Major Gifts Director

Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge seeks a skilled Major Gifts Director to lead our team in major donor fundraising and other fund development initiatives. Reporting to the Executive Director and Board of Directors, the Director of Major Gifts will be responsible for inspiring a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization while cultivating prospects and securing gifts of $10,000 and above.

A 20-year-old conservation organization, Oikonos has a robust grantsmanship program and is ready to take a leap forward and pursue individual major gifts. We seek a candidate who will actively steward donors whose philanthropic goals align with Oikonos’ mission to protect  imperiled ecosystems. Oikonos achieves its mission by engaging diverse communities through innovative scientific study and artistic collaboration throughout the Pacific.

Our ideal candidate will be a mid- to late-career professional with an entrepreneurial spirit who is strongly motivated to succeed and has the necessary drive and expertise to create major gifts infrastructure for Oikonos. The MGD will work with program leaders and other team members to institute and execute long-term fundraising strategies and create a major gifts pipeline.

Our ideal candidate will have an undergraduate degree and at least seven years of fundraising management experience and be passionate about and comfortable in the natural world. They will also be thoroughly grounded in fundraising best practices and adeptly use a donor database to manage donor information.

Work Basis: This is a part-time, three-day-a-week (60%) exempt position with salary range ~$50k DOE and full benefits. There is future opportunity for full-time. Flexible schedule with occasional evenings and weekends to meet with donors and other events relevant to the position. The MGD will work remotely from home, preferably in the Monterey Bay/Santa Cruz/Coastside/Silicon Valley/Bay Area regions. Hawaii also considered.

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

• Develop a major gifts program for Oikonos
• Research existing donors and new prospects to create a robust pipeline of potential gifts
• Develop engagement plans for donors based on donor interests and philanthropic potential
• Manage a portfolio of 40-50 donors that includes current donors and newly identified prospects with the ability to give $10,000+
• Responsible for a minimum of 25 – 30 visits and 75 – 100 moves annually
• Fundraising goal of $250,000 or more in first 18 months
• Work independently across Oikonos to understand programmatic work, organizational mission and culture
• Work within budgetary constraints; establish and meet fundraising goals
• Manage and implement multiple cultivation strategies leading to solicitation by collaborating with staff and maintaining a cultivation and solicitation calendar and setting deadlines
• Always maintain discretion in dealings with donors or when managing donor information or sensitive documents
• Articulate the Oikonos mission to diverse groups whose philanthropic goals align with the organization
• Organize small donor events as well as field trips to Oikonos sites
• Work environment may occasionally include being outdoors in nature and at field sites that require exposure to the elements and minor physical exertion and/or strain
• Manage virtual assistant and work with project volunteers

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of seven years related experience or an equivalent combination.
• Experienced at building and maintaining long-term donor relationships
• Experienced at soliciting and closing gifts of $50,000+
• Experienced at managing and tracking multiple prospects and donors using a fundraising database; Salesforce experience a plus
• Expertise in best fundraising practices
• Experience, coursework, or other training in current trends in charitable giving in the areas of marketing, major gifts or planned gifts
• Strong writer able to craft winning proposals and compelling presentations
• Work responsively from home as a member of a global virtual team that works collaboratively via videoconferencing and phone

PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Superb philanthropic research skills
• Exceptional ability to design and implement fundraising plans, including individualized cultivation, solicitation and recognition plans
• Experience developing a major gifts program
• Track record of meeting expanded fundraising goals successfully
• CFRE credential
• Spanish language skills—conversational to proficient
• Working knowledge of charitable gift planning

Applications will be accepted through March 23.  Please send an application packet in one PDF file (using this naming convention Last Name_MGD) that includes a cover letter describing how your experience matches the job requirements, a resume and three reference contacts to the Executive Director, Michelle Hester, michelle@oikonos.org.