Development Officer, Major Gifts

TITLE:                                Development Officer, Major Gifts                        

REPORTS TO:                   Vice President, Resource Development

DEPARTMENT:                Individual Giving and Engagement Team (IGET)

LOCATION:                       Virtual (EDT Business Hours)/Boston Office                                             

COORDINATES WITH:  Entire resource development department, program staff, senior management, Leadership Council, board members as well as other key volunteers, donors and prospects.

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

To increase financial support from and involvement of a portfolio of existing individual major donors currently giving $10,000 or more annually, as well as qualifying prospects for future major gifts, and to expand both the number and loyalty of these donors through networking, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Prepare and implement a strategic plan for the cultivation and solicitation of an assigned portfolio of approximately 100-120 donors.
• Qualify new high capacity prospects for assignment to major donor portfolios in consultation with prospect research staff on IGET.
• Contribute to building a touchpoint plan and oversee timely execution.
• Achieve annual revenue goal and assist in meeting departmental goals. 
• Conduct virtual and in-person visits when possible and other high-level interactions with donors and prospects, documenting actions as appropriate; prepare correspondence and proposals; ensure annual requests for financial support are presented to all donors and prospects at the appropriate time and that requests are closed on schedule and acknowledged in a timely fashion.
• Participate actively in prospect review and donor strategy meetings to share and request ideas for cultivation and solicitation strategies for restricted and unrestricted gifts; support interactive learning by all team members.
• Develop cultivation strategies that incorporate creative, blended asks in consultation with Planned Giving Officer.
• Facilitate Oxfam leadership and program staff involvement in the fundraising process; recommend appropriate timing for donor/prospect engagement, prepare staff, facilitate, debrief, and manage follow up activity.
• Support implementation of virtual and in-person donor cultivation and stewardship events when appropriate; identify, recruit, and support hosts for these events.
• Collaborate with team members to ensure the timely and accurate completion of routine work such as gift acknowledgements, solicitation and cultivation mailings, event invitations, CRM data entry, and database coding of gifts.
• Work with program staff as needed to acquire knowledge needed to solicit gifts and build donor relationships effectively; determine investment opportunities for donors who wish to restrict their gift to a specific program area; participate in the creation of interim and final reports for donors making restricted gifts, as requested.
• Understand and comply with all Oxfam America gift-related policies and procedures to ensure ethical compliance, as defined by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
• Perform other duties as required.

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE POSITION:

• Employ good judgement and discretion when dealing with high profile major donors to ensure their ongoing relationship with Oxfam and to protect the confidential aspects of their relationship with the organization.
• Will stay abreast of professional standards, trends, innovative philanthropic models and issues affecting responsibilities, demonstrating continuous learning. This work includes sustained education in decolonizing aid, racial justice and local humanitarian leadership.
• Will work effectively and collaboratively in support of building a team-based culture of work; perform all duties appropriately for a multi-cultural environment, treating all persons with dignity and respect; become familiar with and committed to Oxfam America’s mission and goals.

• Position requires regular travel (monthly, when appropriate – currently virtual) to see donors and prospects; locations dependent upon assigned portfolio.
• Will have an understanding of gender justice and diversity within key areas of responsibility and a commitment to promoting gender justice and diversity in our workplace and programs. Will work within and beyond IGET team to apply feminist principles to ways of working.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

Education: 

• Master’s degree in relevant field or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Experience and Core Competencies:

• 5 – 7 years of experience in direct personal solicitation of individual donors, foundations, clients or corporations at the $10,000 + level and familiarity with CRM systems.
• Proven excellence in building client/donor relationships. Passion for Oxfam’s mission and commitment to goal attainment, high degree of initiative, and ability to build and maintain strong relationships while motivating and engaging high capacity volunteers and donors.
• Proven ability to qualify new prospects
• Demonstrated ability to work with a high degree of autonomy and accountability and to be a team player.
• Superior written and oral communication skills, as well as interpersonal and motivational skills including specific experience writing funding proposals.
• Ability to develop and follow through on creative and effective solicitation strategies and to generate enthusiasm for them among team members.
• Highly organized and proficient in word-processing, ability to access database information, and strong investigative skills. Excellent time management and prioritization skills.
• Direct engagement in cultivating and soliciting six and seven figure gifts.
• Experience in project management and/or implementation of cultivation events.

• Experience working with executive staff, board members and major gift volunteers.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Cultivating and soliciting six and seven figure gifts within the structure of a Capital campaign.
• Experience in project management and or implementation of cultivation events.
• Experience working with executive staff, board members and major gift volunteers.
• Public speaking experience.
• Experience with innovative funding models.
• Knowledge of basic finance or accounting principles.
• Multilingual and/or fluency in Spanish or French.
• Experience engaging and soliciting diaspora and, diverse donor groups

Experience in the field of international development or related issues.