Reporting to the Head of Development (“Head”) and
serving as a key member of the Individual Giving (IG) team within
the Advancement department, the (Lead) Senior Development Officer,
Major & Principal Gifts, advances the mission of Success
Academy Charter Schools (SA) through the engagement and
solicitation of high net-worth individual donors and prospects at
Major Gift and Principal Gift levels (i.e., gifts $100,000 up to $1
million). Specifically, this includes managing and coordinating the
identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and
stewardship of an assigned portfolio with the goal of significantly
increasing philanthropic revenues in support of SA’s ambitious
goals for operational, programmatic, and capital purposes.
The successful candidate will have a demonstrated track record of
managing a portfolio and soliciting/closing significant
philanthropic gifts.
The Senior Development Officer is a proactive,
confident self-starter that thrives in a fast-paced,
entrepreneurial environment that values results. They are
persistent and driven to succeed in advancing efforts to grow a
robust pipeline of individual donors and in meeting or exceeding
goals. Success in this role will require the following
qualities:
- Self-motivated, self-sufficient, and driven to lead
and collaborate with others to achieve success. - Detail-oriented and analytical;
- Strategic, proactive, and forward thinking;
- Persuasive, outgoing, and confident with exceptional
communication skills. - Possesses the highest standards of personal and
professional integrity; and - Adheres to and promotes SA’s mission, culture, and
strategic priorities.
Essential Functions:
1. Qualify, Cultivate, Solicit, Close, and Steward
Prospects and Donors (50%)
- Manage and grow a portfolio of existing and
prospective individual and family foundation donors for gifts of
$100,000+, with the goal of significantly increasing (primarily)
general operating revenue to meet Advancement team goals. - Lead and participate in the solicitation of support
for special events (e.g., Spring Benefit) to meet/exceed
Advancement team goals. - Identify, cultivate, solicit, close, and steward
individual and family foundation donors through
in-person/telephone/virtual meetings, written
solicitations/proposals, email, and other means tailored as
specifically as possible to donor preferences and strategic
goals. - Brief and staff executive leadership and other leaders
and volunteers involved in strategic donor relationships. - Manage a portfolio of approximately 80-100 individuals
and family foundations, and meet or exceed agreed upon monthly,
quarterly, and annual goals and related performance metrics with
respect to portfolio management, moves management, solicitations,
closures, and dollars raised. - Collaborate with the Head of Development, the Head of
Donor Engagement, and the Chief Advancement Officer to create
opportunities for meaningful engagement, solicitation, and
stewardship of key prospects and donors. - Collaborate across the Advancement team to develop
strategies to identify and approach new leads. - Record all significant asks/opportunities and donor
interactions in Raiser’s Edge NXT database and track proposals,
gifts, and pledge fulfillment within the assigned portfolio.
Monitors pledge reminders, receipting, and acknowledgement
processes for portfolio donors for timeliness and accuracy.
2. Leadership & Staff Management (20%)
- As Lead Senior Development Officer, this position will
manage or co-manage one or two other Development Officers in their
day-to-day activities, similar to those outlined above for this
position in support of individual and team goals. - Ensure alignment between Development Officer Activity
and Advancement and IG team goals and performance/productivity
metrics. - Coach and mentor Development Officers on strategic
philanthropic relationship management and support their
professional growth and development. - In coordination with Advancement leadership, establish
goals for individual Development Officer activity aligned with
departmental goals, and consistently track and report on progress
towards them.
3. Donor Prospecting & Qualification (10%)
- Utilize the donor/prospect database and other
available prospect research and analytical tools to identify,
segment, and qualify a broader and deeper pool of prospective
donors with the capacity and affinity to make significant
gifts. - Work closely with the Donor Engagement team to
identify event attendees and other prospective donors for deeper
engagement opportunities to augment portfolio at the major and
principal gift level. - Collaborate with Advancement Operations & Data
Analytics team to source and qualify prospects through informed
database queries and analysis.
4. Donor Stewardship & Communications (10%)
- In coordination with the Donor Engagement team, design
and implement creative and impact donor stewardship strategies to
deepen engagement and elevate individual and family foundation
giving. - Provide advice and guidance to the Donor Engagement
team about strategic relationships within the Officer’s portfolio
in support of CEO and other leadership communications. - Along with other Individual Giving team members,
assist with annual donor recognition and stewardship efforts,
events, and communications, particularly with regard to the SA
Leadership Council.
5. Special Projects &
Administration (10%)
- Assist the Head of Development and Chief Advancement
Officer with special projects, especially those related to
individual giving, including but not limited to fundraising events,
gift planning, and/or administrative tasks. - Participate in overall Individual Giving team and
Advancement department strategic planning and budgeting, as
requested, and manage direct expenses within budget. - Remain abreast of SA programs, activities, accolades,
and new initiatives to most effectively engage and/or steward
donors to greater levels of support. - Participate in and help staff SA/Advancement events,
as needed.
Other duties may be assigned from time to time.
Occasional evening and weekend work required to meet critical
deadlines.