Senior Philanthropy Officer

Science History; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); Hybrid; USD 86,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Science History Institute seeks a Senior Philanthropy Officer to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors and to manage an assigned portfolio in support of our fundraising priorities.

The role reports to the Director of Philanthropy, works with leadership, and requires in-office attendance at 315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, three days per week. Ideal candidate has five years of major gifts fundraising and strong communication skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; advanced degree or comparable experience is a plus.
• Five years or more of donor fundraising experience with individuals or institutions.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, capable of persuasive scientific storytelling.
• Proficiency with relationship-management databases; familiarity with Blackbaud products preferred.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of individual, corporate, and foundation donors.
• Develop and execute cultivation and solicitations; specify gifts, timing, purpose, and solicitor.
• Conduct donor meetings in the Philadelphia region and at national/international venues.
• Prepare proposals and gift agreements; draft materials for leadership.
• Support annual giving and leadership-level renewal strategies.
• Use events and programs as cultivation and stewardship opportunities.
• Document all activity in the CRM in a timely manner.
• Represent the Institute at professional and scientific gatherings.

Skills

Written communication

Oral communication

Relationship building

Confidentiality

Donor relations

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree

Tools

Blackbaud CRM

Microsoft Office

Project management software

Job description

8 days ago Requisition ID: 1034

Salary: $95,000.00 Annually

Reports to:Director of Philanthropy

Position Classification:Exempt

Position Location: 315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

Overall Purpose of Job

The Senior Philanthropy Officer is a frontline fundraiser, responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual, corporate, and foundation donors capable of making significant gifts to the Science History Institute. The Senior Philanthropy Officer manages an assigned portfolio of prospects and plays a central role in advancing the Institute’s current fundraising priorities. This position works closely with the President & CEO and program leadership to prepare, coordinate, and conduct donor meetings and solicitations. The Senior Philanthropy Officer partners with curatorial, library, and public programs colleagues to translate the Institute’s work into compelling cases for support. This position is located at 315 Chestnut Street and requires in-office attendance for a minimum of three days per week.

Essential Functions

• Manage a portfolio of individual, corporate, and foundation prospects
• Develop and execute written cultivation and solicitation strategies for each assigned prospect, including gift amount, timing, purpose, and solicitor
• Conduct substantivedonor contacts, including in-person visits within the Philadelphia region and in key national and international markets
• Prepare proposals, gift agreements, and follow-up correspondence; draft materials for theDirector of Philanthropy, President & CEO, and additional Philanthropy staff
• Partner with the Director of Philanthropy on annual giving and leadership-level renewal strategies for assigned donors
• Use the Institute’s awards program, exhibition openings, lectures, and donor events as cultivation and stewardship opportunities, working withPhilanthropy staff on guest lists and follow-up
• Record all contact reports, proposals, and moves in the Institute’s CRM in a timely and accurate manner
• Represent the Institute at professional, scientific, and industry gatherings as assigned

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of experience cultivating and closing significant commitments from individuals or institutions; this may include major or principal gifts fundraising, institutional grant-seeking, corporate partnerships, or comparable relationship-driven work in another sector
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; advanced degree or comparable experience in a field pertinent to the interests of the Institute is a plus
• Demonstrated ability to build authentic, long-term relationships with donors and to move prospects through a cultivation cycle
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with the ability to write persuasively about scientific and historical subject matter
• Comfortholding conversations with people from many walks of life, including scientists, executives, and philanthropic leaders
• A commitment to our mission to tell the stories behind the science
• Proven ability to work with absolute confidentiality and sound judgmentOutstanding sense of customer service to internal and external audiences
• Proficiency with relationship-management databases; familiarity with Blackbaud products preferred
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and project-management software
• Schedule flexibility to work occasional weeknights and weekends, as required

Physical Requirements

• Ability to engage in domestic and international travel
• Ability to communicate information and ideas so others will understand
• Ability to operate office machinery, including computer, copier, scanner and telephone

*The starting annual salary for this position is: $95,000. Salary may be slightly higher based on candidate’s experience.

About the Science History Institute

Founded in 1982, the Science History Institute collects, preserves, interprets, and shares the lesser-known and sometimes overlooked stories from the history of science and technology. And we don’t just mean discoveries made in laboratories. We dive deep into the history of scientific successes and failures, with a focus on expanding knowledge and broadening our understanding of how science and society intersect.We tell the stories behind the science. Visit the Institute’s museum and library, listen to our podcasts, read our magazine and blog, attend our programs, and browse our digital collections. It’s all free so you can be free to discover the science in your life. Learn more at sciencehistory.org or follow us on Facebook , X , and Instagram .