MAJOR GIFTS OFFICER
BACKGROUND TO THE LO
The Louisville Orchestra has long had a strong reputation for innovation, creativity, and excellence. With an annual operating budget of $13M, 58 full-time musicians, and a 34-week performance season, it is currently an organization that is changing the very idea of what a 21st century orchestra can be and do. Under the leadership of Music Director Teddy Abrams, the Louisville Orchestra is well on its way toward achieving its goal of being “the most interesting orchestra on the planet.”
Job Summary: The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) will be responsible for maintaining, prospecting and building strong base of individual major gift donors to support the ambitious and strategic growth of the Louisville Orchestra. The MGO helps to set a strategy for engaging new prospects by being responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual prospects with an estimated capacity of supporting the LO with a five to six figure gift. In addition, the MGO focuses on strengthening relationships with existing donors to maximize philanthropic support. In addition to soliciting annual gifts, the MGO will explore ways in which donors can support our mission through gifts pledged over multiple years. The role entails working collaboratively with members of the Louisville Orchestra Development staff, volunteers, as well as fundraising counsel (if applicable).
The Ideal Candidate: The Louisville Orchestra is seeking an experienced, self-driven and results-oriented Major Gifts Officer for their Development team. Under the direction of the Director of Development, the successful Major Gifts Officer will have the ability to interact with both internal and external constituents with ease and grace. Key attributes include but are not limited to dedication to the mission, problem solving, relationship building, self-awareness and self-confidence, and the desire to be forward-facing. The successful candidate will have the ability to lead or assist in the execution of a comprehensive philanthropic program for the LO. They will work in collaboration with the Development team to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gifts prospects. Candidates must be able to manage multiple priorities and act with a high degree of professionalism, personal integrity, creativity, and cooperation with both internal and external constituents.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Manage an active portfolio of approximately 125-150 major gift prospects
- Identify and qualify new major gift prospects and create a comprehensive strategy for donor cultivation, solicitation, and retention based on the donor’s giving history and capacity
- Directly solicit major gifts and partner with senior staff and/or volunteers on solicitations by providing prospect briefings, strategic guidance, and assistance with donor communications
- Develop, plan, and participate in strategic donor engagement opportunities, such as donor lounges at LO performances, small events for select prospects in the portfolio, and larger donor stewardship events and galas
- Develop a high-quality donor experience through regular correspondence, professional proposals, and timely acknowledgements
- Represent LO at external functions and events
- Maintain good relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders and co-workers with a positive and helpful attitude
- Track prospect activity, solicitations, and contact notes by maintaining information needed for regular reports that accurately reflect progress toward building relationships and increasing donor support
- Work collaboratively and proactively to resolve problems and issues
- Always maintain confidentiality related to all donors, prospects, and engagement strategies
- Other duties as assigned by the Director of Development
Required Qualifications, Skills, and Knowledge:
- Passion for the mission of the Louisville Orchestra with a strong commitment to its core values
- Three to five years’ experience raising contributed revenues and managing donor relationships with proven track record of successfully closing four-to-six-figure gifts.
- Comfort in asking individuals to commit their money, time, and/or talents to support a mission.
- Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills and a proven ability to create and foster excellent relationships internally within a team/institution and externally between stakeholders and an institution.
- Ability to communicate effectively and respectfully in-person, on the phone, and via email/text with donors, board members, volunteers, and colleagues.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment, meet concurrent deadlines, organize time and priorities, and to do so in collaboration with diverse stakeholders.
- High degree of integrity, initiative, and resourcefulness
- Proficiency with office technology such as Word, Outlook, and donor information systems; willingness to learn new office software tools as needed.
- Ability to travel 25-50% of the time.
Education:
Bachelor’s Degree in arts administration, fine arts performance, business, or related field required.
To apply for this position please submit a cover letter and resume here. For confidential questions or inquiries, contact Lisa Betson Resnik at lresnik@ashleyrountree.com. All inquiries will be kept strictly confidential.