Philanthropy Officer

Ascend Nonprofit Solutions; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascend Nonprofit Solutions in Charlotte, NC is seeking a Philanthropy Officer to raise funds by prospecting, cultivating, and securing gifts from donors at the $1,000+ level. You will manage a portfolio of at least 150 donors annually and work with leadership to meet revenue goals.

The role involves frequent in-person outreach, strong communication, strategic planning, and the ability to build relationships across diverse communities. Exempt, full-time with competitive benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, fundraising, or related field.
• Minimum of five years of major gifts fundraising experience.
• Proficiency with donor databases and Raiser's Edge a plus.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Identify and qualify potential major gifts donors.
• Cultivate donor relationships and coordinate with leadership.
• Prepare proposals and asks for gifts.
• Manage donor portfolio and track activity in CRM.
• Provide monthly activity reports and progress toward goals.

Skills

Major gifts fundraising

Donor relations

Prospect research

Strategic planning

Communication

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

Raiser's Edge

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

Zoom

Job description

PHILANTHROPY OFFICER

Job Title: Philanthropy Officer

Reports To: VP of Advancement

Status: Full Time/Exempt

Department: Advancement

SUMMARY

Reporting to the VP of Advancement the Philanthropy Officer's (PO) primary responsibility will be to raise funds/revenue for the organization by prospecting, cultivating, and securing donations from existing and new individual donors in Charlotte-Mecklenburg at the $1,000 plus level while managing a portfolio of current donors. The Philanthropy Officer is expected to be out of the office making calls for the majority of the work week and manage a portfolio of at least 150 donors per year and have a significant impact on the revenue goal of the organization. The successful candidate will have excellent communication, people and collaboration skills, business acumen, exemplary work ethic, be driven, organized, self-motivated, detail oriented, a skilled problem solver. Ability to cross cultural boundaries to build and maintain strong working relationships. This position works with minimal supervision with extensive latitude for the use of initiative and interactive skills in a fast-paced environment.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The role includes, but is not limited to, the following ongoing primary fundraising responsibilities:

• Donor Identification: Will require experience and resourcefulness to utilize community resources, tools, and his/her network of local contacts to prospect and qualify new potential donors for the organization. This includes preparing an analysis of factors that assess a prospect's ability to give to the organization (capacity) and willingness to do so (affinity) and developing a strategy for each potential donor. Philanthropy Officer will be responsible for prioritizing leads/prospects for cultivation based upon this information.
• Cultivation: Responsible for leading the cultivation effort, building valuable relationships with major gifts prospects/donors; will bring in the CEO, VP of Advancement, Director of Development and/or board members as needed.
• Solicitation: Responsible for determining and making the right ask at the right time for the right prospect. Includes creating proposals and asks, incorporating an appropriate case for support to secure gifts.
• Stewardship: Working with the CIS Advancement Team, will have the responsibility to continue the relationship after the first donation and steward the donor in order to retain and increase support and engagement.
• Prepare monthly reports as needed to reflect prospect/donor and cultivation activity as well as progress toward performance goals.
• Create reasonable revenue goals for each donor based upon donor's giving history and potential; create a personal contact and ask plan that takes into consideration the individual donor's interests, motivations, giving patterns, and ask preferences (moves management plan); and execute plan in a cost-effective and timely manner.
• Secure project and organization information in order to create and write effective proposals and asks and/or provide donor with appropriate follow up information on impact.
• Manage process, deadlines and activity while adhering to the policies and procedures of the organization and maintaining a positive and constructive attitude.
• Represent the organization, its brand, mission, values, and goals with the highest level of integrity when engaging with the community.
• Record notes, call reports, data, and other relevant prospect/donor profile information into the donor database with accuracy and timeliness. QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS
• Bachelor's degree in business, Project Management, Sales, Fundraising, Resource Development, Client/Donor Relationship Management, or other related field.
• Minimum of five (5) years of proven major gifts fundraising experience; candidate will have encountered various fundraising situations and understand how to apply that experience for the benefit of the organization.
• Must possess strong project management and sales or fundraising cycle skills
• Advanced experience utilizing Donor Database Software, Raiser's Edge donor software proficiency a plus.
• Proven understanding of fundraising best practices.
• Ability to take initiative, set priorities and work independently with minimal supervision.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Demonstrated computer proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint and experience with Google Suite, Zoom and other virtual meeting platforms
• Must be decisive and responsive to all stakeholders
• Must have an exceptional ability to build and maintain relationships and foster a spirit of collaboration with internal colleagues and external donors, partners, Board members, and volunteers
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable in a work environment often filled with ambiguous situations
• Strong verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills, ability to write clearly and concisely, highly articulate and persuasive.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule PHYSICAL DEMANDS While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; use hands to handle, feel and keyboard; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; stoop, kneel, or bend. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close and distance vision. The physical demands described here 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. WORK ENVIRONMENT The position is located within the Charlotte Mecklenburg area. Regular and satisfactory attendance and punctuality are required. Regular and satisfactory performance, including meeting all process deadlines and stated deliverables, is required. The statements contained herein describe the scope of the responsibility and essential functions of this position but should not be considered to be an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned including work in other areas to cover absences or relief to equalize peak work periods or otherwise balance the workload. Criminal background check and pre-employment drug test required. Financial credit check and driving record check required, if applicable.