dynamic and experienced Major Gifts Officer to lead our fundraising efforts. The ideal candidate will be passionate about education and the OPRF community and committed to supporting OPRF's mission. The Major Gifts Officer is a pivotal role in driving the Imagine Foundation's fundraising efforts. This position is responsible for identifying, cultivating, and stewarding community and major gift donors.

Donor Relations Management

• Maintain a personal portfolio of 100-250 major gift prospects (defined as those giving a gift of $1,000 ).
• Research OPRF alumni and community members to develop new prospects.
• Develop and execute an individualized donor method for each prospect, ensuring that each major donor and prospect has a clear strategy and timeline for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Detailed tracking and reporting of all interactions with prospects and donors in the donor database.
•  Support the fundraising efforts of the team by initiating relationships with higher level major donors ($25,000 ) and transferring them to the Executive Director for solicitation and stewardship.
• Work with the Development Coordinator to ensure proper donor recognition in all publications.
• Project manage the end-of-year appeal ensuring deadlines and fundraising goals are met.
• Strategize with the Executive Director and Campaign Steering Committee to initiate and manage additional annual and one-time appeals.

Events and Volunteers

• Work with the team to plan and help execute cultivation events for major donors and prospects.
• Be present at Imagine Foundation events, such as fundraisers, information sessions, onsite tours, etc.
• Attend and report at bi-monthly Board of Directors fundraising meetings.
• Serve as staff lead and work collaboratively with the Campaign Steering Committee (CSC), set agendas for bi-monthly meetings, review prospects, manage communications efforts, and prioritize goals.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree (or relevant experience) and at least 3-5 years managing high level donor relationships with demonstrated success in closing gifts of $10,000 and above.
• Excellent grasp of donor management systems, high level proficiency with Google Suite and Microsoft Office, and a working knowledge of search functions for donor research purposes.
• Superior interpersonal and communication skills with a professional presence online and in person.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills and ability to prioritize workload in a timely manner to complete assignments with many deadlines and competing requirements.

Compensation

• Hybrid work schedule of at least three days in office with the majority of time spent engaging donors.
• Full-time contractual (1099) position reviewed and renewed annually, with a compensation range is $90-$110K, depending on experience (does not include benefits, responsible for all taxes).
• Office is located in Oak Park, majority of donors, meetings, events are held in Oak Park or River Forest.