Individual Giving Director

Summary

The Director of Individual Giving is a key player within the development department and serves as a member of the organization’s leadership team. The Director is responsible for managing the organizational portfolio of individual major gift prospects and donors, providing strategic oversight to planned giving and donor stewardship, and will manage a Leadership Giving Officer to be hired late in 2021. The ideal candidate will be adept at building and managing relationships that result in philanthropic giving, understanding prospects, donors, and the development process, and will bring a creative and donor centric approach to fundraising in support of our mission.

Key Responsibilities & Skills:

1.  Cultivating and soliciting donor prospects from a developed portfolio of individuals to secure major individual gifts ($50K+)

Actively cultivate and solicit donors to increase philanthropy Execute timely and strategic moves to further the donor relationship and an eventual solicitation Create and organize necessary preparation for donor visits as well as follow up in the form of letters, proposals, or collateral materials Prepare proposals in support of prospect interests Produce individual results and achieve annual goal and stretch goal Update Raiser’s Edge to accurately reflect prospects activity and performance Perform other major donor activities as may be required Meet/exceed minimum annual fundraising target 2.  Identifying and qualifying new potential donors to continually build and enhance the individual’s donor portfolio.

Work with Development Researcher to identify prospects and donors through community leaders, and current donor base Participate in prospect tracking review sessions with our research and development teams to identify prospects and establish natural partners and key influencers Coordinate with and utilize the services of Development Researcher for prospect mining 3.  Planned Giving

Meet/exceed planned giving solicitation targets Oversee the marketing program to educate our constituents about the benefits of planned giving and to generate leads Increase stewardship outreach to existing Burns Legacy Society members in order to sustain current planned gift commitment 4.  Donor Stewardship

Assists with and participates in the planning and execution of Donor Relations annual and periodic special events Assists with the management and stewardship of giving societies and other major and principal gift donor 5.  Overseeing the development of leadership giving (annual gifts of $1,000-$9,999)

Supervise 1 FTE working in the area of leadership giving Ensure the strategic execution of tactics that will build the leadership giving base of support and the pipeline of future major gift prospects Education and Experience – An equivalent combination of education, training and experience will be considered.

A bachelor's degree and minimum of 5 to 8 years of individual fund raising experience required. Must have a proven track record of success Strong professional experience in fundraising and donor stewardship. Experience managing multiple projects concurrently, demonstrating a sense of urgency, results oriented, meets deadlines and achieves goals. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities which may be representative, but not all-inclusive of those commonly associated with this position.

Must be a self-starter with the ability to multitask and function effectively under pressure. Ability to think proactively and respond appropriately. Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with staff, employees, and the general public Must have a strong personal presence with the ability to represent the charity effectively both verbally and in written form. Effective communication, writing and grammar skills, paying great attention to detail. Must be willing to travel within the Chicago metropolitan area. Proficient with computer database, word processing and publishing programs. Experience using Raiser’s Edge software helpful. Must possess negotiation skills and the ability to think on his/her feet to close a deal Work Environment – Environmental or atmospheric conditions commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job.

The work environment characteristics described below are representative of those an employee encounters while performing 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:

Must be available to work irregular hours, shifts, weekends, holidays. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Must be willing and able to drive or obtain alternative transportation between House locations, external meetings, donor meetings, etc. Physical Abilities that are commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job. The physical demands described below 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 essential functions.

Light sedentary office work.  Frequently required to sit Ability to travel to other program sites or events as needed While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel; talk or hear. Must be physically capable of carrying 35 lbs.