Director of Major Gifts

ROLE: 

The Director of Major Gifts plays a crucial role in building relationships on behalf of the College, identifying the philanthropic priorities of individual donors, and aligning them with the College's needs to increase current use, endowed, and planned gifts. This role involves creating and maintaining a strong portfolio of prospects at the major and principal gifts levels, guiding them towards supporting the College philanthropically by raising $1 million annually[ND3] [SG4] . Additionally, the Director collaborates closely with alumni relations colleagues to develop robust regional networks that bolster the College through philanthropy and volunteer efforts.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• The Director of Major Giving interacts with the presidents, vice presidents, and senior advancement staff on both the Annapolis and Santa Fe campuses to recommend and implement individualized prospect strategies. 
• Actively oversees a portfolio of more than 125 donors and collaborates with the Executive Director of Advancement to manage the broader college-wide portfolio.
• Designs and implements innovative strategies to identify, cultivate and solicit high-net worth donors and planned giving prospects for major gifts ($25K and above). 
• Plans strategies from cultivation activity to gift closure and implements that strategy in coordination with appropriate persons; reports progress toward achievement.
• Solicit gifts ranging from major commitments to the Annual Fund[ND5] , to specially targeted endowment gifts, to bequests and deferred gifts. 
• Provides stewardship over existing and future individual major gifts and planned giving donors.
• Interacts with the highest level of donors, including members of the Board, and understands sophisticated financial planning and tax advantages for philanthropic activity. 
• Maintains current knowledge of funding needs within the scope of responsibility; identifies prospective donors for those needs.
• Utilize Raiser’s Edge to track and manage donor/prospect portfolio and monitor individual results toward fundraising goal; adhere to timely reporting of results to ensure accuracy of the fundraising pipeline and year-end projection forecasts.
• Maintains current and accurate files on all individual donors.

• Actively contributes to departmental strategic planning.
• This position is based on the Annapolis campus and requires a presence on site. It includes an active travel schedule along the East Coast and other parts of the country with 10-12 in-person meetings per month; some of the visits will be jointly conducted with staff, faculty and volunteer partners.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Seven to ten years of experience in fundraising from individuals, or in alumni/constituent relations with an emphasis on fundraising.                       
• Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university. Liberal arts background preferred. Master’s degree preferred.[ND6] [SG7] 
• Demonstrates initiative; the ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Excellent organizational, written and verbal communication skills                           
• Ability both to work independently and to collaborate effectively in a complex, matrix-managed team structure.
• Ability to work with board members, alumni, parents, volunteers, and friends of the College, including its highest-level donors.
• Skilled in translating College needs and priorities into appealing giving opportunities for donors. 
• Experienced in working with confidential information, highly developed interpersonal skills and integrity are fundamental requirements for this role.
• Experience with non-profit fundraising preferred.
• A working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, NXT and Raiser’s Edge or another fundraising database.
• Experience in college or university major gift fundraising highly desirable. 
• Ability to develop and implement short-and-long-term goals and plans. 
• Ability to develop and maintain recordkeeping systems and procedures. 
• Knowledge of St. John's College preferred and commitment to its mission expected.
• Previous experience in account management and business to business sales helpful.
• Familiarity with major gifts and planned giving best practices, including an understanding of basic financial planning and tax implications for philanthropy.