Major Gifts Officer

Intro/Program Description: Goddard Riverside strives toward a fair and just society where all people can make choices

that lead to better lives for themselves and their families. We are one of New York City’s leading human services

organizations with an annual operating budget of approximately $90 million. Our programs serve more than 20,000

people annually, preparing children and youth for success; supporting self-sufficiency; enriching the lives of older

adults; promoting behavioral health; fighting homelessness; and strengthening families and communities.

Purpose of Position: Goddard Riverside is seeking an experienced and entrepreneurial Major Gifts Officer to help build and

expand our major gifts program at a pivotal moment in the organization's growth. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer,

the Major Gifts Officer will manage a portfolio of 75-100 donors and prospects, deepen engagement with Board members and

key volunteers, and play a leadership role in the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of transformational philanthropic

investments. The Major Gifts Officer will develop and execute strategies to increase major gift revenue, strengthen donor

relationships, and support a comprehensive fundraising campaign that advances Goddard Riverside's mission and strategic

priorities. This position is ideal for a relationship-driven fundraiser who thrives on connecting donors with meaningful

opportunities to create impact and who enjoys building systems and strategies in a growing development program.

The successful candidate will be a self-motivated fundraiser who enjoys both independent responsibility and collaborative

partnership. As the organization's dedicated major gifts professional, they will be comfortable taking ownership of donor

strategy and portfolio management while working closely with colleagues across the Development Office and throughout

Goddard Riverside. This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled fundraiser to help shape the future of philanthropy at Goddard

Riverside. As the organization invests in expanding its major gifts efforts and prepares for significant fundraising initiatives, the

Major Gifts Officer will play a critical role in building donor relationships and securing the resources necessary to advance our

mission.

Hours: 10:00am to 6:00pm, some evening and morning events

Compensation: $103,000- $115,000

Role, Responsibilities, and Essential Duties

Donor Relationship Management

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 100 high net worth prospects/donors.  
• Develop and implement individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for each assigned donor with a focus on building long-term relationships.
• Conduct a high volume of meaningful donor contacts, including in-person meetings, virtual meetings, phone calls, and written communications.
• Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift prospects capable of making gifts of $10,000 and above.
• Ensure timely and thoughtful stewardship of major donors, including impact reporting and recognition.

Board and Volunteer Engagement
•    Serve as a primary development liaison to members of the Board of Directors and key fundraising volunteers.
•    Partner with Board members to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospects within their networks.
•    Support Board engagement in fundraising activities through coaching, strategy development, and meeting preparation.

Campaign Management

•  Partner with organizational leadership to plan and execute a comprehensive fundraising campaign for our 175th Anniversary to support a new Center for Postsecondary Success.
• Develop campaign strategies, timelines, prospect pipelines, and fundraising goals.
• Coordinate campaign activities across staff, volunteers, consultants, and Board leadership.
• Monitor campaign progress and prepare reports and analysis for leadership and volunteer committees.
• Help identify and secure leadership and principal gifts in support of campaign priorities.

Prospect Development and Strategy
•    Collaborate with the development team to identify new major gift prospects and expand the donor pipeline.
•    Utilize donor data, research, and analytics to inform fundraising strategies.
•    Maintain accurate, concise and timely donor records, activity reports, and revenue projections in the organization's CRM, DonorPerfect.

Collaboration & Leadership

• Partner closely with colleagues across the Development and Communications team to create coordinated donor engagement, stewardship and fundraising strategies.
• Serve as the primary major gifts specialist within the Development Office while contributing to a highly collaborative team environment.
• Help foster a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization by engaging colleagues as partners in donor relationship building.
• Serve as an ambassador for the organization's mission, vision, and values: represent Goddard Riverside at events, donor meetings, and community gatherings. Maintain a solid understanding of Goddard’s diverse programs.
• Collaborate with program and executive leadership to develop compelling opportunities for donor engagement and stewardship that align philanthropic interests with organizational priorities.

Qualifications/Educational Requirements
•    Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
•    Ability to clearly articulate organization mission and strategies to a broad range of people, both individuals and large groups.
•    Five or more years of progressive fundraising experience with demonstrated success securing major gifts.
•    Proven ability to manage a portfolio of donors or clients and move prospects through the cultivation and solicitation cycle.
•    Experience working effectively with volunteer leaders, Board members, and senior executives.
•    Expert interpersonal, communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
•    Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously while centering relationship building and donor priorities.
•    Experience using donor databases and fundraising CRM systems.

Preferred
•    Dedication to fundraising for social justice, human services and under resourced communities in New York City.
•    Experience supporting or managing a capital, comprehensive, or special campaign.
•    Experience in human services, education, community development, arts, or related nonprofit sectors.
•    Demonstrated success securing five- and six-figure gifts.

Computer Skills: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be:
•    Excellent user of office technology and information systems (including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and donor databases

Physical Requirements
•    Moderate computer and phone use
•    Regular off-site visits to private homes, event and restaurant locations 

Work Environment
•    Required in-office/in-person meetings 3-4 days per week
The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of duties and responsibilities that will be required of this position and title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position.  Employees may be requested to perform job related task other than those specifically presented in this description. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.