Senior Philanthropy Officer

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a place of beauty, learning, and exploration as well as an important contributor to Maine’s economy. We're looking for a Philanthropy Officer excited about inspiring meaningful connections among people and nature. Set amid one the country’s most beautiful botanical gardens, our work environment is team-based, entrepreneurial, and committed to supporting the Gardens’ IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility) goals.   

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens has embarked on the implementation of a comprehensive 30-year plan to better fulfill our mission, and we are building our development team. The Philanthropy Officer develops and manages a portfolio of individual prospects and donors at the $100,000 level and above in support of the Gardens’ mission and with the goal of establishing donor relationships that lead to long-term loyalty and increasing generosity over time. This position helps maintain and expand philanthropic support of the Gardens. If you love nature and you love Maine, this could be the perfect place for you. For a full job description or to apply, visit our website (http://www.mainegardens.org/employment/). 

Year-round, Full-time 

Salaried, exempt 

Target $70,000-$105,000, salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.  We offer a comprehensive and generous benefits package. 

Qualifications: 

• Self-motivated with tremendous personal initiative and drive to succeed. Must be results-oriented, detail- and deadline-focused, creative, resourceful and flexible, with attention to quality and excellence. 

• Dynamic and engaging conversationalist with exceptional interpersonal skills. Ability to interact comfortably with a wide variety of people.  

• Ability to navigate challenging conversations and varied perspectives. Capacity to treat confidential information with discretion. 

• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in individual fundraising efforts with documented success. 

• Experience as lead solicitor in face-to-face solicitations of upper-level donors. 

• Proficient at using database software programs. 

• Proven ability to engage and interact with a wide variety of people; strong customer service orientation and inclination. 

• Able to manage multiple priorities, work under pressure, demonstrate a high degree of professionalism, integrity, loyalty, and service to the organization. 

• Strong presentation and public speaking skills. 

• Willingness to work as part of a team; proven ability to work collaboratively with internal team members for the purposes of achieving goals/objectives. 

• Scheduling flexibility that allows travel and working occasional evenings, weekends, and holidays required. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. 

• Commitment to working across the organization to support the integration of IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) principles into CMBG’s internal operations and its relationships with visitors and guests. 

Primary Functions: 

• Manage a portfolio of current prospects and donors capable of gifts of $100,000 and above, with an emphasis on person-to-person meetings. Responsible for raising a minimum of $3 million annually.  

• Develop and implement strategies for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major individual gifts of $100,000 and above; assume a lead role in setting appointments with major gift prospects, conducting the meetings alone or as part of a volunteer or staff team, and coordinating appropriate follow-up. 

• Articulate the goals of the Gardens with enthusiasm, warmth, intelligence, and professionalism. 

• Respond to donor and prospect inquiries and maintain excellent donor relations. Be proactive and collaborative with prospect and donor research. Participate in donor acknowledgement, reporting, recognition, and other stewardship activities. 

• Work with the Philanthropy staff to prepare and execute strategies to move donors seamlessly along the member-to-major-donor continuum in ways that prioritize donor relationships and support long-term loyalty. 

• Develop collaborative relationships with colleagues throughout the Gardens. 

• Work to ensure appropriate allocation of resources to maximize organization, efficiency, communication, and accuracy in the Gardens’ overall work. 

• Provide comprehensive and timely reports summarizing activity, project status, and work-plan timelines.  

• Utilize the capabilities of the donor information system (Raiser’s Edge) by recording all relevant donor data and interactions and by using the system’s analytical capabilities. 

• Attend key Gardens events as necessary to steward donor relationships. 

Physical Requirements: 

This position requires a combination of office duties, outdoors, and travel-related work, both around Maine and occasionally nationwide. This employee must possess the physical and professional capacity for working in a variety of environments. The employee may be required to sit, stand, or walk for extended periods of time.