Major Gifts Officer

Viewpoint School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school serving 1,200 students in grades TK-12. Viewpoint is located in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles County on a 40-acre campus in Calabasas, close to the countless urban and recreational destinations Los Angeles has to offer.

Viewpoint School prioritizes the quality of the student experience within a

context of achievement, and encourages broad student participation in academic and co-curricular opportunities. The school community is unified by a shared set of values and seeks always to strengthen its culture of learning, purpose, caring, and challenge. Viewpoint asks teachers to create relational classroom climates conducive to collaboration, creativity, and application. Employees are part of a dynamic community of bright, engaged students and colleagues. Balancing academic achievement with student wellness is also a priority for the School.

We are honored to have been named 2023 Best Place to Work in SoCal by @bestcompaniesgroup. Our talented staff are the ones that made this happen and make this a great place to work every day. What makes this news even better? We're hiring Come join our dedicated team

Viewpoint School is currently seeking a Major Gifts Officer. The Major Gift Officer (MGO) will join Viewpoint’s Advancement Office at an important moment of strategic growth and will be critical to the department’s effort to build a best-in-class fundraising operation in preparation for a forthcoming comprehensive campaign. Reporting to the Senior Director of Major Gifts, the MGO will identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward gifts to core annual priorities, including the Viewpoint Fund and Annual Benefit, through the management of a robust portfolio of up to 150 current and prospective donors, with plentiful opportunities for discovery work and pipeline development that grow parent participation at the School and root a culture of philanthropy more deeply. The individual will work closely with the Director of the Viewpoint Fund to improve donor acquisition and retention in the higher giving circles as well as upgrade donors through tailored moves management strategies. There is a budding major gifts program at Viewpoint and tremendous opportunity to engage the Viewpoint community in restricted given conversations, and the MGO will be a key contributor in driving success on this front.

The ideal candidate will thrive in a highly collaborative and dynamic fundraising environment, where team members have multi-faceted roles and intersect on a variety of projects that move rapidly throughout the school-year. The individual will have a proven track record in annual and/or major giving and experience with discovery work and pipeline building. The ideal candidate will be someone who has a strong understanding of frontline fundraising, is an expert in moves management techniques, and can work independently. To be successful, the Major Gift Officer will be a strong communicator in verbal, written, and presentation formats with excellent interpersonal skills, have an appreciation for data driven work, and possess the ability to work collaboratively with a variety of partners and stakeholders in a large TK-12 independent school.

Responsibilities

The Major Gift Officer will be responsible for an ambitious goal that is set with careful review of the capacity in their assigned portfolio. The MGO will focus primarily on individual gifts to the Viewpoint Fund and Annual Benefit, as well as restricted opportunities, with the goal of acquiring and upgrading donors across the giving ladder in preparation for a future campaign.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Independently manage a portfolio through all phases of the giving cycle, from validation and engagement through cultivation, solicitation, gift negotiation, and stewardship.
• Focus on the retention and acquisition of Viewpoint Fund donors, identifying opportunities to upgrade gifts through tailored engagement and stewardship strategies
• Conduct a minimum of 60 prospect meetings annually to cultivate and solicit prospects and successfully close gifts. Manage communications and follow-up, including updating Raiser’s Edge NXT with contact reports, research, and moves management information on all prospects in the portfolio. Conduct regular qualification meetings with prospects who have not been visited previously to help determine giving potential and opportunities for engagement.
• Work closely with the Major Gifts team and the Director of the Viewpoint Fund to coordinate prospect review meetings to identify, qualify, and prioritize prospects through moves management strategies and research.
• Partner effectively with volunteer leaders for peer-to-peer fundraising success.
• Partner with the Director of Prospect Research Strategy to regularly review and refine portfolio, determine priority of research requests, and ensure effective moves management, accuracy of projections, and data integrity.
• Partner with the Senior Director of Major Gifts to grow a true major gift program by developing special gift opportunities and engaging top donors in high level gift conversations.
• Develops written solicitation and other development materials for prospects, including compelling proposals
• Performs other related tasks and special projects as required.
• Travel within the greater Los Angeles area for donor meetings and events.

Education and Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree preferred
• 4-6 years of frontline fundraising experience, with a proven track record of closing gifts of $25,000 and above.
• Experience working in education is preferred. Understanding of the mission and purpose of independent schools is highly desirable.
• Experience raising restricted gifts in a campaign environment preferred.

Skills and Qualifications

• Team player with a can-do attitude and willingness to help others
• Demonstrated commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Belonging (DEIJB)
• Highly organized and detail oriented with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and projects, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Strategic thinker, diplomatic and discerning, with sound judgment and a collaborative style that fosters teamwork and cooperation
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a collaborative approach to working with staff at all organizational levels, including volunteers and board members
• Ability to be creative, enterprising, persuasive, and tactful
• Ability to deliver exceptional customer service via all channels (phone, email, in-person, etc.)
• Ability to use current desktop office technologies proficiently and ability to adapt to and use future technologies
• CRM experience required (Raiser’s Edge/NXT preferred)
• Data-driven and digital first mentality, with the ability to work collaboratively in a Google cloud-based environment
• Ability to work evenings for prospect dinners and events as needed
• Ability and willingness to travel locally in greater Los Angeles area for prospect visits and events