Leadership Gifts Officer

Bates College; Lewiston (ME); On-site; USD 105,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Retirement plan

Paid vacation

Personal days

Paid holidays

Free parking

Job summary

Bates College in Lewiston, Maine seeks a Leadership Gifts Officer to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a curated donor portfolio capable of gifts at $50,000 and above. You will partner with College Advancement, faculty, and volunteers to advance strategic priorities.

The role requires 5+ years in advancement within higher education, a bachelor’s degree, and a gift-closing track record. Travel, events planning, and collaborative leadership are essential to drive impactful philanthropy at

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 5+ years of experience in advancement in a higher education setting or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience cultivating and closing major or deferred gift commitments.

Responsibilities

• Cultivate, solicit, and steward an assigned portfolio of 125 donors.
• Create detailed cultivation/solicitation plans for top 50 prospects yearly.
• Travel 8-10 days of each four-week period for donor meetings.
• Coordinate with College Advancement, faculty, and volunteers on priorities.
• Plan events for high-level donors to showcase Bates and college priorities.

Skills

Donor relations

Major gifts

Fundraising strategy

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

CRM systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Located in Lewiston, Maine, Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college. We are proud to offer a highly personalized education that centers on deep and sustained interactions among students, faculty, and community. We are engaging the forces — intellectual trends, demographic changes, and technology — that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate.

Title: Leadership Gifts Officer

Position Purpose:

The Leadership Gifts Officer is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding a portfolio of current and potential donors with the capacity to make gifts of $50,000, or greater, in support of college initiatives. The successful candidate will develop and implement strategic plans aimed at maximizing each individual's support of the college by working with colleagues in College Advancement, faculty, Purposeful Work, Admission and high-level volunteers.

Job Duties:

• Create opportunities to conduct face-to-face meetings for the purposes of cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding an assigned portfolio of 125 current and prospective donors according to best-practice standards.
• Create detailed cultivation/solicitation plans for the top 50 donor prospects each year.
• Spend 8-10 days of each four-week period traveling both independently and with key volunteers or other members of the college administration to meet with current and prospective donors.
• Work with a departmental team to identify, qualify and assign new leadership gift prospects.
• Plan and organize events for high-level donors to showcase Bates and college priorities.
• Develop a thorough knowledge of Bates history, academic, extracurricular and athletic programs, and its faculty, students and administration.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of the college’s priorities and initiatives of the faculty and administration.
• Participate in departmental and professional training programs to increase expertise in the profession.
• Understand and meet departmental standards, policies, and procedures with respect to all aspects of work.
• Serve as the department point person for specific projects, priorities or for campus partners.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Driver’s license required.

Experience

• 5+ years of experience in advancement in a higher education setting or equivalent experience.
• Progressive achievement in fundraising, financial services, marketing/sales or educational management.
• Proven experience cultivating and closing major or deferred gift commitments.

Skills and Knowledge

• Commitment to equity and inclusion, and serving the needs of a culturally and educationally diverse community.
• High attention to detail balanced with a strategic vision for multifaceted programs.
• Self-starting strategic thinker whose hallmark qualities include being persistent, personable, team-oriented, and possessing a desire to succeed.
• Must be able to relate to a variety of people of all ages and backgrounds.
• A personal commitment to excellence and the mission of an atop-tier liberal arts college, and the ability to work in a goal-oriented environment.
• Flexibility and a sense of humor are both essential.
• Excellent communication (written, verbal and presentation) skills. Ability to write concise, logical, analytical reports to convey complex issues. Lead group discussions.
• Ability to remain composed, friendly and demonstrate poise under stress while working in a deadline driven environment.
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills; ability to synthesize complex or diverse information; and experience working with complex data sets.
• Impeccable organizational skills and ability to coordinate resources and staff within the college community.
• Strong presentation skills and ability to develop dynamic presentations.
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to develop and maintain collegial relationships. Must be flexible, collaborative and have a positive attitude.
• Ability to work independently and as a team player and handle multiple priorities with minimal supervision.
• Keen attention to detail necessary for successful documentation, planning and execution.
• Proficiency in basic data management systems, business office software, and prospect moves management platform and basic computer applications (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Willingness and ability to learn additional applications as needed.
• Ability and willingness to travel (by car, air, train or bus) domestically and internationally as needed.
• Ability and willingness to work weekends, evenings and other non-traditional schedules.

Benefits:

Bates College offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits (health, dental, 9% retirement contribution with potential for anadditional 3% match, sick leave, 24 days of vacation, 2 personaldays, 13 paid holidays, dependent care subsidy, free parking,access to library and athletic facilities & more), and a supportive, collegial environment in a drug and smoke-freeworkplace.

Hiring Range:

The hiring range for this position is $105,254to $130,000. Placement within the range depends on experience and other factors.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Bates College is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and providing an educational and work environment free from discrimination. The college prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status and other legally protected statuses in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administration of its education policies and programs, or in the recruitment of its faculty and staff. Bates College adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws and regulations. All college faculty, staff, students, contractors, visitors, and volunteers are responsible for understanding and complying with the Non-Discrimination Policy.

Inquiries concerning the college’s policies, compliance with applicable laws, statutes, and regulations (such as Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/Section 504), and complaints may be directed to Gwen Lexow, Title IX Officer, 207-786-6445 or via email at [e-mail].

About Bates:

Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college, attracting 2,000 students from across the U.S. and around the world.

Since 1855, Bates has been dedicated to educating the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. Committed to opportunity and excellence, Bates has always admitted students without regard to gender, race, religion, or national origin.

Cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action, Bates prepares leaders sustained by a love of learning and zeal for responsible stewardship of the wider world. Bates engages the forces — intellectual trends, demographic changes, and technology — that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate.

Bates has highly competitive admissions, graduates over 90 percent of its entering students, and more than half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates employs 200 faculty members and 550 staff.

The college is proud of deep roots in the Lewiston/Auburn community, Maine’s second-largest urban area with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 133-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, an emerging city with an entrepreneurial climate, a lively arts scene, and a dynamic business community. Bates is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 350 miles north of New York City.

Advertised:

Sep 21 2026 Eastern Daylight Time