Major Gifts Officer

About the Role

WHYY is launching an exciting new position to engage donors across Delaware. We are seeking a friendly, solutions-oriented, self-starter to join WHYY Public Media as a Major Gifts Officer. This individual will develop authentic relationships with donors and prospects throughout Delaware to discover donor interests and align them with WHYY’s organizational priorities, helping donors achieve their philanthropic goals in partnership with WHYY.

The Major Gifts Officer will focus primarily on identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding new and emerging major gift donors, while also managing a select portfolio of existing donors and prospects. This role plans and manages donor relationship journeys that include qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

The position requires extensive travel throughout Delaware to build and maintain donor relationships statewide. While the MGO is based out of the Wilmington or Philadelphia offices, the expectation is that they are regularly in the field meeting donors across the state. Candidates must either live in Delaware or be very familiar with the state, with a preference for experience working in the either Wilmington and/or Sussex County region.

TEAM POSITION

The Major Gift Officer would work primarily out of WHYY’s Wilmington office and would be asked to come work occasionally from the main office located in Philadelphia. As noted above, they would also travel across Delaware as well as to occasional other events in the tristate region – WHYY’s coverage area. The individual would join WHYY’s successful Major Gifts department of 11 people who are collaborative, supportive, hard working, and focus on creating positive donor experiences in every interaction.

This is a grant funded position until 12/31/27.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Portfolio Management:

• Will manage, and qualify as needed, a caseload of approximately 150 donors.

• Qualify prospective major donors by taking them through a deliberate multi-step process over several months with the goal of portfolio creation of donors giving at $5,000 and above which is considered a major donor at WHYY.

• Will create individual goals for each person on the caseload based on the donor’s history of giving, capacity, and/or donor feedback.

• Create a plan for each donor that will serve as a foundational communication and engagement plan for each person on the caseload. Will faithfully and on a timely basis execute that plan so that individuals on the caseload are retained and upgraded.

• Ensure timely documentation and entry of all engagement.

Donor Proposals:

• Will work with the Director of Philanthropy and other team members to secure appropriate project information, including budgets, and create offers, proposals and asks that will be used with persons on the caseload to secure gifts.  

• Knowledgeable of all the types of giving opportunities with WHYY such as estate planning, gifts of stock, wire transfers, directed vs. restricted giving, and donating assets.

• Will liaise with other departments to gather current program information for donor communication and solicitations.

Stewardship and Cultivation:

• Will create personalized communications and touchpoints to share regularly with donors with a goal of 1 touchpoint per donor per month.

• Learn about WHYY’s many programs on TV, FM and digital as well as projects and be able to effectively communicate updates and impacts to donors.

• Will perform a variety of outreach initiatives to further engage the donor with WHYY including, but not limited to, phone calls, meeting invitations, lunches, home visits, emails, events, mailing birthday cards, and more.

• Will create monthly reports as required by management that accurately reflects caseload activity, goal progress, updates to anticipated revenue and performance.

• Support overall membership or mid-level to major gifts fundraising strategies by designing and implementing custom cultivation opportunities and walking through a multi-step plan.

Special Donor Engagement Opportunities:

• Attend galas and events in Delaware, and other area’s of WHYY’s tristate region, hosted by other organizations and individuals for networking opportunities with WHYY donors and prospects.

• Attend WHYY events to meet with WHYY donors and prospects.

• On occasion organize donor house parties for those you are working with.

Other:

• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Maintain a regular and predictable attendance.

Experience:  This position requires a minimum of five to seven years’ experience of successful fundraising (preferred) or applicable sales experience.

Technical Skills:  Proficient use of Microsoft Office software.

PREFERRED CRITERIA

Education:  A Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline OR the equivalent combination of training and experience.

Computer literacy:  High proficiency with technology, including Microsoft desktop applications and database/CRM systems. Must have the ability to research and correlate data; use judgment in the interpretation and communication of rules and regulations and policies and evaluate and interpret basic statistical reports; spreadsheets, etc.

Software Skills:  Knowledge of ROI CRM software is a plus.