Major Gift Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL OPPORTUNITY:   

Youth Frontiers (YF) was founded in 1987 with the mission to provide experiences that inspire character, civility, and community. Since out founding, we have inspired more than 2 million students, educators, and adult community leaders though our powerful programs. As we look ahead to our next 35 years and beyond, YF will be making key investments with long-term sustainability in mind. To that end, we are bolstering our fundraising and revenue-generating efforts to expand our mission capacity and support our vision forward. This is a critical juncture in our organization’s history; with the necessary capital to make these key programmatic investments we can amplify the impact of our mission for generations to come.

PURPOSE: The Major Gift Officer (MGO) is responsible for managing a portfolio of major gift prospects/donors primarily consisting of individual supporters. This position plays a pivotal role in the success of YF both now and in the future, and successful candidates will have significant growth opportunities with the organization. 

This role is a new position that will be a key member of YF's Donor Relations team. This department of 7 individuals is responsible for driving the organizational annual and long-term fundraising strategies. The Donor Relations team works collaboratively to develop and execute a fundraising plan that emphasizes engagement and mission experience. We invest heavily in relationships to ensure that: our current donors feel appreciated and motivated to maintain or increase their support; and new connections to our mission feel inspired to give.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES: 

1. Manage a portfolio of 100-125 donors with major gift capacity; overseeing all phases of the solicitation process.

2. In collaboration with the Senior Manager, Donor Relations, lead all phases of YF’s donor acquisition efforts, from identification/qualification through solicitation. 

3. In collaboration with the Donor Relations Team, develop and implement annual strategies and goals for major gifts, with a special focus on long-term and planned giving efforts.

4. Establish and maintain strategic relationships with board members, staff, and Youth Frontiers leadership and external partnerships to enlist active support for YF's fundraising efforts 

5. Develop and maintain close working relationships with the philanthropic community, individual donors, foundations, board members, and volunteers. 

6. Serve as a visible spokesperson and advocate for Youth Frontiers’ mission and programs in the community and a conduit to build new relationships. 

7. Consistently utilize SalesForce to maintain donor records, file call reports,  document solicitation strategies and projections, etc. 

7. Engage in the development of a planned giving strategy and 

8. Participate in the development of YF’s next long-term fundraising campaign, including research, plan, prospect and pipeline development, and stewardship of the donors. 

9. Other duties as assigned by Senior Manager, Donor Relations, President, or CEO 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

1. 3-5 years experience in individual major gift fundraising preferred.  

2. Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of training and experience.  

3. Experience with CRM database, preferably Salesforce.

4. Strong interpersonal skills, particularly the ability to work with a diverse group of individuals. 

5. Mac Experience with basic software (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) required. 

6. Strong verbal and written communications skills, organizational skills, ability to meet deadlines and  work as part of a team. 

7. In addition to these general skills, the position requires the ability to participate in all aspects of the gift  cycle: (1) to initiate contacts with potential major donors; (2) to develop appropriate cultivation  strategies for them; (3) to move potential donors in an appropriate and timely fashion toward  solicitation and closure; (4) to make solicitations when appropriate; (5) to maintain stewardship  contacts with donors. 

Youth Frontiers seeks to hire from a diverse pool of applicants and encourages people from all backgrounds to apply. Youth Frontiers will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital or familial status, public assistance status or any other legally protected status.