Individual Giving Officer

Association of Fundraising Professionals; Boston, Northern (MA, KY); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

The Boston Symphony Orchestra seeks an Individual Giving Officer to lead direct engagement and solicitation of donors with six-figure capacity, at Symphony Hall and Tanglewood. You will work with the individual giving team and donor relations staff to craft donor-centric strategies and help fund annual, endowment, capital, and special projects.

This role requires BA/BS, 4+ years in fundraising, and strong skills in MS Word, Excel, and donor databases (Tessitura a plus).

Qualifications

• BA/BS or equivalent required.
• 4+ years in fundraising or donor relations.
• Experience with direct donor contact and relationship-building.
• Proficiency with MS Word and Excel; Tessitura experience a plus.
• Interest in performing arts preferred.

Responsibilities

• Meet goals for qualification, engagement, and solicitation of prospects with leadership.
• Coordinate board, volunteers, and staff involvement with donor strategies.
• Develop strategic plans and track visits and gifts; log data in CRM.
• Travel as needed; relocation to Tanglewood may be required.

Skills

MS Word

Excel

Tessitura

Donor relations

Communication

Education

BA/BS or equivalent

Tools

CRM software

Job description

ABOUT THE BSO

The Boston Symphony Orchestra engages millions of people each year in the remarkable diversity and wonder of orchestral music and maintains homes at its iconic venues, Boston’s Symphony Hall and Tanglewood in Western Massachusetts. From the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on the Charles River Esplanade to free community concerts throughout Greater Boston, an annual BSO Youth and Family series at Symphony Hall, humanities programs at the Tanglewood Learning Institute, and tour performances in concert halls around the world, the BSO remains committed to innovation, creativity, artistry, cultural relevance, education, civic engagement, and making orchestral music accessible to audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of familiarity. At home, abroad, and through recordings, television, and radio broadcasts, a deep and inclusive commissioning legacy, and a history of cultivating emerging artists, the BSO reinforces its status as one of the world’s most accomplished and versatile ensembles, attracting world-renowned guest artists, composers, and conductors.

Rich of over 150 years of history, the BSO is ready for change, and to open its next chapter. The development department will be essential to fueling and supporting this transformation. The Individual Giving Officer will join an organization that has an extraordinarily loyal, committed, and generous donor base. It will also play a key role in supporting the ambitions of this next chapter, with an imperative to engage a new, broader generation of prospects and donors.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Individual Giving Officer will be responsible for the direct engagement and solicitation of Boston Symphony Orchestra donors and prospects with the capacity to make six-figure gifts, at both Symphony Hall and Tanglewood. The IGO will collaborate with individual giving team members and donor relations staff to develop donor-centric individual strategies and will help ensure that the orchestra's annual, endowment, capital, and special project funding priorities are met. The IGO will also work closely with various staff to identify and qualify new prospects and will serve as a key relationship manager for those prospects as the BSO prepares for, and executes, various fundraising initiatives.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Meet specific personal goals for qualification, engagement, and solicitation of prospects as developed with the Director of Leadership Giving and Senior Philanthropic Officer.
• In consultation with senior development leadership, coordinate involvement of board members, volunteers, and BSO management and staff as appropriate with donor strategies.
• With colleagues, develop strategic plans and goals for each prospect. Provide visit and gift tracking data. Track all prospect outreach and information in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software in a timely fashion.
• Complete other projects as assigned. Travel as appropriate to meet with prospects and donors. This position may require relocation to Tanglewood for the summer or parts of the summer.

QUALIFICATIONS

• BA/BS or equivalent
• 4+ years of professional experience in a similar fundraising role, donor relations, or external affairs. Demonstrated experience with direct donor contact.
• Skilled in MS Word and Excel, demonstrated facility in working with fundraising databases. Experience with Tessitura a plus.
• Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal skills with the ability to articulate a compelling case for support.
• Proven customer service or relationship-building skills, demonstrating discretion and independent judgment.
• Interest in and/or background in the performing arts preferred.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends in support of concerts and engagement and stewardship events as needed.
Must be able and willing to travel to Tanglewood (Western Massachusetts).

SALARY RANGE: $100,000 - $115,000 annually

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA'S COMMITMENT TO

EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION

Over the past three years, the Boston Symphony Orchestra has been actively engaged in deepening its equity, diversity, and inclusion focus and the culmination of this engagement will be articulated in an external-facing statement in tandem with the incorporation of these principals into the BSO's strategic planning process. The BSO’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion is evolving from an organic process of creating spaces for diverse artistic expression, to a deliberate approach that seeks to dismantle the barriers to accessing world-class music, and to normalizing artistic expressions within broad historical, economic, social, and cultural contexts.

The BSO is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.