Major Gifts Officer

at  Houston Habitat for Humanity

POSITION SUMMARY

The Major Gifts Officer will play a vital role in increasing support for Houston Habitat through new donor identification, cultivation, and stewardship of existing major donors to increase overall retention and giving levels. The Major Gifts Officer will also lead major giving appeal campaigns and grow Houston Habitat’s planned giving program. This position reports to the Assistant Director of Development and works closely with the Director of Development and Communications , the Individual Giving Manager, and the development team. The ideal candidate is passionate about affordable housing and home repair and believes everyone deserves a decent place to live. They have a genuine curiosity about other people, and they have a track record of moving relationships beyond the transactional and into the transformative.

REQUIRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

• Bachelor’s Degree in business, nonprofit management, or related field
• Minimum of 3-5 years’ experience managing high-level donor relationships with demonstrated success in closing gifts of $10,000 and above.
• Experience working with donors to draft and complete signed gift agreements.
• Compliance with the AFP’s Donor Bill of Rights, AFP’s Fundraisers’ Code of Ethical Standards, and Houston Habitat’s Gift Acceptance Policy.
• Ability to conceive, plan, and execute a major gifts program, including annual giving, special events, and special projects/campaigns.
• Superior interpersonal skills and ability to communicate professionally with a culturally diverse group of volunteers, co-workers, and donors.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills and ability to prioritize workload to complete assignments with many deadlines and competing requirements.
• Excellent communication skills, both written, visual, and verbal.
• Creativity and flexibility to adjust to new situations and changing needs
• Ability to manage multiple donor relationships simultaneously and adapt to shifting priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to receive feedback, take accountability, and continually adapt, grow, learn, and improve.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills with the ability to set and adhere to schedules.

PREFERRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

• Certification in fund development and/or nonprofit management
• 3-5 years’ experience within the greater Houston philanthropic community
• Demonstrated success in closing gifts of $100K and above
• Bilingual in English and Spanish

TECHNICAL SKILLS REQUIRED

• Skilled in Salesforce NPSP
• Proficient in working with the Microsoft Suite
• Working knowledge of advanced search functions for donor research purposes

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to occasionally work outside of traditional business hours, including some weekends and evenings.
• Ability to work independently and to supervise contracted partners as needed
• Must be able to perform essential functions of job. Reasonable accommodations are available.
• Regular and frequent exposure to outdoor weather conditions (hot, humid, rain, and cold).

Donor Relations Management

• Maintain a personal portfolio of at least 100 major gift prospects (defined as those giving $10,000+ annually), including donors and prospects with the capacity to give at the major level or higher.
• Serve as the primary relationship manager for this portfolio of prospects, developing and implementing a donor strategy and maintaining a relationship record of all interactions in Salesforce.
• Communicate with individuals in the portfolio through face-to-face cultivation, solicitation and stewardship meetings, and written strategies.
• Ensure that each major donor and prospect has a clear strategy and timeline for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Develop solicitation strategies for donors / prospects in support of the organization’s annual fund and planned giving campaigns; ensure strategies are compatible and maximize opportunities with other existing campaigns and appeals.
• Make recommendations that help guide the fundraising efforts of the Director of Development, Chief Executive Officer, and other Senior Staff in securing new and renewed gifts.
• Track and report on progress to goal to the Assistant Director including gifts, gift agreements, and pledges.
• Work with the Development team to screen and prepare profiles of current and prospective donors; establish and refine benchmarks for department research processes as needed.
• Manage the design and implementation of donor recognition in partnership with the development and communications teams to ensure proper donor recognition in all publications

Planned Giving

• Working with the Director, Assistant Director, and third-party planned giving partner, develop a strategy for outreach to and stewardship of planned giving prospects and donors.
• In partnership with Data Analyst, develop methodology for tracking planned giving commitments in Salesforce database.
• Oversee the development of all print and web-based supporting materials for the planned giving program.

Requirements