Major Gift Officer

How You’ll Contribute

The Advancement team cultivates, solicits, and stewards individuals, as well as foundation, government and corporate partners who invest in the Society to drive impact through science, technology, education, exploration, and storytelling.

The team collaborates with Society teams to build transformative and impact-driven strategic partnerships. The team also produces global events that deepen connections and leverage the Society’s power to convene, and directs robust annual, major and planned giving programs empowering the Society with a broad base of public support.

Reporting to the Director of Major Gifts, the Major Gift Officer (MGO) will support the growth and health of National Geographic Society’s Advancement program in support of institutional revenue objectives.

The MGO will be responsible for qualifying donors, building a donor pipeline, creating and implementing cultivation strategies for new and existing major gift candidates, soliciting annual and major gifts, and thoughtfully stewarding donors.

Working closely with colleagues in all Partnerships disciplines, the MGO will develop, execute, evaluate, and refine strategies for assigned priority projects or region(s) to maximize their development potential.

Travel is required for this position and is expected up to 50%.

Your Impact

Responsibilities Include :

Fundraising (80%) :

• Move a portfolio of 125 donors and prospects through quality, strategic contacts and face-to-face visits to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors to successfully close gifts ranging from $25K to $1M+;
• Work with the Director of Major Gifts to meet or exceed dollar and visit goals, with a focus on new, increased and multi-year gifts;
• Develop, execute, evaluate, and refine strategies for the organization’s priority projects;
• Work with donors, and organizational leaders to position Advancement to take full advantage of related organizational events and networks;
• Plan and execute at least one regional event in each assigned market annually in partnership with the Global Special Events team;
• Collaborate with the Major Gift Team, Annual Giving Team, Principal Gifts Team, Campaign Team, and Global Special Events Team to engage donors and prospects regionally through pipeline movement, special events and other engagement opportunities.

Administration (20%) :

• Develop and maintain a thorough and accurate understanding of NGS programs and funding priorities in order to effectively connect donors and prospects to NGS priorities and content;
• Effectively communicate NGS priorities and successfully match donor’s philanthropic interests to funding needs;
• Provide and / or review written materials, including briefings, solicitations, and acknowledgements in a quality consistent with NGS and Advancement team standards;
• Serve as a Point of Contact for the Advancement team with one or more programs, initiatives, or teams at NGS;
• Utilize and update the Raiser’s Edge database by recording activities, contacts, and strategies on an on-going basis consistent with department policies.

What You’ll Bring

Educational Background

Bachelor’s degree required.

Minimum Years and Type of Experience

5+ years of development experience with donor / donor candidate management and gift solicitation, including a proven track record of closing gifts $25,000+ and stewarding donor relationships.

Necessary Knowledge and Skills

• Sophisticated communication skills and demonstrated ability to increase current donor support, and to attract new donors.
• Success managing high-visibility projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Self-motivated and capable of working proactively and independently.
• Strong oral and written communication skills are necessary with a demonstrated ability to write effectively for business / philanthropic communication purposes.
• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office.
• Must be detail-oriented, organized, and capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to maintain high standards of confidentiality.
• Proactive and professional demeanor when interacting with NGS staff, senior executives, high net worth individuals, and donors.

Desired Qualifications

• Proficiency with Raiser’s Edge database system strongly preferred.
• Ability to exercise good judgment and work with minimum of instruction and supervision when necessary.
• Excellent interpersonal skills enabling professional and congenial interactions.

Supervision

No direct reports

Salary Information

The National Geographic Society offers a competitive and holistic total rewards package. Our compensation structure and transparent pay philosophy are based on industry-specific market data for similar-sized nonprofit organizations.

The salary range for this position accounts for a wide range of factors including but not limited to organizational need;

specific skill sets; experience and training; certifications; and more. At the National Geographic Society, individuals are typically hired at or near the starting point of the salary range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

The salary range for this position is $116,800 - $123,000.

• In addition, the National Geographic Society offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance;
• engaging and comprehensive wellness program; 401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 6 months of employment;
• flexible paid time off benefits with up to 22 days of paid annual leave per calendar year (15 days for new hires in their first year, prorated based on the number of pay periods remaining in the year) and 10 days of sick leave;
• 12 paid holidays and a paid winter break between December 25 and 31; paid parental leave, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility benefits;
• learning and development opportunities; Lifestyle Spending Account; pet adoption assistance and insurance; pre-tax transportation benefits with a generous employer subsidy;

employer-paid life insurance and disability benefit; and a variety of National Geographic discounts and perks.

Job Designation

Remote - Our Remote designation includes staff who must work in another location in the or abroad, such as our regional leads for our Education and International teams or regional fundraisers in Advancement.

Staff may also be designated as Remote by their supervisors (with approval by the Senior Team lead) because of their job duties, and are afforded this status when it is beneficial to NGS, their respective team, and the employee.