Major Gifts Officer (TS)

The Shed; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The Shed, a dynamic arts organization in New York City, seeks a Major Gifts Officer to cultivate and manage a portfolio of 150–200 major gift prospects throughout identification, research, engagement, solicitation, and stewardship. The role emphasizes building a renewable annual operations base and reporting to the Director of Individual Giving.

The ideal candidate brings a track record of five-figure gifts, exceptional project management, and a collaborative, startup-minded approach to donor

Qualifications

• Five or more years of prospect and major donor management and a successful record of soliciting five-figure gifts, ideally in a performing arts or museum setting.
• Highly attuned interpersonal and people skills, including the ability to communicate professionally, effectively, and discreetly with people of all levels and backgrounds
• Goal oriented and deadline driven
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Collaborative problem solver with a creative approach to finding and building tools that will increase the efficiency of the team
• Ability to multitask, work well under pressure and in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities and multiple projects
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Superior organizational skills
• Adaptability and desire to join a start-up environment
• Ability to work occasional early mornings, evenings, or weekends as needed
• Microsoft Word and Excel a must; Tessitura and/or Wordfly a plus
• Knowledge of the New York City visual and performing arts community is a plus

Responsibilities

• Work with the Chief Development Officer and Director of Individual Giving to set annual major gift goals that increase total giving, retain and upgrade donors, and expand the number of major donors; regularly evaluate progress toward the goals, and adjust goals semi-annually
• Work with the Director of Individual Giving to create moves management processes and translate those practices to Tessitura, The Shed’s donor database, with the help of the Development Operations team
• Conduct strategic prospect research to identify new prospects, build a robust pipeline of potential major donors, and prioritize prospects for the Individual Giving team
• Work closely with the Individual Giving team to ensure that membership prospects are identified and moved into the prospect pipeline
• Establish, maintain, and meet annual fundraising goals
• Make multiple significant contacts with each assigned prospect throughout the year at The Shed and events throughout New York City which facilitate contact with prospects
• Carefully track in a timely manner all major gift work in Tessitura and serve as a resource on the status of outreach to all prospects
• Create briefing and solicitation materials, including proposals and program descriptions
• Collaborate with the development team to execute an annual gala, engaging cultivation events and stewardship opportunities and manage major gift follow up from these events
• Attend special events including, but not limited to, cultivation events, member evenings, and behind-the-scenes events with The Shed’s creative team
• Maintain a general awareness of philanthropy and trends within the New York City arts-and-culture community
• Other duties as required

Skills

Major donor management

Prospect research

Donor cultivation

Communication skills

Project management

Attention to detail

Tools

Tessitura

Wordfly

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

The Shed commissions original works of art, across all disciplines, for all audiences. From hip hop to classical music, painting and sculpture to literature, film to theater and dance, The Shed brings together leading and emerging artists and thinkers from all disciplines under one roof. The building—a remarkable movable structure designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect—physically transforms to support artists' most ambitious ideas. Committed to nurturing artistic invention and bringing creative experiences to the broadest possible audiences, The Shed, led by Artistic Director and CEO Alex Poots, is a 21st-century space of and for New York City.

About the Position

The Shed seeks a Major Gifts Officer (MGO) to develop strong relationships with supporters of The Shed and prospect for new donors. The MGO will develop and eventually manage a portfolio of approximately 150-200 major gift prospects through the complete cycle of identification, research and qualification, engagement, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship (a major donor is defined as a supporter who donates $25,000 and above per year).

The early days of this position will require significant behind-the-scenes work to build a pipeline of prospects sourced through membership, ticket purchasing history, and research. The MGO will also be responsible for creating cultivation and solicitation materials (brochures, letters, proposals, etc.).

The MGO will provide a high level of strategic input to the Individual Giving team as they work together to build major donor and membership programs to establish a renewable base of support for annual operations. The Major Gifts Officer will report to the Director of Individual Giving.

The ideal candidate has extraordinary attention to detail, excellent time and project management skills, and a roll-up-their-sleeves collaborative attitude. The Shed is a start-up atmosphere and projects and deadlines move quickly.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to

• Work with the Chief Development Officer and Director of Individual Giving to set annual major gift goals that increase total giving, retain and upgrade donors, and expand the number of major donors; regularly evaluate progress toward the goals, and adjust goals semi-annually
• Work with the Director of Individual Giving to create moves management processes and translate those practices to Tessitura, The Shed’s donor database, with the help of the Development Operations team
• Conduct strategic prospect research to identify new prospects, build a robust pipeline of potential major donors, and prioritize prospects for the Individual Giving team
• Work closely with the Individual Giving team to ensure that membership prospects are identified and moved into the prospect pipeline
• Establish, maintain, and meet annual fundraising goals
• Make multiple significant contacts with each assigned prospect throughout the year at The Shed and events throughout New York City which facilitate contact with prospects
• Carefully track in a timely manner all major gift work in Tessitura and serve as a resource on the status of outreach to all prospects
• Create briefing and solicitation materials, including proposals and program descriptions
• Collaborate with the development team to execute an annual gala, engaging cultivation events and stewardship opportunities and manage major gift follow up from these events
• Attend special events including, but not limited to, cultivation events, member evenings, and behind-the-scenes events with The Shed’s creative team
• Maintain a general awareness of philanthropy and trends within the New York City arts-and-culture community
• Other duties as required

Qualifications and Qualities

• Five or more years of prospect and major donor management and a successful record of soliciting five-figure gifts, ideally in a performing arts or museum setting
• Highly attuned interpersonal and people skills, including the ability to communicate professionally, effectively, and discreetly with people of all levels and backgrounds
• Goal oriented and deadline driven
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Collaborative problem solver with a creative approach to finding and building tools that will increase the efficiency of the team
• Ability to multitask, work well under pressure and in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities and multiple projects
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Superior organizational skills
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a highly motivated, energetic team in a growing organization
• Adaptability and desire to join a start-up environment
• Ability to work occasional early mornings, evenings, or weekends as needed
• Microsoft Word and Excel a must; Tessitura and/or Wordfly a plus
• Knowledge of the New York City visual and performing arts community is a plus

Compensation

Compensation will be commensurate with experience. Please provide salary requirements with your application.

The Shed is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to the goal of building a culturally diverse staff, and strongly encourages applications from minority candidates.