Employment opportunities

Position description

Position title: Senior Major Gifts Officer

Reports to: Vice President of Institutional Advancement

Position summary:

The Major Gifts Officer participates in the implementation of a major gifts program that will support the needs of Saint Martin's University. Primary responsibilities include the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of a portfolio of individual and corporate donors and prospects who have the potential of supporting the University with contributions over $5,000.

Mission and strategic plan

This position contributes to the mission of Saint Martin's University by cultivating relationships with prospective and current individual and corporate contributors, strategic partners and alumni, who support the university with gifts and sponsorships in excess of $5,000 dollars annually.

Level of supervision and supervisory responsibility

General Supervision: The employee carries out recurring assignments without specific instruction. The supervisor intercedes and provides direction for only new or unusual problems which involve deviations from normal policies, procedures and work methods. The employee’s work is reviewed upon completion and only periodically to verify compliance with policies and procedures.

Responsibilities and essential functions

Donor Solicitation and Cultivation

  • Initiates contacts with potential major gift donors.
    • Develops authentic relationships.
    • Develops appropriate cultivation and solicitation strategies, including volunteers as needed.
    • Moves prospects in a timely fashion to solicitation and closure.
    • Maintains direct stewardship contact; monitors other contacts to ensure positive and purposeful donor relations.
  • Cultivate relationships with an assigned list of at least 100 to 175 prospective, current and lapsed donors who have the capacity to make annual contributions of $5000 or more.
  • Identify, cultivate, solicit and steward major individual and corporate donors who might provide cash, sponsorship and/or planned gifts to meet department resource goals.
  • Cultivate targeted new donors who are below the $5,000 threshold, but who demonstrate the potential to increase their giving.
  • Identify, cultivate and steward planned giving prospects. Work with contracted planned giving specialists as required and support the donor through the gifting process.

Donor Tracking and Reporting

  • Track all assigned donor activity and growth on the university’s donor database.
  • Maintain files relating to assigned major individual, corporate sponsors and planned giving prospects and donors.
  • Provide giving reports to all assigned donors on an annual basis that reflect the impact of their giving to the university and its programs.

Other Functions

  • Present the work of Saint Martin’s University to various public audiences through speaking engagements.
  • Communicate regularly with Vice President of Institutional Advancement and other development staff to ensure that activities are coordinated with other colleagues' development efforts.
  • Support the efforts of the Office of Institutional Advancement team members, especially as related to execution of fundraising events.

Competencies

  • Strong interpersonal skills; ability to work with people from all walks of life.
  • Understanding of the principles of nurturing, major gift fund raising, and prospect management.
  • Demonstrate competency in achieving personal performance goals.
  • Demonstrate ability to create strong, positive relationships with donors, alumni and corporate representatives, resulting in financial support.
  • Strong active listening skills. Ability to handle sensitive information discreetly and maintain confidentiality.
  • Ability to communicate well in person and in writing to donors, public audiences, peers, and supervisors.
  • Familiarity with computers in a Windows environment and donor database program experience.
  • Commitment to Saint Martin’s University mission statement and strategic plan.
  • Must be a team player, self-starter, detail oriented, highly organized individual who can work independently with minimal supervision and few if any errors.
  • Ability to translate objectives and goals into action steps.
  • Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously; flexible.
  • Ability to operate well in a fast-paced work environment.
  • Ability to work flexible schedule and weekends as needed.
  • Supportive of the Catholic Benedictine philosophy of education and be able to articulate that mission.

Minimum qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in public relations, business management, marketing, sales management, non- profit management or closely related field, MBA preferred.
  • Five (5) years of non- profit major gift and/or corporate sponsorship fund-raising experience, higher education major gift and/or corporate sponsorship fund-raising experience preferred.
  • Ability to work a flexible schedule to include weekends and travel within the Pacific Northwest.

Physical demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

  • Works a flexible schedule to include weekends
  • Ability to travel for appropriate business needs.
  • Moves objects (less than 20 pounds) long distances (more than 20 feet)
  • Operates a variety of standard office equipment requiring continuous or repetitive arm-hand movements
  • Reading, writing, speaking, hearing, standing, bending, sitting
  • Learning and comprehending
  • Requires visual concentration on detail
  • Manual dexterity and precision required for keyboarding
  • Must be able to concentrate on details and process complex information while experiencing frequent interruptions.

The principles of the Catholic Benedictine tradition, equal employment opportunity, and nondiscrimination are fundamental to the mission, goals, and objectives of Saint Martin’s University. The University does not discriminate in employment or in the delivery or administration of its educational programs, policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic or other University programs on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, race, color, religion (except as a bona fide occupational qualification for certain select positions), marital status, national or ethnic origin, military or veteran status, age, or disability.

Students or employees with concerns or complaints about discrimination on the basis of sex in employment or an education program or activity, or any other inquiries related to the University's non-discrimination policy, may contact the following individual:

Cynthia Johnson
Director of Human Resources/Title IX Coordinator
5000 Abbey Way SE, Lacey WA 98503
360-491-4700
CJohnson@stmartin.edu

Consistent with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the regulations adopted under that law, the University has designated the above individual as the University's Title IX Officer, responsible for coordinating the University's Title IX compliance. Individuals may also contact the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 915 2nd Avenue, Room 3310 Seattle, WA 98174-1099, Telephone: (206) 220-7900, TDD: (206) 220-7907.