Major Gift Officer Job Opening at Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, WI

The Major Gift Officer contributes to the realization of Mount Mary’s mission through the cultivation and solicitation of prospects and relationship-building with alumnae and friends of the College.
 
Seeking an experienced fundraiser with a background in higher education and an affinity to:

• access to post-secondary education
• excellence in a private, liberal arts college setting
• women’s leadership
• social justice

Mount Mary College is embarking on a comprehensive campaign to capitalize on its strong momentum – enrollment growth in recent years, new graduate-level programs, financial reserves, and vibrant leadership on-boarded over the past two years.
 
We seek a field fundraiser to encourage major philanthropists to support the education of Wisconsin’s next generation of strong women leaders and to invest in creative enterprises across the College’s curriculum in art & design, fashion, nursing, occupational therapy, art therapy, business administration, and more.
 
This position offers a wide scope of opportunity for an experienced fundraiser.
In particular Mount Mary offers an environment and culture that will resonate with:

• A commitment to diversity in higher education
• A passion for access to education
• An interest in social justice
• An affinity to faith-based education and an community drawn together by core values rooted in the legacy of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

The Major Gift Officers will be an integral member of a high-energy fieldwork team focused on:

• Proactively working with a prospect portfolio of high potential constituents and friends.
• Contributing to the framing of a campaign that is forward-looking and transformative.
• Collaborating and leading on creative strategies to implement a fundraising program resonant with the mission of Mount Mary and representing excellence on all measures.
• Building partnerships across the faculty and administration to tell the Mount Mary story in persuasive and moving ways.
• Partnering with colleagues in External Relations to elevate the presence and reputation of Mount Mary locally, regionally, and nationally.

Our ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree or higher, and will have the benefit of five to seven or more years of major gift fundraising. Our short-list candidates will be dynamic individuals with the poise and potential to lead in their field and to connect with top-flight philanthropists on behalf of Mount Mary.
 
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:
Under the direction of the Senior Director of Development, the Major Gift Officer will:
Participate as an active member in the identification and rating of prospects and the development of solicitation and campaign strategies for donors and prospects.

• Maintain and proactively work through a portfolio of prospects to be contacted and assessed for philanthropic potential, providing acquired information to the prospect researcher/manager for records and tracking.
• Manage, through solicitations and stewardship, an assigned portfolio with focus on institutional priorities and overall annual unrestricted goal.
• Facilitate, with the Senior Director of Development, the integration of prospect screening activities (e.g., dialogue dinners, discovery interviews).
• Serve as a resource for developing strategies for annual, major gift, and campaign solicitations and participate in prospect tracking meetings with senior leadership.

 Ensure the College realizes its annual fund-raising goals.

• Perform consistent and strategic contact and review of major gift prospects in concert with the Senior Director of Development.
• Cultivate major donor prospects and meet annual target for number of visits as well as solicitations and gift closes, including combined major gift and annual fund asks.
• Coordinate specialized “mini campaigns” targeted at constituent groups associated with a particular program.
• Provide report-outs on solicitation status and projected cultivation / solicitations.

Promote the College’s commitment to donor services.

• Build effective partnerships with College co-workers by freely sharing appropriate information.
• Ensure optimum service to all internal and external partners in response to all requests.
• Steward and engage alumnae as well as friends of the College.

Essential Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Five to seven years successful experience in major gift fundraising
• Three to five years successful experience playing a key role in a fundraising campaign
• Demonstrated knowledge of development practices and principles and a track record of success in managing prospects and closing gifts
• Understanding of the needs and interests of leadership and major gift donors in order to identify possible relationships between them and the College
• Demonstrated leadership and the ability to work in an independent manner
• Successful experience making cold calls as well as developing cultivation and solicitation strategies
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Flexibility to travel, occasional weekend and evening work
• Ability to successfully utilize donor software: reporting, analyzing, evaluating
• Understanding and affirmation of the mission of Mount Mary College and the School Sisters of Notre Dame