Major Gifts Officer

Reports to: Senior Director of Major Gifts 

Position Summary:  The Major Gifts Officer reports to the Senior Director of Major Gifts and is responsible for raising philanthropic dollars for The Lovett School.  The primary responsibilities are to identify and evaluate prospects, cultivate donors and prospects for upcoming capital campaign, solicit and steward major gifts.  helping ensure successful implementation of the School’s strategy for identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors and prospects. 

Major Responsibilities

• Follow strategic direction and annual operating plan for achievement of all major and planned giving goals as laid out by the Senior Director of Major Gifts.

• Manages a personal portfolio of 90-100 major donors and prospects capable of making cash and/or planned gifts of $100,000 and above:

• Conducts no fewer than 150 individual cultivation and stewardship meetings per year;

• Submits no fewer than 25 major gift proposals per year;

• Leads strategy for annual giving solicitation of managed prospects; and

• Documents all work with prospects accurately and quickly for the advancement database.

• Collaborates with Advancement staff colleagues to ensure the effective development of strong relationships between constituents and the School, education of constituents about why philanthropic support is necessary and warranted, and communication of Lovett’s appreciation for, and impact of, contributions made by donors.

• Maintain stewardship contacts with donors; adhere to the highest ethical standards; demonstrate empathetic disposition, and perseverance; reflect optimistic and positive attitude, and convey sensitivity to needs of the donors.

• Partners effectively as needed with the School’s Admissions, Communications & Marketing, Finance, and Facilities teams to achieve Advancement and institutional success.

• Understands and embraces the school mission, philosophy, and values, and, in partnership with the Director of Major Gifts and the Chief Advancement Officer, contributes to a culture of teamwork, trust, collegiality, and accountability within the Advancement team. 

• Attend special events as needed. 

Position Requirements (knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform satisfactorily in the position):

• At least 6-8 years of progressive experience in fields of major gift fund raising or advancement.

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university.

• Superior client service skills, internally and externally.

• Strong attention to detail and follow through required. 

• Knowledge of Raiser’s Edge, or similar databases.

• Expert knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

• Strong organizational skills.  Exceptional writing and communication skills.

• Ability to multi-task and handle multiple projects with similar deadlines.

• Ability to work quickly and accurately.  

• Ability to work as a team member and display positive behaviors.  High emotional intelligence.

• Resourcefulness; ability to think ahead.

• Requires outstanding presentation skills to audiences of all sizes.

• Must possess excellent listening skills.

• At various times throughout the year, the employee is required to work outside of regular business hours for various job-related functions.  The employee will receive as much advance notification as possible for these events and is required to attend them as part of their essential duties.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.