Associate Director of Major Gifts

The Zoological Society of Milwaukee (the Society) is seeking an Associate Director of Major Gifts to join a fun and talented team of professionals in supporting one of the most cherished community assets – the Milwaukee County Zoo. This position plays a key role in advancing the mission of the Zoological Society of Milwaukee by cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of major donors and prospects. Working in collaboration with development colleagues, program staff and leadership, they will build meaningful relationships that lead to increased philanthropic support for the Society and its initiatives.

This is a full-time position eligible for a competitive benefits package, including health insurance, complimentary dental, vision, life, STD and LTD coverage, 401k with up to a 5% match, PTO, paid holidays, and a complimentary zoo pass, up to the family level.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Engage in relationship-building activities to successfully grow a portfolio of individual donors and prospects with the capacity to make major gifts.
• Create and maintain a portfolio of 125 individuals and institutions identified as having a giving capacity of $25K+.
• Develop and execute tailored cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for each donor, in alignment with their interests and the Society’s funding priorities to foster lasting relationships that lead to continuous and increasing contributions.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the Society’s mission, vision, programs, and goals to effectively communicate with donors and inspire their support.
• Collaborate with teams across the Society and Zoo to create compelling proposals, impact reports, and other donor materials that drive successful major gift solicitations.
• Manage meaningful relationships with legacy donors and lead efforts to grow membership in the Simba Society through personalized outreach, stewardship, and engagement initiatives.
• Supervise 2 individuals responsible for managing the sponsorship and grant functions of the organization.
• Utilize donor management tools and CRM system to strategically track and document cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities, ensuring timely and personalized engagement of donors and prospects.
• Research and compile detailed information on current and prospective donors to support fundraising efforts.
• Work closely with leadership, board members, and volunteers to support and leverage relationships for fundraising success.
• Support and attend development stewardship, cultivation and fundraising events.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 7 years of experience in major gifts or individual fundraising, preferably within a nonprofit or cultural organization.
• Demonstrated success in building donor relationships with a variety of prospects.
• Knowledge of fundraising practices and ethics.
• Highly organized with strong project management and time management abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to effectively present information to groups and one-on-one, with excellent interpersonal skills, professionalism and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, board members, external partners and donors.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Strong computer skills including knowledge of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Smartsheet.
• Ability to work occasional evening and weekend events.

The Zoological Society of Milwaukee believes diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEAI) are the hallmarks of a robust, vibrant community and have adopted DEAI as foundational to our organizations’ priorities and values. A successful candidate will embrace these values and incorporate a similar commitment within their scope of work to foster an inclusive culture that celebrates diversity, which is demonstrated through actions and words.

The Society provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

The Zoological Society of Milwaukee is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in all its services. If you need accommodation in the application or interview process, please contact our Human Resources department at hr@zoosociety.org.