Position Overview:
The Major Gifts Officer is responsible for developing, managing, and soliciting an active portfolio of current and prospective donors, ensuring they are engaged in supporting Second Harvest throughout the fiscal year using various channels with the goal of engaging partners, advocates, and investors.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Primary Duty 1: Steward Individuals, Businesses, Organizations, and Sponsorships
- Support the overall strategic direction for the business and community-based organizational program.
- Identify and qualify prospective donors by developing and building lists, researching constituency to identify linkages and refine donor development.
- Convert prospective donors into sustainers, annual, or legacy giving donors by building upon linkages, testing interest, and soliciting (by phone, mail, facility tour, volunteer experience, or special event).
- Steward and cultivate major donors through transformational relationships by personal gift acknowledgements, thank you communications, and impact statements (personal face to face meetings, personal stationery, and telephone calls).
- Consistently retain donors and increase annual revenue in major gifts with an annual gift renewal rate of at least 60%.
- Solicit corporate and community-based donations through direct engagement, with emphasis on corporate matching/payroll giving, sponsorships, special events, and both traditional and virtual food drives.
- Plan and oversee a comprehensive program of engaging businesses and other organizations through corporate sponsorships, event underwriting and fundraising campaigns.
- Directly manage and cultivate accounts to ensure ongoing robust financial participation.
- Develop effective processes, reports, and tools for managing corporate partners to allow for mutually beneficial relationships.
- Create and deliver compelling presentations to local corporate leaders, employee groups, associations, and the like to raise awareness and interest in Second Harvest and its mission.
- Personally solicit, manage relationships, and guide the solicitation process for select individuals, corporate and business prospects including face to face meetings, presentations, facility tours, proposals, and general communications to meet specific activity and revenue goals.
- Oversee resource development through corporate matching gift and employee giving programs.
- Ensure each donor's experience with SHFB is consistent and high quality; and ensure timely and accurate report deliveries to funders.
- Coordinate donor volunteer experience and team building opportunities with the Volunteer Coordinator.
Primary Duty 2: Meet Annual Fundraising Targets
- Meet established fundraising goals to support organizational needs.
- Perform ongoing statistical analysis and revenue benchmarking to evaluate the overall growth and performance in the focus area.
- Use knowledge of local businesses and organizations to refine existing programs and recommend and implement new and creative strategies to maximize annual revenues.
- Manage initiatives for raising support from local donors, businesses, and organizations through strategic and tactical planning into implementation.
- Draft the necessary letters, emails, and other resources to market and secure philanthropic support.
- Collaborate with marketing Team on the creation of promotional materials, impact reports, and other essential collaterals for donor cultivation and stewardship.
- Cultivate and expand planned giving membership through targeted strategies.
- Maintain an annual gift renewal rate of at least 60%.
- Achieve or exceed assigned annual revenue targets in alignment with strategic development priorities.
Primary Duty 3: Community Relations
- Attend networking events such as luncheons and chamber mixers to deepen engagement with Food Bank, often acting as spokesperson for Second Harvest.
- Actively manage the day-to-day relationships with donors and prospects through various activities including meetings, phone calls, letters, reports, emails, timely responses to donor inquiries and acknowledgements of gifts.
- Develop strong working relationships with Programs and Operations staff to understand and articulate needs and case for support.
Additional Responsibilities: Reporting/Analysis and Database Management
- Log contact reports to the databases, as necessary.
Additional Responsibilities: Management and Leadership
- Communicate effectively and respectfully with people from all racial, ethnic, and cultural groups and from all backgrounds and lifestyles, demonstrating knowledge of and sensitivity to their needs.
- Flexible expectations in meeting a variety of responsibilities throughout the day to ensure the success of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. ---
Qualifications:
Education: A BA/BS degree in communications, business, or related field; OR equivalent experience.
Experience: At least two years of major gifts experience in fundraising or sales, with a proven track record of developing donors and sponsors. Demonstrated success managing and actively soliciting a major gifts portfolio generating $ 1 million or more in annual revenue is required. Capital campaign experience is a plus.
Skills:
- Comfortable with speaking and making engaging and concise presentations to a wide spectrum of audiences.
- Excellent writing and communications skills; including spelling, punctuation, correspondence, and formatting.
- Self-managing; most of the work is self-initiated, and the decisions made are critical to strategic success and impact achievement of organizational objectives and financial performance.
- Strong reporting and analysis abilities.
- Adept at facilitating conversations, navigating conflict, and building consensus towards solutions.
- Accomplished user of Microsoft Office applications (e.g., MS Excel, MS Word) and donor software tracking programs (e.g., Raiser’s Edge).
Certifications: Certificate in Fund Raising Management (CFRM) or comparable fundraising certification preferred.
Competencies:
- Excellent interpersonal, management, verbal, and written communication skills with persuasive ability, including strong storytelling capacity and the ability to effectively convey the organization’s mission.
- Ability to engage with many constituent types without judgment while instilling enthusiasm.
- Ability to work in a complex environment with minimal supervision (independently) but as a member of a dynamic and supportive team, and a collaborator across departments.
- Ability to relate effectively to other staff, volunteers, agency partners, and the public.
- Honesty, integrity, and the capacity to make decisions supported by facts.
- Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, ability to meet tight deadlines, multitask, and hold self and others accountable for results.
- A willingness to be constructive by providing solutions, displaying optimism, being respectful and fair, and working as a team player with peers and staff alike.
- Strong leadership ability, sound judgment, and high professional ethics.
Working Conditions:
- Work Environment: After the probationary period, this position allows for a hybrid work environment in which staff will be required to work in-office and in the field.
- Work Schedule: A typical workweek is 40 hours from Monday to Friday. Occasional weekends required during special events.
- Travel Requirements: Primarily local travel across Second Harvest’s 18 county service area in East Tennessee.
Compensation and Benefits:
- Salary is competitive based on experience.
- Benefits Package: Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Simple IRA Retirement Plan, Paid Leave and Wellness Days.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
Drug-Free Workplace:
We are committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace. This policy ensures a safe, healthy, and productive work environment for all employees.
This job description does not encompass all the duties of the role. Supervisors or managers may assign additional tasks as needed. The job description can be revised at any time and is not a contract for employment, nor does it alter the at-will employment status with Second Harvest Food Bank of East TN. Both Second Harvest Food Bank of East TN and the employee have the right to terminate employment at any time for any reason.
Pay: $50,000.00 - $55,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 403(b) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Do you have excellent writing and communication skills?
Experience:
- Major Gifts and Fundraising: 2 years (Required)
- Raiser's Edge : 2 years (Preferred)
License/Certification:
- Certificate in Fund Raising Management (CFRM) (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
