Senior Major Gifts and Planned Giving Officer

General Description:

The Senior Major Gifts and Planned Giving Officer is a critical member of the Individual Giving team and plays a leadership role in advancing the organization’s major and planned giving strategies. This position is responsible for securing individual major gifts of $25,000 and above while providing strategic direction, management, and growth of the planned giving program, including the generation of new legacy gift expectancies. The Officer develops Major Gifts and Planned Giving goals, implements strategies, engages donors through personalized outreach, conducts face-to-face visits, and leads solicitation and stewardship efforts to ensure long-term philanthropic impact.

The Senior Major Gifts and Planned Giving Officer serves as the primary relationship manager for a portfolio of approximately 100 major gift and planned giving donors and prospects some with demonstrated capacity and interest, others will require qualification. This role oversees relationships through all stages of qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, with a particular focus on educating and guiding donors toward legacy giving opportunities aligned with their philanthropic goals. The Officer holds responsibility for meeting annual revenue goals for their portfolio and contributing to broader Individual Giving and departmental objectives.

Key Responsibilities and Essential Functions:                                                                                                      

• With support of the Senior Director of Individual Giving and team members, develop an annual plan that includes clear goals and objectives for growing major gifts and planned giving as well as metrics to monitor success.
• Identification and Cultivation
  • Collaborate with the Senior Director of Individual Giving and other team members to develop “top prospect” lists based on giving histories, research, and relationship history.
  • Work in partnership with The Stelter Company to convert donor interest in planned giving into active commitments.
  • Create individualized relationship action plans for portfolio of prospects in line with financial goals.
  • Actively manage a portfolio 110 major gift and planned giving donors and prospects.

• Solicitation and moves management
  • Work with senior management to plan and execute solicitations for major gift donors.

• Recognition and stewardship
  • Work closely with Donor Engagement to create recognition opportunities for major donors and legacy giving society members.
  • Oversee the Will to End Hunger Society, the legacy giving society of the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
• Administrative
  • Prepare comprehensive and sophisticated documents including but not limited to; briefings for leadership and colleagues; gift opportunity presentations, gift proposals, budget forecasts, etc.
  • Partner with Finance Team and IRA custodians to guarantee timely filing, duplication, and signature of all planned giving documents.”
  • Updates donor records in a timely matter with relevant data including contact reports, demographic updates, and other similar types of pertinent information.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Strong command of major and planned giving principles, with a proven track record of directly soliciting, negotiating, and closing five- and six-figure outright gifts as well as planned gifts.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to relate to donors, volunteers, and colleague
• Enthusiastic contributor to the Major Gifts team and the broader Food Depository community.
• Highly organized & detail oriented.
• Adaptable and flexible in fast-paced environment, able to multi-task and handle several priorities simultaneously.
• Demonstrated initiative and willingness to take on new projects.
• Proficiency in MS Office – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.
• Development database experience (Raisers Edge / NXT experience desirable).

Exposure:

• General office environment; limited exposure to warehouse environment.
• Interacts with GCFD staff, Board Members, financial donors, volunteers and general public.
• Local travel depending on events; evening and weekend hours are required.

Benefits:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance coverage
• Employer-paid life and disability insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution
• Generous paid time off
• Parental leave
• On-site gym
• $3,000 annual employer-paid ThrivePass lifestyle and wellness benefit program
• $250 employee referral bonus