Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association

The Major Gifts Officer oversees and coordinates all facets of the Safari Society defined as annual donors of $1,500 and above.. The Major Gifts Officer will have direct responsibility for meeting a significant portion of GLAZA’s annual budget and will participate in all aspects of the gift cycle.. The Major Gifts Officer is responsible for envisioning and implementing a diverse calendar of events, special activities and cultivation opportunities for current and potential donors to the Safari Society including working with the Director of Membership on upgrading upper-level Membership Club donors.. Additionally, the Major Gifts Officer will work closely with the entire Development team, to identify Safari Society donors who might also be qualified as major donors.. Include Major Gifts Officer in the subject line of your email.

major gifts officer

**Please note: Applications for this position MUST be submitted as follows: send resume and cover letter to jobs-development@lazoo.org. Applications not submitted in this manner will not be considered.** MAJOR GIFTS OFFICERGREATER LOS ANGELES ZOO ASSOCIATION Position Overview The Major Gifts Officer oversees and coordinates all facets of the Safari Society defined as annual donors of $1,500 and above. This individual is responsible for building, identifying, cultivating, setting strategies, and stewarding individual donors to GLAZA who have the capacity and interest to belong to the Safari Society. This includes setting up meetings, events, renewal and other mailings and solicitations including upgrade opportunities.  The Major Gifts Officer will have direct responsibility for meeting a significant portion of GLAZA’s annual budget and will participate in all aspects of the gift cycle.  The Major Gifts Officer is responsible for envisioning and implementing a diverse calendar of events, special activities and cultivation opportunities for current and potential donors to the Safari Society including working with the Director of Membership on upgrading upper-level Membership Club donors. This position will also work with GLAZA Trustees as well to establish more recruiting events, promote upcoming events, encourage more donors to join this program and to be an ambassador for the program in the community.  Additionally, the Major Gifts Officer will work closely with the entire Development team, to identify Safari Society donors who might also be qualified as major donors. Cultivation of these donors will be in tandem with major gifts strategies as determined by the team. Essential Functions: <ul><li>Develop cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies for individual donors that include phone calls, personal visits and on-site tours</li><li>Seek to build the program by 10% each fiscal year</li><li>Actively engage in establishing and strengthening long-term relationships with individuals which will result in helping to build a major gifts pipeline.</li><li>Advance the Zoo’s and GLAZA’s interests by identifying sources of private support, and by maintaining strong communication ties with donors and prospects.</li><li>Work within the Moves Management System of Raiser’s Edge</li></ul> Essential Responsibilities Safari Society: <ul><li>Fundraising. Manages the Safari Society, a comprehensive annual giving program. Oversees the strategy for fundraising with the Safari Society each fiscal year and creates annual income and expense budgets for program. </li><li>Actively cultivates prospects both on and off the Zoo campus.</li><li>Develops successful strategies for Safari Society gift solicitations, which might include Trustee volunteers, the President, Zoo Director, Vice President, Associate Vice President of Development, the Development team, and Zoo staff.</li><li>Manages the Safari Society income and expense budgets and works with Development</li></ul>Coordinator on the fulfillment of donations to Safari Society and accompanying benefits.<ul><li>Submits reports on Safari Society activity and status to the Vice President for Advancement for the weekly development meetings.</li><li> Works with the Development Division staff as well as the GLAZA President to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward individual donors.</li><li>Analyzes success of procedures used in current year and proposes improvements and efficiencies for the following year.</li><li>Completes and submits pledge forms for Safari Society pledges received. Works with Development Coordinator to provide appropriate follow-up on pledges.</li><li>Works with Database Administration division for donor/data query requests as needed.</li><li>Interacts extensively with a wide number of personnel including Trustees, committee chairs</li></ul>and committee members, existing donors and donor prospects, keepers, curators, Special Events staff, construction and grounds maintenance personnel and general public<ul><li>Personally responds to all questions, queries, requests and concerns related to Safari Society as needed.</li><li>Submits monthly program reports to the Vice President and the Board of Trustees.</li><li>Manages special donor recognition, stewardship and recruitment events/receptions in accordance with budget and in tandem and coordination with the Special Events team.</li><li>Coordinates calendar of events for Safari Society and special program functions in conjunction with the GLAZA special events team, with Zoo personnel, special guests, and photographers to assure quality program and reception for ceremonies, tours and special events.</li><li>Provides detailed tracking and reporting on prospect and donor contacts by inputting contact reports and proposals into the Raiser’s Edge database.</li><li>Regularly updates prospect lists for the Development Committee, Board of Trustees and staff to vet using the Raiser’s Edge database.</li><li>Participates in other fund-raising activities as needed.</li><li>Safeguards the confidentiality of development information at all times.</li><li>Other duties as assigned in support of the Advancement Division’s goals and mission.</li></ul> Major Gifts: <ul><li>Works with the Vice President for Advancement and the Associate Vice President of Development to identify and help develop an annual comprehensive strategic plan for securing major gifts from Safari Society donors to maximize the potential revenue for the Zoo and GLAZA to include:</li></ul> <ul><li>Prospect Identification: Primarily through face-to-face visits, expands and refines the pool of Safari Society donors and begins connecting individuals to specific programs and projects based on information gathered about a prospective donor's passion and interests</li></ul> <ul><li>Prospect Cultivation: Primarily through visits and imaginative pairings with zoo personnel, GLAZA Trustees and administrators, draws individual prospects closer to GLAZA’s priorities</li></ul> <ul><li>Prospect Solicitation: Works with the Associate Vice President of Development to develop strategies for giving for individual donors</li></ul> <ul><li>Stewardship: Helps in the stewardship of Safari Society/Major Gifts donors and develops the stewardship plan in tandem with the Development team</li></ul> Skills & Experience <ul><li> Bachelor’s degree required</li><li>Five+ years experience in annual gift fund raising, preferably with a mid to large-size organization</li><li>Demonstrated success in identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individuals</li><li>Demonstrated ability to forecast fund raising targets and to evaluate and report progress</li><li>Superior oral, written communication, and presentation skills; detail-oriented with a commitment to accuracy and clarity. Demonstrated skills to communicate persuasively, orally and in writing about the fund-raising goals of GLAZA and the Los Angeles Zoo to individuals</li><li>Experience working with Raiser’s Edge</li><li>Skill in listening perceptively, conveying sensitivity and awareness to prospective donors</li><li>Passion and commitment for securing gifts</li><li>Ability to problem-solve and negotiate with tact and diplomacy</li><li>Working knowledge of and familiarity with the goals of the Los Angeles Zoo, with the  activities and research interests of the curators, as well as a practical understanding of zoos</li><li>Demonstrated skills at planning cultivation and stewardship activities in conjunction with the events team</li><li>Strong computer aptitude; skill in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; knowledge of and skill using on-line and other resources to identify and research individuals; experience with donor database management; proficiency working with the Raiser’s Edge database</li><li>Interpersonal skills to develop and maintain close and effective working relationships with curators, keepers, part-time and full-time staff, members, volunteers, donor prospects, senior Zoo staff and the general public</li><li>Demonstrated ability to initiate programmatic activities independently; organize, prioritize and complete work in a timely manner despite many deadlines and competing requirements</li><li>Skill in solicitation techniques</li><li>Demonstrated ability to handle confidential information with integrity</li><li>Demonstrated ability to focus on a computer screen for extended periods during the day</li><li>Demonstrated ability to remain in a stationary position for extended periods during the day</li><li>Demonstrated ability to visually see or hear calls being received</li><li>Demonstrated ability to move around the Zoo’s grounds on a regular basis</li><li>Ability and willingness to work evenings, holidays and weekends as required</li><li>Required to work all GLAZA galas</li><li>Ability to travel</li></ul>         **For the protection of our staff, GLAZA requires all employees to provide proof of vaccination for COVID-19. Compensation The salary range for this position is $100,000 to $110,000, depending upon experience and qualifications. GLAZA provides full-time employees with a full range of benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance; life and long-term disability insurance; an FSA plan; paid vacation and sick leave; a 403(b) retirement plan with employer match and additional employer contributions based on longevity; 16 paid holidays per year; free parking; complimentary daytime passes to the Zoo and to L.A. Zoo Lights; and discounts on Zoo concessions and merchandise. To apply for this position:Email your cover letter and resume to jobs-development@lazoo.org Include Major Gifts Officer in the subject line of your email. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered!

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