DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, MAJOR GIFTS

The Jane Goodall Institute USA seeks a Director of Development, Major Gifts to be based in USA Headquarters office in Washington, DC. The Director of Development, reporting to the Senior Vice President of Development, is responsible for growing the health of the JGI-USA Major Gifts program with the goal of increasing philanthropic revenue. The Director will be responsible for identifying and qualifying donors, cultivating new and prospective major gift donors, soliciting annual, major, and planned gifts, and stewarding major donors and prospects in the $25K+ giving range. 

The Director is an integral member of the Development team and works collaboratively to deepen JGI’s relationship with major donors bringing them closer to the organization and supporting the strategic growth of the pipeline of passionate donors to increase revenue from the Major Gifts program and advance JGI-USA’s goals. The Director is responsible for developing, executing, evaluating, and refining strategies for an assigned portfolio to maximize their potential. Additionally, the Director will coordinate the planning and execution of Development stewardship and fundraising events and will work with

others on the Development team as well as Program teams, Communications & Partnerships (C&P), Office of the Founder (OOF), and Finance departments to support the planning and execution of cross-departmental institutional events. This position requires 40% travel time.

Work Responsibilities

DONOR RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT AND FUNDRAISING (70%)

• Manage a national portfolio of donors and prospects through quality, strategic contacts and face-to-face visits to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, steward, and retain donors to successfully close major and planned gifts from $25K+ for programmatic and unrestricted support.

• Manage an active qualification portfolio of potential new major gift donors, moving them through all phases of the moves management cycle.

• Prepare donor solicitations, campaign materials, and correspondence related to fundraising and stewardship activities including gift agreements, proposals, and reports for specific donors as needed.

• Working closely with others on the Development team, strive to meet or exceed philanthropic revenue goals with a focus on new, increased, multi-year, and blended gifts.

• Develop and maintain a thorough and accurate understanding of JGI-USA programs and funding priorities to effectively communicate and successfully match donors’ and prospects’ philanthropic interests to JGI-USA priorities and funding needs.

• Travel both regionally and nationally to visit with JGI donors and prospects to deepen these relationships with JGI-USA leading to increased engagement and philanthropic revenue.

• Stay informed about trends and best practices in nonprofit fundraising and incorporate new ideas and strategies into their work.

STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATIVE FUNDRAISING (25%)

• Collaborate with others on the Development team, OOF, C&P, and the Executive Directors office to engage donors and prospects regionally through special events and other engagement opportunities.

• In collaboration with the Executive Director and others on the Development team, plan and execute several regional events with the goal of deepening and expanding the existing donor base, as well as recruiting and connecting with new prospective donors.

• In partnership with the Development Stewardship team, create personalized content such as reports, presentations, proposals, pitch decks, and other materials for individual cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship and contribute to organizational communications as needed, ensuring a quality consistent with the JGI-USA Development team standards.

• Assist in the preparation for donor meetings, call sheets, briefing documents for senior leadership as well as the creation of tailored donor strategy, talking points, and materials.

PERFORMANCE TRACKING AND REPORTING (5%)

• Working with the Development Operations team, utilize, update, and maintain donor records in JGI’s database of record by recording activities, contacts, and strategies, prospect and research tracking, and proposal pipeline forecasting consistent with JGI-USA database standards.

• Track solicitation amounts, anticipated gifts, pledges, and income in JGI’s database of record to ensure accurate regular revenue and cash flow updates on projections versus results.

• Utilize dashboards and reports in JGI’s database to ensure individual and department goals are on track. Provide feedback and review reports as needed.

Education and Experience

 Bachelor’s degree preferred.

 8+ years of fundraising experience with proven track record of success with soliciting and securing five- and six-figure gifts from individual donors.

 Experience with family foundations, donor advised funds, community foundations, corporations, and planned giving preferred.

 Demonstrated strength in relationship management with the ability to understand the needs and interests of donors, cultivating new prospects, converting prospects to donors, and maintaining multiple donor relationships.

Additional Characteristics and Attributes

 Experience with conservation and environmental organizations preferred.

 Excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to craft compelling, influential fundraising communications.

 Demonstrated experience managing a blended donor treatment strategy in a fast-paced and changing environment.

 Successful experience working collaboratively with colleagues across multiple diverse teams and committed to establishing, monitoring, and meeting short-term and long-term individual and team revenue goals.

 Must be self-directed, detail-oriented, deadline-driven, and able to work confidently and successfully in a fast-paced environment, capable of prioritizing and managing multiple projects simultaneously.

 Absolute discretion and personal integrity in maintaining confidentiality and sensitivity with prospect and donor information.

 Solid proficiency in fundraising databases is required for managing prospects, portfolio, and reports efficiently; Salesforce experience a plus.

 Commitment to Jane and JGI-USA’s fundamental belief that every individual has a role to play and are empowered to contribute in an inclusive, supportive, and welcoming professional community.

 The position will be based out of JGI-USA’s Washington, DC headquarters with an expectation of 40% domestic travel for conducting visits regionally and nationally with potential international travel as needed.

Work Environment

Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute USA (JGI-USA) is an international non-governmentalorganization that continues Dr.  Jane Goodall’s pioneering animal research and global conservation mission. The breadth of the Jane Goodall Institute’s work reflects Dr. Goodall’s personal philosophy that the survival of all species depends upon collaboration, community, and valuing individuals’contributions. 

At the Jane Goodall Institute we believe that when we can bring our whole selves to work on a dayto-day basis, we become happier, more comfortable, more confident, and more excited to do great things for our organization, each other, and our world. The Jane Goodall Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to being an organization and a community where people thrive by being themselves and are inspired to do their best work every day. We value attracting diverse talent and we cultivate an inclusive environment that encourages collaboration and creativity. We strive to be a diverse workforce and believe that forming teams in which everyone can be their authentic selves from all different backgrounds, experiences,

and perspectives is key to our success. 

Come join the Jane Goodall Institute and be a part of a global organization where we are all proud to belong.

Application Instructions

To apply for this position, please go to: https://www.janegoodall.org/about/jobs/

Open the position description for which you are applying and click apply.