Development Director-Houston (TX Gulf Coast)

Location: Remote

JOB SUMMARY:
Seasoned, major gift fundraising professional with experience prospecting, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding a relationship-based portfolio of approximately 100 – 125 active individual, foundation, corporate and agency/association major giving prospects, focusing primarily on gifts of $10,000 – $100,000.  Additionally, the Development Director will be responsible for actively identifying and securing planned gift agreements.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

  1. Actively cultivate, solicit and steward a major gift portfolio of 100-125 donor prospects to reach annual dollar and activity goals.
  2. Identify and recruit new major donors/gift prospects.
  3. Engage appropriate donors in conversation about their estate gift planning to reach annual Planned Giving Agreement goals.
  4. Embrace the prescribed team donor moves management protocol in accordance with donor life cycle best practices.
  5. Actively maintain constituent contact information and dynamic opportunity (solicitation) pipeline.
  6. Record and update the daily prospecting, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship activities.
  7. Annually create and follow relationship and solicitation maps for top 20 major gift prospects.
  8. Build deep, lasting relationships and trusted reputation through individual engagement and appropriate participation in community organizations, events and other positive visibility opportunities.
  9. Provide timely communications to major donors/prospects including research, program and annual report updates as well as appropriate stewardship and acknowledgement activities.
  10. Collaborate, share information and support the work of fellow major gift solicitors.
  11. Actively participate in development meetings, portfolio strategy meetings and donor assignment meetings.
  12. Engage senior leadership and (when appropriate) Board Members to best position the most appropriate and fulfilling donor solicitations.
  13. Partner closely with others to best utilize and support the Chapter and banquet system network.
  14. Work with development writers to draft written solicitations, proposals, gift agreements and stewardship collateral as needed.
  15. Other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

  1. Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Communications, Wildlife Science or related field and three or more years’ experience in major, planned and or principal gift fundraising and/or high net worth sales experience, focused on 1:1 relationship-based close of gifts/sales of $10,000+.
  2. Ability to identify major giving prospects, creatively secure face-to-face donor interactions, nurture the relationship to a solicitation and successfully move the relationship to a closed gift.
  3. Innate, self-motivated ability to help build and execute a donor portfolio management plan in a remote, matrixed working environment.
  4. General knowledge and experience with estate planning and securing planned gift agreements.
  5. Strong face-to-face presentation skills with individuals and small groups of sophisticated donors.
  6. Ability to construct, articulate, and implement fundraising strategies and reports.
  7. Strong written development communication skills, including proposal and grant preparation.
  8. Excellent computer skills, including MS Office and donor database experience.
  9. A strong understanding of the giving pyramid moves management and how best to position timely solicitations for greatest benefit of both the donor and Delta will be important to the success of this position.
  10. Must be able to travel and work evenings and weekends when needed.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk and listen. The position requires dexterity in using telephone, computer keyboard, mouse, calculator and other office equipment. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and navigate stairs. The employee must lift and move up to 40 pounds. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to work in an office environment well as in the field (e.g., marsh, water, woods, etc.).  Frequent travel by car and airplane is required to fulfil the duties of this position.

EMPLOYEE ATTRIBUTES

Determined | We are fully committed to achieving our mission of producing ducks and securing the future of waterfowl hunting.

Experienced | We recognize the value our team brings in knowledge, skills, and abilities, and we embrace professional development opportunities to maximize our collective future potential.

Lively | We make sure enthusiasm, and positive energy is present in everything we do.

Team Focused | We seek strong collaborative partnerships with others and recognize the value each person brings to achieve our collective goals.

Accountable | We work hard to earn the trust of our donors, the public, and each other, and hold ourselves accountable to the highest professional standards.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES:

Please submit the following documents to jobs@deltawaterfowl.org:

  • Cover Letter
  • Resume
  • Three Professional References