Major Gifts Officer

Humane Society Silicon Valley - Milpitas, CA

Full-time - Mid Level

Hybrid - Milpitas, CA

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations

About the position

The Major Gifts Officer at Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) plays a crucial role in the organization's fundraising efforts by developing personalized strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors. This position is responsible for engaging both new and existing donors, inspiring them throughout the giving cycle, and successfully closing five and six-figure gifts. The role requires strong nonprofit development expertise and a proven track record in major gifts fundraising, with a focus on building relationships and loyalty towards HSSV's mission of animal welfare.

Responsibilities

• Drive the identification, qualification, cultivation, and solicitation of five- and six-figure gifts with a portfolio of approximately 150 prospects and donors.
• Engage prospects and donors through approximately 10-15 in-person and/or virtual meetings per month.
• Focus on stewardship of prospect and donor portfolio through events and personalized engagements to retain and maximize giving over time.
• Initiate and develop impactful relationships between prospects, donors, and HSSV.
• Nurture prospect and donor portfolio via strategic engagement touch points such as phone calls, emails, letters, and visits.
• Create personalized engagement and solicitation strategies and manage donor portfolio through the moves management process.
• Collaborate with the Senior Director, Estate and Gift Planning to expand membership in HSSV's legacy giving society.
• Partner with HSSV team members to author donor engagement materials and solicitation proposals.
• Team up with other gift officers and development staff members to elevate gifts for consideration at the principal gifts level.
• Collaborate with internal teams to manage dynamic and smooth constituent experiences, helping to meet or exceed departmental fundraising goals.
• Keep informed and up-to-date about program work at HSSV and charitable giving rule changes.
• Leverage metrics to continuously identify and cultivate new prospects and upgrade major donors.
• Maintain donor database with prospect stage, engagement interactions, visit reports, and personalized solicitation plans.
• Serve as an HSSV representative at speaking and engagement opportunities to inspire support for HSSV.
• Attend HSSV events, especially development-focused events, which may occur during evenings and weekends.

Requirements

• Proven experience in major gifts fundraising, cultivating and soliciting prospects and closing five and six-figure gifts in a non-profit environment.
• Experience working with donors on blended gifts.
• Strong knowledge of fundraising principles and how donor engagement can inspire confidence and action to support an organizational mission.
• A performance-oriented, self-driven individual with demonstrated success in guiding donors through the giving process.
• Passion for animal welfare and creating a better future for pets and their people.
• Professional acumen, judgment, and decisiveness to inspire confidence among prospects and donors.
• Outstanding interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong project management, time management, and organizational skills; ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Superb listening and critical-thinking skills, with attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Broad knowledge of tax laws that impact charitable giving.

Nice-to-haves

• Desirable technical knowledge: Salesforce constituent relationship management database, Springboard giving platform, Pardot digital communication platform, or equivalent.
• Valid CA driver's license and ability to travel around the region and attend events on evenings and/or weekends.

Benefits

• Hybrid work environment with primarily day schedule Monday - Friday.
• Participation in development events throughout the year, including evenings and weekends.