Posted on February 22, 2013

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Senior Development Manager, Major Gifts

The Senior Development Manager, Major Gifts is a new position at Ceres. The role will report directly to the Chief Development Officer (CDO), with a specific focus on cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major donors to the organization. He/she will work as part of a seven-person development department, and will also work closely with the Ceres President, the President’s Council (an advisory board focused on resource development), and the Board Development Committee. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced development professional to build and manage a major gifts program.

Specific duties include, but are not limited to the following:

Increase revenue from current major donors and identify potential new donors

• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors at the $5,000 plus level with individualized development strategies.
• Build and manage a portfolio of 50-70 major donors and prospects.
• Solicit gifts directly, and prepare the President, CDO, other senior colleagues, and President’s Council members for solicitations and donor interactions. Support them as needed with donor briefings, talking points, program summaries, and other development collateral.
• Adapt and/or write proposals as necessary for major donors and prospects.
• Collaborate with the CDO, President, and President’s Council, and other key stakeholders to identify, build and cultivate a pipeline of prospects.
• Stay abreast of Ceres’ programs in order to represent the organization effectively with external constituents, share updates with donors and with President’s Council, and link donor interests to Ceres’ programmatic priorities.

Build and manage major donor program and systems

• In collaboration with the CDO, set goals and targets for major gift program. Monitor progress toward revenue goals and prepare progress reports.
• Oversee efforts to build and maintain up-to-date profiles for current donors and to utilize prospect research effectively.
• Help ensure full and effective utilization of Ceres’ Salesforce database by tracking and recording activities with donors and prospects, including donor and prospect contact, status, and next steps.
• Create, plan, implement and staff special events in support of fundraising priorities.
• Assist the CDO in staffing and supporting the President’s Council and Board Development Committee.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum 5 years fundraising experience, including successful major gifts procurement.
• Experience planning and executing events strongly preferred.
• Experience with CRM systems strongly preferred; knowledge of Salesforce desirable.
• A confident and poised demeanor, demonstrated ability to build strong relationships with high net worth donors and prospects.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, strong listening and recall abilities.
• Superior organizational and planning skills, and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and institute new systems and processes.
• Ability to strategically harness the time and energy of others in order to maximize development opportunities.
• Experience with/knowledge of planned giving and capital campaigns preferred.
• Capacity to manage and organize confidential information, and to exercise discretion and sound judgment.
• Passion for Ceres’ mission and ability to inspire others in that mission.
• Willingness to travel domestically as needed to meet with donors and prospects.

Application Instructions

We encourage all applicants to review our website to familiarize themselves with Ceres before applying: www.ceres.org. Applicants should submit a resume, a list of three references, and a letter describing their qualifications, interests, and potential contribution to our organization.

Please use the words “Senior Development Manager, Major Gifts” in the subject line of your e-mail message.

Address all correspondence to:
Careers at Ceres
ATTN: Senior Development Manager, Major Gifts
Email (preferred): careers@ceres.org
99 Chauncy Street, 6th Floor
Boston, MA 02111