Major Gift Officer / Senior Major Gift Officer

Denison University seeks a Major Gift Officer/ Senior Major Gift Officer to join our team!

Basic Function

Develop and foster comprehensive philanthropic support for Denison University through a systematic program of identification, engagement, solicitation and stewardship of individual prospects in partnership with colleagues across the college, including the Institutional Advancement leadership team, the President, the faculty and Trustees.

Essential Job Functions

• Solicit donors to provide funding for University priorities including leadership annual fund, major gifts to current use funds and endowment and planned giving. Generate $1-3 million annually for Major Gift Officer and $3-5 million for Sr. Major Gift Officer in signed, documented commitments.
• Identify and qualify Denison alumni, parents and friends who have the capacity to become leadership donors to the University.
• Manage and travel within a geographic territory, including staffing university leaders, including the President, coordinating donor meetings during university travel to the area, and assisting in the invitations for alumni events in the region, including large receptions and smaller dialogue dinners.
• Collaborate with the Director of Prospect Management to move a portfolio of ~75 prospects through the giving cycle from identification through stewardship.
• Maintain a basic knowledge of projects and programs that are the funding objectives for the University and share Denison’s vision with donors; align solicitations with campaign priorities when appropriate.
• Work with others on campus to develop well articulated cases for support and fully-developed written proposals to present to prospective donors. Prepare contact reports and necessary follow-up materials.
• Collaborate with Annual Fund and Planned Giving staff to develop comprehensive philanthropic plans for major gift prospects which would include operating support, endowed/capital initiatives and deferred commitments.
• Work with the Assistant Director for Stewardship to appropriately steward donors and their gifts.
• Support activities which will bring potential donors closer to the University through volunteer engagement activities, and participate in community-wide events such as Big Red Weekend, Reunion Weekend, and campus events when appropriate.
• Demonstrate the efficient use of budget and time, and support the goals and objectives of the division of Institutional Advancement.
• Perform other duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s Degree
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Must be able to work independently and as part of a cohesive team to achieve goals.
• Proficiency in MS Word and Excel. Must understand and be able to commit to a liberal arts mission and become an active member of the University community.
• Major Gift Officer: minimum of two years of relevant fundraising experience or a related field such as non-profit management, sales, or marketing
• Senior Major Gift Officer: A minimum of five years of relevant fundraising experience or a related field such as non-profit management, sales, or marketing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Fundraising experience in higher education. Experience fundraising with gifts of $50,000 or more.

Travel is required. This posting is for one position; candidates will be considered for either a title of Major Gift Officer or Senior Major Gift Officer based on years of fundraising related experiences and qualifications.

Denison University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
To achieve our mission as a liberal arts college, we continually strive to attract and hire candidates with diverse backgrounds, experiences and identities. Denison fosters a campus community that recognizes the value of all persons regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender expression and identity, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socio-economic background. For additional information and resources about diversity at Denison, please see our commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and antiracism (IDEA) at Denison Forward.

If you require a reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at (740)587-6299 or by email at [email protected].