Major Gift Officer

Oct 8

Anticipated Start Date: TBD

Description

Reporting to the Director, Major Giving and Engagement, the Major Gifts Officer is responsible for securing five- and six-figure gifts from individual donors and prospects to support the broad scope of Robin Hood’s mission. The Major Gifts Officer will engage, solicit, steward and cultivate a portfolio of 150 qualified donors and prospects, implementing targeted strategies they develop, resulting in gift closures at maximum levels of support.

This group is a highly valuable community of supporters and potential source of significant growth for Robin Hood, some as major givers and others as long-term donors and/or planned giving candidates. A particular focus in the first year will be to build Robin Hood’s first Women’s Collective, engaging and stewarding generous and passionate women donors. This role involves working collaboratively across different fundraising programs, and with Development, Marketing & Events (DME) leadership, recognizing that success will include significantly increasing revenue for other programs.

This role entails stewarding and soliciting a robust donor pipeline, enhancing brand visibility within philanthropic circles, and nurturing relationships with current contributors. The ideal candidate thrives on data-driven strategies and engaging prospective donors at the highest levels of philanthropy while supporting and managing existing donor relationships. If you are an experienced fundraiser driven by measurable outcomes, adept at portfolio development, and passionate about helping New Yorkers escape poverty permanently, then this role is for you.

Responsibilities

Donor Engagement and Solicitation

Manage a pool of 150 major giving donors acting as primary contact to steward, cultivate, and solicit.
Using both quantitative and qualitative data along with research, create customized short-, intermediate-, and long-term strategies for existing donor/prospect portfolio.
Build strong relationships to retain and/or upgrade donors through strategic meetings, phone calls, personalized email communications, ongoing written contact, and events.
Organize face-to-face discovery, engagement, and solicitation visits by various stakeholders.
Collaborate with donor relations team to develop compelling fundraising materials, appeals, and campaigns that resonate with target audiences.

Stewardship

Nurture donor loyalty through personalized communications and outreach, including phone calls, emails, written contact, and events.
Tailor stewardship efforts based on donor giving levels and interests.
Proactively stay abreast of Robin Hood’s model, key priorities and funding needs.

Cultivation

Conceptualize and launch recruitment for “learning and action” affinity groups to acquire new donors and to steward and upgrade current donors.
Partner with the Director of Major Giving to co-lead exploratory conversations, develop strategy and framework for giving and member benefits.
In the first year, focus on enlisting a group of generous and passionate women to join Robin Hood’s first Women’s Collective.

Reporting and Analysis

Maintain accurate and confidential records of donor interactions in Salesforce.
Monitor and report on program metrics and goals, modifying strategies as necessary to meet objectives.
Identify success and assessment metrics, analyzing rates, retention, and upgrades.
Conduct midcourse (January or June) and yearly review and assessment of pipeline program, making adjustments as necessary.

Requirements

Minimum of seven years of relevant experience in fundraising, donor engagement, major giving, or a closely related field
Commitment to Robin Hood’s mission
Proven track record of soliciting, closing and stewarding five- and six-figure gifts
Experience managing a large pool of donors and skilled at cultivating strong relationships with donors through personalized communications and outreach to retain and upgrade their support.
Strong background in using both quantitative and qualitative to inform fundraising strategies
Ability to conceptualize and implement a strategic plan for creating and launching affinity groups, setting clear goals and outlining actionable steps.
Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to be an effective spokesperson for Robin Hood
Strong attention to detail with an analytical mind and superb problem-solving skills
Ability to exercise flexibility and discretion
Strong interpersonal skills: ability to influence others to achieve objectives, both internally and externally at all levels of the organization
Willingness to jump in where needed while staying positive and flexible
Team player and collaborator
Exceptional project management and execution skills
Self-starter skilled at completing tasks with minimal support
Volunteer/affinity group management skills and experience are a plus
Ability to travel locally and work occasional evenings and weekends
Understanding of New York City philanthropy of added value
Excellent Microsoft Office suite skills (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint)
Bachelor’s degree preferred, but not required

All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Salary Range and Employee Benefits

Robin Hood provides a competitive compensation package with extensive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.

Employees benefit from a 403(b) retirement plan match and an additional employer contribution to a 401(a) retirement plan. Robin Hood supports a healthy work-life balance, offering new hires 20 days of accrued paid time off.

The salary range for this role is $125,000 - $160,000 and is eligible for a performance-based bonus.

How to Apply for this Job

Apply Now

About the Organization

Founded in 1988, Robin Hood finds, fuels, and creates the most impactful and scalable solutions lifting families out of poverty in New York City. The largest poverty fighting organization in New York City, Robin Hood partners with top non-profits in New York City and invests in legal services, housing, meals, workforce development training, education programs, and other vital services that gives New Yorkers in need the tools they need to build better lives. The programs it funds are often the first of their kind and serve as demonstration models to identify what works before being replicated in other cities.

Because its Board of Directors covers 100% of all administrative, fundraising, and evaluation costs, every dollar donated goes directly to organizations helping New Yorkers in need. While Robin Hood’s primary focus is on New York, its impact extends far beyond the borders of the city. Its pioneering, metrics-based approach has become the gold standard for charities around the nation as Robin Hood works to understand and evaluate the impact of its partners to ensure that its philanthropic dollars are utilized to maximum impact.

Robin Hood also supports its community partners and their leaders with financial and strategic support and management assistance that allows those organizations to maximize their impact. Building on our 30 years of experience, Robin Hood is expanding our impact with an explicit focus on lifting families sustainably and measurably out of poverty through supporting the most effective community partners; influencing public policy; raising our thought leadership profile; importing and exporting effective ideas and strategies nationally; and building new collaborations with strategic partners.

As New York City emerges from the worst of the global pandemic, we are focused on getting families back on their feet; getting kids back on track; and getting New Yorkers back to work. Robin Hood also understands that if we are to support families living in poverty find permanent pathways out of poverty and towards financial independence, we must become an effective partner with government, especially at the City and State levels. We do this by leveraging the expertise of those who are closest to the challenges of poverty, including community members, community-based organizations, and others with specialized skills and knowledge.

We also aim to collaborate with New York City government to fund program and policy innovations that hold the promise of expanding economic opportunity in New York City – providing nimble “risk capital” for high-potential strategies. In this way, we seek to leverage our philanthropic investments by finding ways to advance the highest-impact strategies at scale. Given its long-standing reputation among influencers and support of over 200 New York City non-profit organizations, Robin Hood has the unique ability to be a catalyzing force for the poor, bringing distinct constituencies together to develop and spread the most effective strategies to advance economic mobility in New York City and beyond.

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