Basic Function:
Principal duties include working with the Chief Advancement Officer to manage the individual giving donor base for gifts of $2,500 or more, including current, lapsed, and prospective donors. The position has the overall responsibility for planning, executing and expanding the major gifts, planned giving, and stewardship and donor relations programs related to individual donors. The positon also facilitates board committee volunteer solicitors; analyses individual giving revenue results, forecasts and goals, and coordinates closely with the Annual Fund manager on other direct mail and tele-funding campaigns targeting lower level individual donors. The Director of Major Gifts will create and implement strategies to ensure individual giving revenue targets are hit, while maintaining high flexibility in response to shifting priorities.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
- Major Gifts Fundraising
- Facilitate all aspects of the gift cycle for individual donors of $2,500 or more, including: initiate contacts with donors and donor prospects, develop appropriate cultivation strategies, move potential donors in an appropriate and timely fashion towards solicitation, and maintain contact while conveying sensitivity to needs of the donors.
- Assist the Chief Advancement Officer in stewarding major donors, including devising strategy in recruitment and retention.
- Research potential major donors by keeping current on local news in the Denver Post, Denver Business Journal, and other local nonprofit news.
- Planned Gift Fundraising
- Work with the Chief Advancement Officer and Annual Giving Manager to identify prospects for planned gifts to the CSA, and facilitate cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of planned gift commitments.
- Lead efforts to provide appropriate stewardship activities through the Horace Tureman Society of donors who have made planned gift commitments.
- Stay attuned to changes in planned giving strategies and work with Advancement and Marketing staff to communicate planned gift options through web-based and other channels to CSA constituency groups.
- Fundraising Management
- Ensure accuracy with individual and household accounts in the Tessitura donor database including, but not limited to: donor demographic information, pertinent research notes, and cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship action planning, recording, and follow up steps.
- Facilitate a systematic program of identification of major and planned gift prospects from the Colorado Symphony donor and/or ticketing/subscription databases in sufficient numbers to grow the donor pipeline and assure achievement of goals.
- Ensure that a sufficient number of prospects are cultivated and solicited annually to achieve revenue goals across all individual giving programs, including major gifts and gift planning.
- Review and update necessary information as gifts are received, and work with the Database Coordinator to run frequent reports on the performance of segments including renewals, lapsed, and acquisitions, and campaign specific lists of major donors.
- Enhance the "return on investment" of large fundraising events to build pipeline of prospective donors for major and planned gifts.
- Committee Management
- Individual Advancement Committee: perform all tasks leading up to, during, and after the committee meeting. Assist the Committee Chair to recruit and maintain the committee with the goal of broadening the base of major donors.
- Establish fundraising goals and expectations for Committee and individual members. Set meeting agenda for each meeting and follow up with each member by phone to review individual prospects post-meeting. Act as a liaison between the members and the administration and as a advancement resource for members.
- Brett Mitchell Society
- Work directly with the Society to identify their goals and assess benefits.
- Work closely with the Co-Chairs to oversee recruitment progress and assist in retention and acquisition of goals.
- Coordinate delivery of benefits and events with Annual Fund Manager and Advancement Coordinator.
Internal Business Operation:
- Budget and Planning
- Assist in developing and management of the department’s budget in accordance with guidelines set by the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Advancement Officer.
- Assist Chief Advancement Officer with management of development revenue cash flow projections and expectations.
- Assist colleagues with statistics for annual SCFD audit.
- Collaboration
- Work with Advancement and other departments to identify funding opportunities and efficiency improvements that support CSA programs and revenue goals.
- Work with Senior Manager – Corporate Partnerships to plan content for Advancement Committee meetings.
Qualifications:
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree preferred; significant work experience can substitute for the degree.
- Experience
- 5+ years of experience in areas related to individual giving required
- 5+ years of experience in areas related to major gifts preferred.
- Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Excellent persuasive communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Exceptional interpersonal skills, both in person and by phone, with patrons, trustees, staff members, volunteers, and above all donors.
- Consistent professionalism at the highest level with great donor sensitivity.
- High degree of flexibility in response to shifting priorities.
- Demonstrated success in developing cultivation and solicitation strategies with knowledge of fundraising best practices.
- Demonstrated leadership and the ability to successfully manage multi-functional or diverse areas, as well as autonomously managing projects.
- Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and Tessitura proficiency preferred.
- Ability to work nights and weekends, as needed.
TO APPLY: Send resume to jobs@coloradosymphony.org and reference "Director of Major Gifts" in subject line. Due to the large volume of resumes, no phone calls please. Applications accepted through June 8, 2018
The Colorado Symphony Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer.