Senior Manager, Individual and Major Gifts

Job Description: Senior Manager, Individual and Major Gifts
Location: Birmingham, AL
Reports To: Executive Director

ABOUT THIS ROLE

Birmingham Promise is dedicated to empowering students in Birmingham by providing equitable opportunities for post-secondary success. We are seeking a skilled Senior Manager, Individual and Major Gifts, to join our team in achieving our individual giving objectives. Reporting to the executive director, the Senior Manager, Individual and Major Gifts will be responsible for moving individual donors through the entire fundraising cycle, from identification through to stewardship.

This person will be an experienced and effective fundraiser who enjoys strategic yet highly relational donor stewardship. They will be excited about bringing their experience to bear on a young organization with a large budget and a larger mandate. This person will be able to empathize with donors and clearly communicate our organization’s mission. Endowment experience is a plus; this person will be part of the team that seeks to raise an endowment or scholarship fund for the Birmingham Promise’s last-dollar tuition scholarships.

Fund Development

• Plan and lead our individual giving portfolio, developing a strategy for growing our large portfolio of smaller IG gifts (under $5,000) into larger gifts over time, and identifying, cultivating, and stewarding existing and new major gifts
• Ensure all prospective and existing donors feel a sense of belonging and empowerment through their contributions to Birmingham Promise
• In collaboration with the executive director, set and meet individual giving goals
• Research major gift donor prospects and develop strategies for solicitation
• Conduct face-to-face meetings with some donors, while using good judgment and savvy to know when the executive director or a board member should be involved with donor solicitation and stewardship
• Design and operate a donor stewardship program and grow strong, respectful relationships with all individual donors, developing meaningful touchpoints and a robust stewardship plan
• Act as principal donor strategist for each prospect in the portfolio with specific responsibility to develop a written donor strategy and relationship record of all interactions
• Work with the executive director and board on plans to endow a scholarship fund

Development Administration

• Call and email individual giving donors on a regular cadence
• Draft proposals and stewardship documents
• Use fundraising and marketing tools to manage the portfolio, including donor screening tools and our database, Bloomerang
• Collaborate with the Senior Manager for Development Communications to recognize donors publicly and privately through written and graphic outputs
• Work with the entire Birmingham Promise team to help deliver on fundraising objectives

• Provide input/support into the budget development process

• Develop and track communications and cultivation/stewardship plans
• Create strategic meeting briefs for the executive director and others with appropriate objectives, asks, angles, and donor history, as well as listing potential questions from funders and propose potential responses

• Education and Experience:
  • An undergraduate degree and at least 5 years of professional experience in non-profit fundraising, or 5-7 years of professional experience in major gifts solicitation, cultivation and stewardship without a degree
  • Clear track record of raising funds through individual giving, particularly converting smaller gifts to larger gifts and managing and stewarding major gifts required
  • Work experience in fields related to economic mobility, education, and career and college readiness is a plus

• Skills:
  • Proficiency in a client relationship management system, Microsoft Suite applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and Google Drive required
  • Experience with Canva or other graphic design tools for creating materials highly preferred
  • English fluency required

• Desired Competencies:
  • Fundraising:
    • You thrive on helping people understand how giving to Birmingham Promise is the best possible investment of their financial support
    • You are comfortable using a donor database, prospect research and other wealth screening tools
    • You take ownership of a fundraising goal and drive towards it with energy and creativity
    • You enjoy talking to people and building genuine relationships that deepen over time
    • You enjoy involving and inspiring members of a team to take part in fundraising efforts
    • You have a mindset that sees a “no” as an invitation to learn, redirect strategy, gain more leads and connections, and generally as an opportunity for abundance
  • Work Orientation:
    • You are truly a self-starter and are driven by results - and you can demonstrate this through past outcomes
    • You are organized and detail-oriented, and always prepared for your work, whether that is moving your portfolio forward with backend operations, or being well-versed in a donor’s giving priorities so that you can hold effective meetings
    • You enjoy collaborating with a diverse set of stakeholders who represent different segments of our community and economy
    • You hold deep respect for families and students and know how to talk about our schools with dignity and respect and without perpetuating damaging stereotypes
    • You show great attention to detail and excellent organizational skills
    • You have exceptional writing and communication skills