Senior Major Gifts Officer Western Region
Location: TBD
Immediate Supervisor: Director of Development, National Conservation Programs
Division/Department:

Summary of Position

The Major Gifts Officer Western Region reports to the Director of Development National Conservation Programs.  Working closely with senior professionals at the state and national level the Major Gifts Officer will identify, cultivate and solicit donors in support of Audubon’s conservation agenda.  The successful candidate must have an appreciation and understanding of Moves Management, donor motivations and sensitivities and have a personal commitment to protecting and preserving nature.  Success in this position requires an individual who can integrate themselves into a team that creates and maintains a collaborative atmosphere between a broad range of program and division leaders.

He/She will identify the interests of specific donors and solicit them for gifts that meet Audubon’s conservation agenda as well as reinforce the donor’s willingness to invest in conservation.  As a member of the development team he/she will be responsible for ensuring that donors are honored, recognized and informed of Audubon’s programs as part of a long term plan to deepen their commitment to Audubon.

Primary Duties:

• Develop and maintain a strong relationship with the Director of Development, National Conservation Programs to secure trust and confidence as you implement multi-year fundraising objectives for Audubon and develop and implement inter-disciplinary fundraising strategies.
• Manage a portfolio of 75 to 125 donors to secure a minimum of $2 Million annually in major gifts and refer donors for deferred giving opportunities.
• Establish and maintain relationships with key internal constituents in the conservation and  marketing programs to facilitate outreach to high net worth donors and deepen their level of commitment to Audubon.
• As a senior development professional help shape fundraising strategies, and establish, promote and promulgate the highest standards of donor stewardship.
• Implement development-team planning and activities for high-level giving solicitations, and special cultivation events.
• Promote and communicate the vision and goals of Audubon to donors, the general public, state offices, chapters, and national staff.  Represent Audubon at public and community events, and make presentations as required.  Supervise development of press releases and other public relation functions to support the mission of the organization.
  

Relationships

Internal:

Reports to the Director of Development, National Conservation Programs with a close relationship to Audubon’s VP - Western Region:  Collaborates with program directors and development staff at the relevant state and national staff level.

External:

Interacts with established and prospective donors, Audubon National Board members, and Audubon Chapters on fundraising opportunities.

Qualifications (e.g., education, training, experience, licenses and skills)

• Persuasive communicator and proven fundraiser with 10-12 years of senior-level fundraising experience securing six and seven figure major gifts in a nonprofit setting.
• Demonstrated major gifts development and ability to close gifts.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in business, marketing, public relations or natural resource conservation desirable.
• Interest, understanding, and commitment to the conservation of birds, other wildlife, and their habitat is critical as is the ability to communicate Audubon’s mission, goals, and programs effectively and with the highest professional standards.
• Ability to think strategically and creatively.
• Self-starter, and quickly create a positive network of relationships out in the field. 
• Excellent writing skills and demonstrated success in proposal development.
• Strong comfort level with telephone interaction, personal visits and group presentations
• Strong planning, organization, time management, communications, and multi-tasking skills.
• Comfort with working in a fast-paced, collegial, team-oriented, and entrepreneurial environment.
• Capacity to work easily and effectively with a wide range of people, build relationships, be diplomatic, and exhibit sensitivity to and understanding of the dynamics of a complex organization.
• Specific knowledge of PC-based computers with expertise in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook preferred.  Expertise in donor database management systems (Millennium) helpful.
• Willingness and ability to travel 50-60% of the time, and work some weekends and evenings.

Founded in 1905, The National Audubon Society “Audubon” is a national nonprofit conservation organization with 450,000 members and close to 500 local chapters throughout the Americas.  Our mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.  Focusing on birds as an indicator of overall environmental quality, Audubon employs a range of integrated strategies to engage people in conservation including science, policy, education and on-the-ground conservation to achieve this mission. 

National Audubon currently operates professionally staffed offices in 25 states and is rapidly expanding its outreach across the country.  With a focus on the four programmatic efforts of Science, Education, International Alliances and Public Policy, Audubon works to engage people to take action to protect and preserve our great natural heritage.  Audubon has over 30 operating nature centers with another 40 in the process of development.  Nationwide, Audubon has nearly 700 staff.

The National Audubon Society's mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the Earth's biological diversity.

Audubon promotes a diverse workplace and is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the National Audubon Society to employ the man or woman best qualified for the job regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability (handicap) or marital status.