Manager of Contributing Members and Major Gifts

Denver-Botanic-Gardens; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Denver Botanic Gardens is seeking a Full Time Manager of Contributing Members and Major Gifts to lead fundraising initiatives across the Development Department. The role focuses on donor cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and legacy giving, with emphasis on contributing memberships and capital campaigns.

Collaboration with IT and membership ensures top-notch CRM performance and donor experience. The position requires a Bachelor's degree and at least 6 years in fundraising, with proficiency

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 6 years of fundraising and donor management experience.
• Experience with CRM platforms; Salesforce proficiency a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead major gifts and capital campaign activities across sites.
• Cultivate, solicit and steward donors and memberships at various levels.
• Oversee donor acknowledgement, reporting and stewardship programs.
• Manage and optimize donor databases and generate metrics for leadership.
• Coordinate with IT and membership on CRM systems and implementations.
• Travel up to 30% to support grantmaking and donor events.

Skills

Donor cultivation

Major gifts

CRM management

Salesforce

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce

GoFundMePro

Job description

Description

About Denver Botanic Gardens

Green inside and out, Denver Botanic Gardens was founded in 1951 and is considered one of the top botanical gardens in the United States and a pioneer in water conservation. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, The Gardens has a robust living plant collection, natural history collection and art collection along with temporary art exhibitions. The Gardens is a dynamic, 24-acre urban oasis in the heart of the city, offering unforgettable opportunities to flourish with unique garden experiences for the whole family – as well as world-class exhibitions, education, and plant conservation research programs.

For more information, visit us online at www.botanicgardens.org.

Along with the mission of bringing plants to people, our Core Values are a fundamental driver of the Gardens culture. They are:

Sustainability

We are devoted to an institutional, environmental and human sustainability.

Diversity

We champion inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility for all we encounter, and also support programmatic, ecological and plant diversity.

Relevance.

We make connections with all people using a lens of inclusion, equity and responsiveness.

Transformation

We believe ever-evolving public gardens change the world and lead to positive transformation of human spirit and knowledge.

Denver Botanic Gardens is currently seeking a Full Time Manager of Contributing Members and Major Gifts in our Development Department! Read below to see if the requirements might be a good fit for you:

Applications will be accepted through November 15, 2026 or until a candidate is found

Position Summary

This position supports the fundraising efforts of the Development Department through the development and execution of a robust major and planned giving program to include, but not be limited to, the following: donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship encompassing major gifts, contributing memberships, and legacy giving programs. This position manages the donor Customer Relationship Management systems with focus on maximization. This position works collaboratively within department as well as with IT and membership to keep Customer Relationship Management systems at the highest possible level with seamless customer facing applications.

Provides departmental leadership and the request of the Director of Development.

Requirements

General Duties and Responsibilities

Major Gifts – Capital Campaign & Other

• Joint responsibility for fundraising for the Master Development Plan for Chatfield Farms (with DOD).
• Cultivates, solicits and stewards prospects for select major gifts to programmatic and desired activities across all operational sites.
• Personally solicits, alone or in partnership with volunteers or staff, selected prospects.
• Manages the capital campaign prospect list for assignment to the CEO, Director of Development, the Major Gifts Manager and volunteers from identification, education, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Administers regular communications with all staff and volunteers with campaign responsibilities on prospect management, moves, successes and next steps.

Contributing Memberships:

• Cultivates, solicits, and stewards individual members with membership levels as assigned.
• Works with other development staff, membership department and capital campaign for all contributing members ($2,500 and above).
• Coordinates fulfillment of contributing membership benefits with the Development team, including concert benefits, ticketed events, the Plant Sale Preview Party, and garden consultations.
• Collaborates with the Annual Giving Manager and colleagues on the membership team to identify members for potential upgrade and to develop strategies to increase their membership levels.

Planned Giving:

• Solicits and documents planned gifts, including bequest intentions, and encourages membership in Perennial Friends.
• Manages Perennial Friends Society communications, stewardship, and engagement efforts

Donor Acknowledgement:

• Trains appropriate staff on batching gifts.
• Approves all gift batches.
• Manages the process for timely acknowledgement of all gifts, including personal contacts and written acknowledgement.
• Coordinates individual recognition and benefits when appropriate.

Database Management and Prospect Research

• Coordinates with IT and other database users on migration to cloud-based platforms or new iterations, as required.
• Manages database maximization for use in communications, establishing and analyzing metrics.
• Conducts prospect research, identification, and recording.
• Uses database analysis tools and prospect research techniques to identify prospective new donors.
• Explores new technologies and products that will expand fundraising and stewardship opportunities to support higher functioning/engagement for donor relations.
• Coordinates with IT and all database users on updates, conversions, and projects, including upgrades of products as necessary.
• Maintains a positive, helpful, and solution-oriented demeanor when responding to or serving donors, members, and visitors.
• Regular attendance at the worksite may be required. As with all positions at Denver Botanic Gardens, the incumbent must be in good performance standing to be eligible for remote work. Remote work is at the discretion of management at all times.
• All Gardens employees must be committed to the mission of connecting people with plants, especially plants from the Rocky Mountain region and similar regions around the world, providing delight and enlightenment to everyone.

Position Qualifications: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Must have proven excellent customer service, interpersonal, and communication skills in dealing with the public.
• Experience working with donors and prospects for identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
• Ability to maintain donor confidentiality and ensure accurate donor records, gift documentation, and reporting.
• Ability to maintain stability under pressure and able to deal well with stressful situations.
• Ability to be flexible and willing to modify plans, when necessary, throughout the day.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends and/or holidays.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Suite products, specifically Word, Excel and Outlook and Teams.
• Knowledge of CRM platforms (Salesforce) and online giving platform GoFundMePro
• Ability to work overtime as necessary.
• Must be a positive representative of the Gardens both internally and externally at all times.
• Must work with respect and cooperation at all times with fellow employees and the public.
• Must be committed to working safely at all times.

Experience/Education:

• Bachelors degree and/or combination of education and equivalent experience is required.
• Minimum of 6 years of experience in fundraising and donor management is required.
• Experience in working in and managing CRM platform is required. Salesforce proficiency is a plus.
• A recognized certification in (field/industry), such as CFRE is (a plus).
• Position requires a valid driver’s license.

Travel:

Up to 30% travel required. Requires the ability to travel to remote locations (or other Garden locations) where environment may vary significantly.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The employee must frequently position, transport and/or move up to 10 pounds.

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is required to:

• Regularly work in an office environment.
• Occasionally walk or move across large areas including uneven terrain, sometimes quickly.
• Occasionally be stationary for long periods of time.
• Frequently move about in an office environment.
• Occasionally work using repetitive motion.
• Frequently communicate with and exchange information verbally and in writing.
• Occasionally use hands to finger, handle, or feel.
• Occasionally reach with hands and arms above the head and to ground level.
• Occasionally push and pull material and equipment from one place to another.
• Occasionally operate a motorized vehicle during the work shift, including a golf cart.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
• Work requires physical efforts associated with using the computer and phones to access information.

Working Environment:

The work environment characteristics described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is:

• Occasionally exposed to outdoor weather conditions; extreme cold; extreme heat.

The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.

This job description is not intended to describe in detail the multitude of tasks that may be assigned, but rather to provide the incumbent with a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations of his/her position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position. As the nature of business demands change so, too, may the essential functions of this position.

Employee: __________________________________________ Date: _____________

Supervisor: __________________________________________ Date: _____________