Major Gifts Officer

Major Gifts
Officer 

About CNPS  

The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is a statewide
non-profit conservation organization (www.cnps.org) founded in
1965, with nearly 13,000 members in 36 chapters across California
and Baja California Norte, Mexico. The mission of CNPS is to
protect California’s native plants and their natural habitats,
today and into the future, through science, education, stewardship,
gardening, and advocacy.  CNPS is growing in statewide
influence as a key participant in four coalitions to establish or
expand national monuments, serving in leadership roles in
California’s 30×30 Initiative, sponsoring legislation, and rapidly
expanding resources and tools to promote native plant gardening.
 

Job Summary 

To meet the growing need for mission CNPS is seeking a Major
Gifts Officer (MGO) to join a robust development and membership
program that is currently meeting all revenue targets. The MGO will
be responsible for the full lifecycle of fundraising for major
gifts of $5,000 and above, primarily from individuals. The role
will manage a portfolio of major donors, with a significant focus
on cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of existing donors.
The MGO will join a relatively new major gifts effort, with
tremendous growth potential, and will assist with designing and
implementing best practices. Candidates should have a demonstrated
track record of securing major gifts, coupled with strong
relationship building skills. The Major Gifts Officer will work
closely with the development team, the Executive Director, and
Board members to move donors through the fundraising cycle. The MGO
reports to the Development Director. 

What You’ll Do 

Manage and solicit a major donor portfolio 

• Drive strategies to
  identify, cultivate, upgrade and/or solicit retained and new
  donors, with an eye towards building a strong pipeline of major
  donors and prospects 
• Serve as the primary
  relationship manager for a portfolio of 75+ major gift prospects
  and communicate with major donors through email, social media,
  phone, video conference, and face-to-face cultivation
  meetings 
• Develop and execute
  documented and trackable strategies ensuring that each major donor
  or prospect has a clear plan for cultivation and solicitation
  leading to upgraded giving over time, and that all interactions are
  captured in the CRM 
• Make gift requests of
  $5,000+ throughout the fiscal year and sustain a calendar of robust
  gift requests and activity using metrics to track efficiency and
  performance 

Support major donor fundraising 

• Develop cultivation and
  solicitation messaging, updates, proposals, presentations, and
  reports in collaboration with the Development Director and
  Communications team and in alignment with the CNPS Strategic Plan
  (covering unrestricted asks, and program- and project-level
  support, and CNPS’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice
  (DEIJ) vision and strategies) 
• Develop and execute
  major donor cultivation events (both virtual and in
  person) 
• Support Development
  Director, Executive Director, and Board members with their major
  donor responsibilities, including developing strategies for
  cultivations and asks, involving appropriate staff, and ensuring
  that all involved have the encouragement, resources, and
  accountability to achieve established goals 

Who You Are 

• At least 6 years of
  experience as a fundraising professional 
• A demonstrated track
  record of at least one year, successfully stewarding and personally
  soliciting donors of $5,000 or more 
• Proactively approach
  relationship building and development daily 
• Demonstrate sound
  judgment and discretion and maintain the highest ethical
  standards 
• Display excellent
  written and interpersonal communication skills with strong
  attention to detail 
• Be highly organized with
  the ability to manage several projects at once and consistently
  meet deadlines 
• Be self-motivated with
  the ability to work independently and as part of a team and with
  great energy and persistence 
• Ability to connect with
  our mission and cultivate a genuine interest in the outdoors,
  nature, botany, etc. 
• Willingness to travel
  frequently within California for donor cultivation 
• Willingness to work
  occasional evenings and weekends 
• Experience with a
  Microsoft environment and ability to use Word, Outlook, Excel,
  Teams, SharePoint, etc.  
• Experience with
  relational databases/CRMs 

Education 

• Bachelor’s degree
  preferred; however, relevant experience may be substituted on a
  year-for-year basis in lieu of a
  degree.    

Nice to Have 

While CNPS recognizes that not every individual will exhibit all
these characteristics, the successful candidate will possess at
least one – and ideally more than one – of the following: 

• An advanced
  certification in fundraising or Certified Fund-Raising Executive
  (CFRE) designation 
• Experience using
  technology to efficiently and personally connect with
  donors 
• Experience using
  research tools and data to inform prospect qualification and
  solicitation 
• Have knowledge of, or
  genuine interest in, CNPS and California native plants 
• Experience integrating
  the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice into
  fundraising, and comfort discussing them with donors 

Physical Requirements  

This job can require prolonged sitting and use of a computer and
mouse. It may require occasional participation in field trips on
uneven trails and variable grades. Travel is required and
candidates should be aware that travel involves inherent risks and
varying physical demands depending on location and mode of
transportation. These requirements are representative, and
reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with
disabilities to perform essential functions.  

Additional Information  

• This is a full-time
  (40-hour week), remote position, based in California. Preference
  will be given for candidates within Central California (especially
  Sacramento and the Bay Area). 
• Standard business hours
  are Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 5 PM. Meetings with donors may
  take place outside these hours, including mornings, evenings, and
  weekends. 
• A valid California
  driver’s license is required. 
• Periodic travel to
  locations throughout California will be required including monthly
  trips to Sacramento for meetings and regular travel (up to 40%)
  within CA for donor cultivation. Work travel is
  reimbursed.  

What You’ll Get 

• Annual salary between
  $90,100 to $97,200 
• 100% of employee
  premiums for health (Kaiser or Anthem), life, dental, and vision
  insurance 
• 401(k) retirement plan
  with up to 6% matching contributions, eligible
  immediately 
• Optional flexible
  spending account (FSA) / health savings account (HSA), dependent
  care account (DCA) and/or transportation savings account
  (TSA) 
• Annual paid leave
  benefits include 13 holidays, 12 sick/wellness days, and 15 paid
  vacation days 
• 16 weeks paid parental
  leave, after 12 months 
• A CNPS-issued laptop,
  $750 home office stipend, and $60/month telework stipend 
• Attendance at biannual
  staff team building events 
• Complimentary CNPS
  Society membership 
• “Superhero to the
  planet” status (for your contributions to our conservation
  mission) 

Equal Opportunity Policy 

CNPS’s policy is to afford equal employment opportunity to all
persons, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender,
gender expression, gender identity, marital status, medical
condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political
affiliation, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. This
policy demonstrates CNPS’s commitment to creating a diverse and
inclusive environment that values different perspectives and
fosters belonging. To better understand the demographic profile of
applicants, CNPS requests candidates to fill out the voluntary
questionnaire that is part of the application form. Your responses
will remain confidential, anonymized, and not shared with the
hiring committee.