Position Title: Major Gifts Officer
Location: St. Joseph High School, 2320 Huntington Turnpike, Trumbull, CT 06611
St. Joseph High School Mission
St. Joseph High School is an independently-governed Catholic college preparatory community that educates and motivates young women and men to live purposeful lives as ethical leaders committed to the common good of all. Located on a 57-acre campus in Trumbull, Connecticut, the school enrolls nearly 700 students from more than 36 towns in Fairfield and New Haven counties. The school strives to be the premier college preparatory school in southern Connecticut. The school also provides a learning environment that embraces the Gospel values of the Roman Catholic faith and promotes a commitment to family and community.
Position SummarySt. Joseph High School seeks an entrepreneurial and innovative Major Gifts Officer to help catalyze the organization’s continued philanthropic growth. This position reports directly to the President. The Major Gifts Officer will cultivate and solicit philanthropic gifts to support St. Joseph High School and assist with raising the $18+MM goal of our Onward, With Purpose Capital Campaign. In addition to identifying and managing a portfolio of current and new prospects and qualified donors, the Major Gifts Officer will build a donor pipeline, implement cultivation strategies, solicit major gifts ($100,000+), and effectively steward donors. Working directly with the President and closely with colleagues on the Advancement Team, as well as teammates across the institution, the Major Gifts Officer will develop, execute, evaluate, and refine strategies for assigned prospects to maximize their support potential.
Essential Job Functions:
- Manage a portfolio of individual prospects and donors using moves management strategies and evidence-based philanthropic best practices; develop ongoing relationships with these prospects and donors throughout the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship process with the goal of soliciting and closing gifts of $100,000+.
- Identify new prospects through research and data mining; cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift prospects to meet specific activity goals.
- Collaborate with President, Director of Advancement, and Board Members, as appropriate, to set goals, expectations, and objectives.
- Work collaboratively and strategically with Advancement staff, President, and volunteers to cultivate and solicit donors for major and planned gifts (including multi-year commitments), ensuring regular and systematic contact by the appropriate school representative.
- Develop the prospect visit schedule for the President, Board Members, and volunteers; assign follow up actions to ensure timely follow-up for all donor visits and activity of the President. Accompany the President or Board Member on donor visits where appropriate.
- Establish tailored, individual fundraising plans, which will include a full range of donor cultivation activities such as school tours, receptions, bespoke donor experiences, and large and small private gatherings.
- Collaborate with the Marketing & Communications Team to have the necessary tools to promote school priorities with prospective donors.
- Assure that all major donors have an appropriate stewardship plan in place and fully implemented. Monitor all donor and prospect contacts to ensure positive and purposeful prospect and donor relations.
- Oversee the tracking of all assigned prospects’ information in Raiser’s Edge.
- Leverage exceptional interpersonal and verbal and written communications skills to craft effective solicitation letters and proposals.
- Demonstrated experience in writing effective donor communications and a deep understanding of the philanthropic landscape and key donor networks in Fairfield County.
Qualifications:
Willingness to travel as needed for donor cultivation and stewardship.
Salary commensurate with experience; full complement of competitive benefits
To Apply
Interested applicants may submit a resume and cover letter to President David Klein at communications@sjcadets.org
References will be requested of all finalists but may be submitted along with a resume and cover letter.
