Major Gifts Officer (Remote in NYC)

PNP Staffing Group is delighted to have been retained by Hudson River Park Friends to lead their search for a Major Gifts Officer.

About Hudson River Park Friends

Hudson River Park Friends is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the completion, care and enhancement of Hudson River Park, and is the designated fundraising partner of the Hudson River Park Trust.

Friends creates opportunities for private contributions to and participation in the Park’s operations and growth to guarantee its future for generations of New Yorkers, Americans and visitors from around the world.

To help meet a growing need for resources as Hudson River Park expands and matures, Friends expanded its mission in 2011 to focus on generating private philanthropic support for New York’s premier waterside park.

Friends works in partnership with the Hudson River Park Trust to identify fundraising opportunities so that sufficient funding is available to complete the Park, augment operating resources, fund public programs, build an endowment, and guarantee that the Park remains in world-class condition.

Founded in 1999, Friends is the principal advocacy and fundraising organization working to raise public and private dollars for Hudson River Park’s construction, operations and programming, and monitor Park progress under the Hudson River Park Act. Friends’ efforts have helped secure over

$250 million in capital funding to build Hudson River Park and to hasten the relocation of incompatible municipal facilities on designated parkland, as well as millions more for programming in STEM education, environmental and sustainability programs, arts and culture, family programming, horticulture maintenance and much more. Friends welcomes involvement from all sectors of the community to become part of this important goal.

The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) will oversee strategy, research, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship for a portfolio of approximately 100 donors and prospects with significant potential, focused on gifts of 5 figures and greater. The MGO will have the opportunity to deepen relationships with existing donors as well as conduct discovery work to identify and cultivate new prospects.

The MGO will maximize direct in-person or virtual engagement with donors and develop a robust, personalized mail and digital program to support that engagement. They will continue to develop a strong, concisely stated case for support for the organization’s vital programs, annual operations, capital campaigns and will effectively utilize moves management systems (Raiser’s Edge NXT) in support of advancing direct solicitations of the major gifts portfolio.

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the MGO will collaborate with the Board, Executive Director, Chief Development Officer and Senior Individual Giving Manager on overall program and donor strategy, while prioritizing a focus on direct donor engagement.

The position offers a unique opportunity for high energy salesmanship, creativity, and an entrepreneurial spirit. The Major Gift Officer performs job duties consistent with the mission and goals of Hudson River Park Friends and is expected to establish and meet financial goals related to the overall development strategy of the organization.  Qualifications

Qualifications 

• Minimum 6-years of frontline fundraising experience
• Demonstrated success with raising 5-figure and 6-figure gifts or greater and exceeding contributed revenue goals in a competitive fundraising environment
• Proven track record of strategically using moves management to maximize revenue and donor retention
• Experience with volunteer leadership, including Committees and Boards
• Competent in the planning and implementation of multiple, concurrent projects and events
• Personable, highly organized, detail-oriented, and collaborative
• Ability to make in-person solicitations and assist Board, Executive Director, Chief Development Officer and other staff with solicitations, through portfolio development support and strategic counsel
• Excellent writing skills and experience writing customized major donor proposals that have led to 5 and 6-figure gifts
• Entrepreneurial spirit and good sense of humor
• Proficiency in computer applications, including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook,PowerPoint, and Raiser’s Edge NXT
• Knowledge of and enthusiasm for parks, open spaces, culture, and public/private partnerships a plus.    

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and implement rigorous strategies and schedules for identifying prospects, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship for major gifts through our HRPK 550 Fund: Care for Every Acre (a Major Donor Fund) as well as through capital campaign fundraising and other special projects
• Maintain a portfolio of donors with an emphasis on 5-figure and 6-figure gifts or greater who are interested in being true investors of Hudson River Park with a focus on raising non-event revenue
• With the Individual Giving team, pursue research on prospective and existing donors, provide accurate and timely management of portfolio, and contribute to bi-weekly prospect review session 
• Identify and qualify new prospects and grow the portfolio of major donors at the $10,000 to $100,000+ levels by 10-15% through year-round cultivation and engagement
• Maintain an active schedule of customized donor engagement, maximizing direct donor interaction when possible
• Plan cultivation and stewardship events throughout the year in partnership with the events and individual giving teams
• Coordinate with the Senior Manager of Development Operations to build a stewardship plan to ensure best practices for accuracy in tracking gifts, as well as gift acknowledgement, donor records, donor recognition, and reports
• Work with the individual giving team, events team, the Hudson River Park Trust (horticulture, programming, and education), and Board Members to actively engage donors to meet and exceed annual fundraising goals
• Help establish a culture of philanthropy at HRPK Friends by shaping the messaging for compelling fundraising appeals solicitations
• Develop customized briefing documents, solicitation materials, proposals, correspondence, and gift acknowledgements, all informed by a consistent, well- articulated case for support
• Oversee revenue and expense tracking for both major donor GOS and capital campaign budgets
• Regularly attend cultural and civic events during the evenings, virtually and in-person when Serve as an ambassador and steward of our organization
• Work closely with the Executive Director, Chief Development Officer, Senior Individual Giving Manager, Senior Development Operations Manager, and Membership and Events Associate

Hudson River Park Friends has retained PNP Staffing Group to lead this search.  Please send resume and cover letter to Wade Savitt, Executive Recruiter:  wsavitt@pnpstaffinggroup.com