Director of Development, Major Gifts

The Director of Development (DOD) reports to the Vice President of Major Gifts and Multi-Year Giving. The role will be dedicated to supporting the fundraising objectives set forth by the Office of Development (OoD), with a focus on donors and prospects within the Major Gifts Team.  The DOD is a key member of the United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Office of Development.  Following internal policies and best practices relating to portfolio management and fundraising, the DOD will work collaboratively with multiple Development Teams and other UWGA staff to build and manage a fluid portfolio of 125-150. The DOD has primary responsibility for working with the IID to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicitate, and steward donor prospects of $10,000.00 and above within a dynamic, fast-paced fundraising environment.   

The position will work closely with the Major Gifts Team, the Corporate Relations Team as well as colleagues across departments, volunteers, boards, community leaders and a variety of others, and must be collaborative, professional, innovative, responsible and more, while maintaining a strong work ethic and attention to detail.  It is also essential that the DOD be well versed in both the art and science of individual fundraising and have significant experience identifying new high-capacity prospects, closing major gifts, collaborating with others to close gifts, and managing individual portfolios. The DOD will spend approximately 50% of their time each month on personal visits with prospects and will report on at 8-10 substantive visits per month.   

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

The DOD will be responsible for the following goals, duties, and responsibilities: 

• Securing 100-125 approved face-to-face visits per year, no fewer than 8 monthly.  

• Qualifying 30 new portfolio-level prospects.   

• Submitting a minimum of 8+ major gift solicitations per year at a level required by this position. 

• Securing annual dollar goal as set by Development leadership.  

• Making all contacts necessary via phone, email, other, to achieve the above-mentioned results.  

• Documenting all data necessary to track said goals through the timely submission of activity within the UWGA CRM, as required by internal policies. 

• Develop, implement, and manage a productive, fluid portfolio of 100-125 prospects through best practices.   

• Exceed all yearly revenue and metric-driven goals. 

• Promote collaboration, recognizing our shared goals, and regularly collaborate with colleagues within the Office of Development and other departments as needed.   

• Ensure the proper stewardship of individuals. 

• Increase awareness and knowledge among prospects, donors and other key stakeholders about the Child Well-Being Movement. 

• Develop a solid and detailed working knowledge of United Way’s funding priorities and products. 

• Other duties as assigned by the Vice President.  

Qualifications 

• Undergraduate degree required. 

• Five to Seven years fundraising experience to include the demonstrated ability to identify. cultivate and close major gifts.  

• Advanced interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills. 

• Organization skills for a fast-paced work environment. 

• Microsoft Office knowledge including, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc. 

• Experience with CRM/database management. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Advanced Degree 

• Experience implementing and managing capital campaigns.   

• Demonstrated fundraising innovation, especially as it relates to portfolio management. 

• Successful solicitation of major gifts from individuals.  

Competencies 

 A successful individual in this role will have: 

• Highly Advanced fundraising skills and knowledge.   

• Exceptional skills managing individual donor portfolios and developing prospects from identification through solicitation while moving them towards increased giving.  

• Ability to think strategically and implement strategic policies and practices.   

• Ability to work collaboratively to achieve common goals, fostering cooperation, transparency, and communication.   

• Ability to motivate others through communication, modeling appropriate behavior, optimism and high achievement.   

• Openness to new ideas and their implementation.  Ability to react and adapt to changing situations appropriately.   

• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality and organization. 

• Ability to manage multiple projects, meeting external needs while preserving internal relationships and meeting strict deadlines and requirements.  

• Entrepreneurial and highly energetic.  Must be a self-starter and able to work effectively independent of direct supervision.   

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Dynamic CRM, Raiser’s Edge, or a similar CRM software. 

• Highly attentive to detail and exceptional grammar required.  

• Dedicated to shared and measurable goals and metrics.