Senior Philanthropy Officer

Senior Philanthropy Officer

Position Category: Staff (Exempt)
FLSA: Exempt
FTE: 1.0
Location: Thousand Oaks

University Background:
The mission of California Lutheran University is to educate leaders for a global society who are strong in character and judgment, confident in their identity and vocation, and committed to service and justice. Founded in 1959 in beautiful Ventura County, the university has an enrollment of about 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students who come from across the nation and around the world from a diversity of backgrounds, cultures and faiths. As a federally recognized Hispanic-Serving Institution, Cal Lutheran is looking for candidates with a dedication to and success in working in diverse communities. The university is committed to an inclusive learning and work environment that values individual differences and respects each person's dignity.

Basic Function:
Reporting to the Vice President of Advancement, the Senior Philanthropy Officer will be responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive program for major donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. The role will focus on securing gifts of $ $25,000 and above to support our academic programs, scholarships, athletics initiatives, and a range of university priorities. The role needs strong alignment with the mission of California Lutheran University and a proactive approach to donor engagement.

Representative Duties:

• Donor Cultivation and Solicitation: Plan and execute strategies to cultivate relationships with all donor prospects, including major and planned gift donors. Aim to secure substantial gifts through personalized engagement and effective solicitation techniques. This experienced professional should be proficient at managing a portfolio of 150-200 active prospects.
• Stewardship: Develop and implement stewardship plans to acknowledge and recognize major donors, ensuring ongoing engagement and support.
• Activity Management: Conduct approximately 150 in-person donor visits that represent meaningful engagement annually. Track all activities and contacts with major donors and prospects diligently. Submit timely contact reports on activities and results into Raiser's Edge software.
• Travel and Scheduling: Be prepared for frequent local, regional, and national travel and occasional evening and weekend work to meet with donors and attend events.
• Team Collaboration: Work closely with the Vice President for Advancement and collaborate with other members of the advancement and alumni engagement teams to advance the university's fundraising goals and enhance donor relations.

Knowledge Of:

• Prospecting, cultivating and asking for gifts of $100,000-$1M+.
• Major campaign fundraising, preferably at a university.
• Building strong collaborative relationships across a complex organization with astuteness and agility.
• Moves management, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies and fundraising techniques.
• Various giving instruments, including planned giving opportunities, and their benefit to individuals and charitable organizations.
• Understanding of the workings in a Development Office in an academic setting.
• Techniques in generating significant commitments from individual sources.
• Political savvy and interpersonal skills using tact, patience and courtesy.
• Self-motivation and discipline to regularly set and achieve work goals.
• Interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
• Donor management software; experience with Raiser's Edge is a plus.

Ability To:

• Work confidentially with a variety of prospects, donors and leadership volunteers. Maintain a high level of poise and professionalism in all circumstances.
• Collaborate and communicate effectively with faculty, staff and outside constituencies.
• Be entrepreneurial, flexible and seize appropriate opportunities as they develop.
• Commit to excellence and teamwork.
• Demonstrate critical thinking and writing skills.
• Communicate gift ideas and techniques.
• Use specialized software (Raiser's Edge).
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships, work effectively with volunteers and other staff members.
• Plan and design special project activities and timelines.
• Present information in a coherent and compelling fashion.
• Prepare and deliver oral presentations.
• Plan and organize work, meet schedules and deadlines.
• Analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action.
• Prioritize and balance a variety of tasks simultaneously.
• Build lasting relationships with prospects.
• Work confidentially with a variety of prospects, donors and leadership volunteers.
• Be available for evening and weekend work as needed.
• Secure major gifts of $25,000 or more
• Travel.

Minimum Qualifications:
Any combination equivalent to: A Bachelor's Degree and 8 years of experience in philanthropy, fundraising or other higher education role requiring similar competencies, such as Admissions, Community Engagement, etc.


Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a private, faith-based university setting.
• Experience in the nonprofit sector.
• Experience in securing estate and planned gifts is a plus.
• Experience with planned giving.
• Advanced degree or certification in fundraising for nonprofit management.

Licenses and Other Requirements:
Valid California driver's license.
Availability to work weekends and evenings.
Flexibility to travel 65%.

Physical Abilities:
Detect to understand appropriate written correspondence; operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer; communicate to exchange information in person, in writing, on the telephone and by email; stationary position for extended periods of time; move or transport light objects; position self to store and/or retrieve files

Working Environment:
Office environment; driving a vehicle to conduct work; evening or variable hours

Hiring Range $130,000-$160,000
Posting Number: Staff003852022
Open Date: 09/30/2024
Close Date: 1/19/2025

Application Procedure/Special Instructions

To apply, visit https://careers.callutheran.edu/postings/12263

California Lutheran University is committed to providing equal opportunity in employment for all persons, regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by applicable law. No person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in any program, activity or facility of the University on the basis of these factors in a manner consistent with applicable federal and state laws, regulations, ordinances, orders and rules, and University's policies, procedures, and processes.

Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process can be provided to individuals with qualifying disabilities. Please contact the Human Resources Department for further information or to request an accommodation.



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