Major Gifts Officer

Organization

Forté is changing the balance of power in the workplace. We open doors for women to reimagine what they can achieve in business—from launching first jobs to advancing to the C-suite. Our powerful alliance of talented women, influential companies, leading undergraduate and business schools, and pioneering donors empowers women to change their career trajectories, their earning power, and their lives. Through business education, role models, professional networks, and leadership training, Forté shows women how to build the credibility, skills, network, and confidence to thrive as leaders and change the status quo. More information about Forté can be found at http://www.fortefoundation.org.

Position Description

Reporting to the Vice President of Development, the major gifts officer will build and manage a portfolio of approximately 125-150 major gift prospects and donors, including individuals and foundations, to support Forté’s priority initiatives.  Responsible for developing and managing fundraising strategy, qualifying and cultivating relationships, and solicitation and stewardship of lifelong or long-term donors.

Key responsibilities include:

• Effectively manage a major gift portfolio, including:
  • Developing individualized strategies and plans to initiate or strengthen relationships;
  • Participate directly in the cultivation, solicitation, and closure of gifts;
  • Steward relationship to continue and strengthen donor engagement.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to conduct face-to-face, online, or group interactions for the purposes of cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding portfolio, both for the major gifts officer and the CEO.
• Continuously update the prospect management database with relevant information related to donor strategies, contacts, and results.
• Work closely and effectively with Forté colleagues to understand fundraising priorities and how that translates to strategies for portfolio.
• Meet agreed upon fundraising and stewardship goals; monitoring progress and reporting monthly or quarterly on progress against goals; studying trends and making adjustments throughout the year.
• Research and identify foundations with missions aligned to Forté Foundation. Develop grant requests to support current programming needs and future expansion of Forte’s strategies.
• Manage and prepare all reports required by foundations or other strategic partners as a result of gifts, grants and sponsorships. This includes all types of reports on impact of grant dollars provided and unsolicited feedback as necessary to maintain a healthy partnership.
• Represent Forté by speaking at meetings, conferences, and events, as necessary.
• Collaborate with CEO to source Board members’ major gifts.

 
Desired Characteristics

• Understanding of the fundraising landscape, including individual giving, major gifts, foundations, and grants.
• Ability to effectively use constituent relationship management systems, CRM, external vendor tools, and public information to study and summarize biographical and financial information.
• Solid organization skills to handle multiple assignments simultaneously, scoping and leading projects, and meeting deadlines.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Attention to detail, responsiveness, flexibility and ability to work under tight deadlines.
• Must be able to work autonomously, exercise independent decision-making, and set priorities with minimal supervision in a fast-changing entrepreneurial environment.
• Demonstrates energy and passion for the Forté vision to advance women into business leadership with a clear understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Required Education / Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree highly preferred or equivalent work experience.
• 10-15 years of work experience.
• A record of accomplishment in individual major gift fundraising and experience in cultivating and soliciting prospects capable of gifts of $10,000 or more.
• Solid knowledge of the principles and practices of philanthropy.
• 3+ years of experience with a constituent relationship management system required.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Salary

Commensurate with experience.

Benefits

• 401(k) retirement plan with 5% matching available after 1 month of employment.
• Health, Dental, Vision, STD and Life insurance.
• Generous paid time off / holiday schedule.
• Job growth opportunities.
• Virtual work environment – home office.

Job Environment

Employees of Forté work independently from home offices. Each employee should have the capacity within their home to set up a work environment or office. Forté provides a computer, phone, office supplies, and internet stipend for all employees.

Location

The ideal candidate will be based in a major metropolitan area – preferably in the East Coast (New York City, Boston, etc.).