Major Gifts Officer III

At Pacific Science Center, our mission is to ignite curiosity in every child and fuel a passion for discovery, experimentation, and critical thinking in all of us. Our colleagues are passionate lifelong learners who live our mission every day. Each of us commits to bring an inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) focus in every aspect of our work. Join our collaborative team and help steward our warm, welcoming, community-learning environment at PacSci.

As part of our ongoing commitment to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, we're invested in building teams with a wide variety of backgrounds, identities, and experiences. Data shows that women and BIPOC candidates more frequently do not apply to a job because they don't feel that they meet all of the qualifications listed. If you have some of the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed and you share PacSci's values and support our mission, we encourage you to apply.

Position Title: Major Gifts Officer

Department: Development

Reports to: Director of Individual Giving

Pay Class: Full-time Regular

FLSA Status: Salaried Exempt

Position Summary

A community of more than 15,000 donors and members generously support Pacific Science Center's mission to ignite curiosity. Their investment enables PacSci to deliver award-winning interactive science education. Among our many partners, the philanthropy of our PacSci Igniters (our community of $500-$1M leadership donors) helps ensure that PacSci continues to ignite curiosity in every child and fuel a passion for discovery, experimentation, and critical thinking in all of us.

The Individual Giving (IG) Team grows and nurtures this community of investors by driving the continuum of strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward individual donors at all levels of giving. The Major Gifts Officer works in partnership with the Director of Individual Giving, Individual Giving Officer, and Donor Relations Specialist to actively cultivate and steward PacSci's individual donors with diverse philanthropic goals while also identifying and cultivating prospective major donors. The IG Team collaborates closely with the Corporate & Foundation Relations team and Membership & Marketing team to promote a culture of philanthropy organization-wide.

The Major Gifts Officer is a passionate relationship builder who manages a portfolio of current and lapsed major donors, including cultivating and soliciting donors face-to-face to secure annual support of $10,000-$100,000. This position also leads the IG team's systematic efforts to qualify prospective major donors from our membership community to help us meet PacSci's growth goals for contributed revenue in the next 3-5 years.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

The Individual Giving portfolio includes annual fund, PacSci Igniters, and major gifts. The Major Gifts Officer is responsible for:

Major Donor Cultivation and Proposal Solicitation (60%)

• Manage an assigned portfolio of approximately 125 donors and prospects capable of annual gifts in the $10,000 to $100,000 range. Implement moves management strategies to meet and exceed the overall Individual Giving goal of $1.9M.

• Cultivate and solicit donors through high-touch personal communications, visits, and exceptional customer service. Prioritize in-person "substantial contacts" with portfolio, with a goal of 100 meetings and 20 major gift solicitations per year.

• Prepare solicitation strategies, meeting briefings, written proposals, and impact reports for use during donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities.

• Leverage fundraising events as opportunities to meet portfolio goals.

Prospecting and Donor Discovery (30%)

• Conduct prospect research and analyze data to identify High Net Worth individuals within PacSci's member and donor community.

• Qualify major gift prospects through cold-calls and qualification conversations.

• Identify compelling opportunities for philanthropic investment.

Strategy and Administration (10%)

• Manage constituent records, maintaining up-to-date contacts, solicitations, and stewardship activities.

• Track and plan moves management in Tessitura database and participate in quarterly portfolio review/planning.

• In partnership with the Director of Individual Giving and VP for Development, implement strategies to meet annual revenue goals.

Other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements

• Knowledge of fundraising best practices

• Familiarity with Community-Centric Fundraising principles and practices

• Demonstrated understanding of Major Gifts principles, strategies, and trends, including trends among high-net-worth donors

• Ability to work autonomously to build a portfolio strategy, monitor, and adjust to drive desired fundraising outcomes

• Skilled at building philanthropy-centered relationships and inspiring donors to stretch their giving in support of the mission

• Written and oral communications (including meeting facilitation) are clear, compelling, and effective with all audiences

• Prospect research skills using industry tools such as iWave

• CRM database management, analysis, and reporting

• Demonstrated centering of equity and inclusion practices and desire to advance PacSci's commitment to enable science access for all

• Ability to collaborate across departments to support the work of our colleagues and understand PacSci's impact in the community

• Working onsite at Pacific Science Center regularly and as needed for tours, meetings, and events.

Qualifications

Required

• Five or more years professional fundraising experience, including three or more years managing a major gifts portfolio

• Proven success in face-to-face asks and closing gifts of $10K+; Responsibility for personal annual goals in excess of $500,000

Preferred

• Proven success in face-to-face asks and closing gifts of $50K+
• Experience working on an organized fundraising campaign (comprehensive or capital)

This position description generally describes the principal functions of the position and the level of knowledge and skills typically required.  It does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and the employee, and it is subject to change as the needs of the employer and the requirements of the job change.

Compensation

Pay is based on several factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and years of experience.

Starting Base Salary Range: $95,000-$115,000 per year

In addition to base salary, regular employees working 40 hrs/week can expect the following benefits:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, basic life insurance, and disability insurance

• 4 weeks of vacation, 12 floating holidays, and sick pay

• 403(b) Retirement Savings

• Commuter benefits

• Employee Assistance Program

• Employee PacSci Membership

Pacific Science Center stands with those who are courageously fighting against hate, racism, and injustice. We recognize that not being racist is not sufficient. We must be actively anti-racist, and we commit to doing so. We prioritize inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in everything we do. Curiosity and critical thinking are essential to the dialogue and changes that need to happen.

Pacific Science Center complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact us at HRDepartment@pacsci.org.

Other details

• Job Family 4 Managers & Equivalents

• Job Function Development

• Pay Type Salary

• Min Hiring Rate $95,000.00

• Max Hiring Rate $115,000.00

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• Pacific Science Center, 200 2nd Ave N, Seattle, Washington, United States of America