Director, Major Gifts

Director, Major Gifts

Location: Pomona College, Claremont, CA

Department: Major Gifts

Employment Status: Regular Full time

Target Starting Pay: Dependent upon qualifications

Pomona College seeks a Director, Major Gifts Officer for Advancement. The Director of Major Gifts cultivates major gifts and directs a team of major gift officers. Visits with donors and negotiates gifts. Works with the Assistant Vice President for Development to adopt best practices and implement strategic fundraising initiatives. Supervises the Major Gifts budget and the office’s administrative manager. Candidate should support new ideas, encourages interaction and teamwork, be fully integrated in preparation for the most aspirational and comprehensive capital campaign in the history of the College.

QUALIFICATIONS & CHARACTERISTICS:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Reporting directly to the Assistant Vice President for Development, the Director of Major Gifts works independently and collaboratively to perform the following essential duties and responsibilities:

• Manage a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects through identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship cycles.
• Maintain an active portfolio of 100 to 125 major gift prospects
• Prepare proposals for major gifts ($100,000+); work with the Pomona Plan officers on life-income and bequest proposals.
• Develop long term cultivation strategy for donors. Establish a series of steps to implement cultivation plan.
• Negotiate gift agreements with the approval of the AVP.
• Respond to inquiries concerning gifts of real estate and gifts in kind.
• Develop strong data-informed methods for decision making and the timely evaluation of program performance and forecasting.
• Collaborate with colleagues across Pomona to explore ways to enhance fundraising efforts at the College and beyond, including: formulating creative cultivation plans, successful solicitation strategies, and effective stewardship efforts to maximize the lifetime engagement and support of the College’s mission.

Supervise and develop best practices for the Major Gifts team.

Further the use by major gifts officers of key documents like briefings, call reports, gift agreements. Systemize the regular collection from major gifts officers of critical data on prospects. Provide regular updating of data in Raiser’s Edge. Further the development of comprehensive cultivation strategies for prospects and improvements to the donor engagement process. Coordinate with Trusts & Estates on expanding bequest cultivation and on coordinating among officers assigned to prospects. Coordinate with the office of prospect Research & Management to actively manage prospects and support gift officers in coordination of visits, cultivation strategies, identifications, qualifications.

Develop programs to maximize retention of existing donors. vi. With AVP, complete development of metrics for program and officer evaluations for the major gifts program and prospect research and management. Work with the AVP to most efficiently manage the major gift visits of the President, Vice President, and other senior staff. In conjunction with the AVP, assist other gift officers in creating proposals and prioritizing solicitations. Supervise operation of Major Gifts budget. With the Manager of Cultivation in Major Gifts, prepare budget request and monitor expenditures throughout the fiscal year. Supervise administrative staff in Major Gifts. Supervise the positions of Major Gifts Administrative Assistant. d. Develop connections with campus partners. Coordinate with Alumni and Parent Engagement on special fundraising projects and on cultivation events in Claremont and regionally. Coordinate with Stewardship Office to define and implement best practices for stewardship of existing major gift donors and solicitation stewardship for potential donors. Work with major gifts officers to develop notebooks and materials for pursuing fundraising initiatives. Work collaboratively with the Museum, Development Offices, Athletics, and other departments on campus to maintain an updated roster of fundraising initiatives. Increase knowledge of faculty interests and develop personal relationships with faculty in support of fundraising priorities.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, journalism, business administration, a liberal arts field, or equivalent combination of education and experience is required. Master’s degree in marketing, fundraising, business or a related field is preferred.

Experience: At least seven years of experience and a successful track record of successfully soliciting and closing major gifts is required, particularly in a higher education setting. Strongly preferred three to five years of supervisory experience.

Applications are accepted through Pomona College at: http://www.pomona.edu/administration/human-resources/employment