Philanthropy Officer

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Philanthropy Officer is responsible for advancing the major gifts program and accelerating fundraising by actively managing a portfolio of major gift donors through the various stages of the donor development cycle.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES:

• Manage a portfolio of major gifts prospects with giving capacity of $25,000 or more. Responsibilities include qualification of identified prospects to build portfolio, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors. 
• In conjunction with the Chief Advancement Officer, establish prospect management goals for donor contact including visits, calls, and email.
• Cultivate, solicit, and close major gifts.
• Maintain active management strategies for all prospects and ensure thorough and accurate recording of reports on all visits and other prospect activities.
• Build meaningful and productive relationships with individuals to link their passion for AFI to critical projects and programs through philanthropic support.
• Champion fundraising across AFI and share experiences and ideas to meet overall department goals and grow the fundraising pipeline.
• Provide reporting and analytics to inform Advancement priorities:
  • Initiate and lead projects related to the analysis of prospect and donor data, and provide conclusions, recommendations, and information to inform data-driven decisions.
  • Deliver value-added information and analysis that supports fundraising efforts by developing and implementing analytic data models and providing reports on metrics and deliverables.
• Produce reports, lists, and import and export files:
  • Produce, analyze, and maintain a suite of reports and lists that provide insights into performance and trends in fundraising and metrics
  • Develop custom lists and reports for ROI on appeals, campaigns, mailings, event invitations, ad hoc queries, and other reports as may be requested by leadership and end users
  • Create, analyze, and distribute research reports on various advancement areas such as giving, prospect management, annual campaigns, alumni giving, contact reports, constituent giving, appeal giving, among others
• Maintain integrity of database and ancillary systems:
  • Implement and maintain data entry controls and audits to ensure data integrity to Develop and apply policies and procedures regarding information technology, data privacy and security, and database management
  • Assist in imports and data sharing with other software packages, such as payment processors, research tools, and marketing and communications applications
  • Review acknowledgment and renewal processes for efficiency
• Provide technical support and improve operations process:
  • Act as liaison between external platform support, IT, and the Web teams to ensure system integrity, troubleshoot technical issues and manage upgrades; advocate for system functions that meet Advancement goals and latest industry standards
  • Proactively assess and identify on-going technology needs to recommend and implement process improvements
  • Provide appropriate service, support, training, and advice to end users regarding the capabilities and functions of constituent management software products and assist in ensuring procedures are accurately documented and available for reference.
• Other:
  • Provide backup support for gift processing as needed.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

EXPERIENCE/SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s degree, advanced degree preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum six (6) years of direct fundraising experience working with gifts of $10,000 and more. Experience working in higher education, nonprofit or cultural organization preferred.
• Genuine passion for American film, television and digital media and an ability to articulate its importance and relevance orally, in writing and through social media.
• Minimum three (3) years of experience providing implementation and functional support of Tessitura, Raiser’s Edge, or similar Client Relationship Management (CRM).
• Working knowledge of relational database architectures.
• Strong knowledge of higher education fundraising principles and gift accounting.
• Ability to maintain professional standards, ethics and best practices of individual giving and nonprofit management.
• Knowledge of planned giving tools and strategies.
• Exceptionally detail-oriented with the proven ability to handle numerous projects with appropriate follow-up and reporting activities while not losing sight of the big picture.
• Proven project management skills with the ability to take a project from conception through completion with minimal supervision.
• Success in the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-net-worth donors.
• Strong, time management, organizational and multi-tasking skills, coupled with the ability to work independently.
• Excellent oral and written persuasive communication, including grammatical and proofreading abilities and presentation skills.
• Experience and comfort with technology including fundraising Client Relationship Management system (Tessitura experience preferred), Microsoft Office Suite, GoogleOffice Suite, wealth screening tools, and other technology as needed
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to a diverse set of issues.
• Professional, collegial, and cooperative attitude with internal and external contacts.
• Demonstrate commitment and flexibility at all times in order to ensure high quality service.
• Personal integrity and the ability to inspire confidence and trust.
• Passion for and dedication to the mission of AFI.
• Must be available to travel and available for occasional evening and weekend hours supporting development department and special event functions.

SUPERVISION:

The Philanthropy Officer performs all duties and responsibilities under the guidance and supervision of the Chief Advancement Officer.

COVID-19 PROTOCOL:

AFI requires full vaccination against COVID-19 for all employees, subject to limited, legally required exceptions. Proof of vaccination, or documentation supporting an exception to this policy, will be required prior to employment.