Philanthropy Officer

About the role

The Philanthropy Officer is responsible for cultivating and growing a portfolio of approximately 300 mid-level donors and prospects with giving capacity ranging from $500–$9,999 annually. This role involves deepening engagement, generating donor insight, and moving donor relationships forward through visits, virtual meetings, phone calls, and personalized correspondence.

Responsibilities

• Cultivate and grow a portfolio of approximately 300 mid-level donors and prospects with giving capacity ranging from $500–$9,999 annually.
• Achieve an average of 15-20 meaningful donor connections per month through visits, virtual meetings, phone calls, and personalized correspondence.
• Lead a thoughtful qualification process to identify and engage high-potential donors, building trusted relationships that strengthen annual support and prepare donors for future major gift and/or planned giving opportunities.
• Create and implement individualized engagement plans that reflect each donor's interests and motivations, with thoughtful cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies that deepen connection and encourage movement along the donor pipeline.
• Partner closely with curatorial, education, conservation, horticulture, and senior leadership colleagues, as well as volunteer leadership, to create meaningful donor experiences and connect donor interests with Newfields' mission and impact priorities.
• Assess and advance opportunities for non-cash gifts such as donor-advised funds, IRA qualified charitable distributions, appreciated securities, and other complex assets, while recognizing and referring planned giving opportunities as appropriate.
• Collaborate with Advancement team members to ensure donors experience a seamless philanthropic journey, including thoughtful transition into major and planned giving portfolios when appropriate.
• Support and participate in donor cultivation events, exhibition openings, tours, and other engagement opportunities that foster authentic relationships with donors and prospects.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and comprehensive donor records, contact reports, moves management activity, and pipeline tracking within Raiser’s Edge NXT to support personalized and strategic donor engagement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or graduate-level study preferred.
• Minimum of 3–5 years of relevant fundraising or relationship-management experience required, including demonstrated success in donor cultivation, stewardship, and philanthropic relationship development.
• Experience within an arts, cultural, or nonprofit institution preferred.

Qualifications

• Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to communicate professionally and diplomatically with a diverse group of major donors, board members, and executive management team.
• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to donors and employees.
• Persuasive writing skills required.
• Demonstrated initiative and follow-through.
• Ability to work effectively across multiple departments and at all levels of the organization.
• Ability to think creatively and develop effective solicitation materials and correspondence.
• Mathematical skills ability to calculate mathematical figures and apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to analyze membership statistics.

Skills

• Organization
• Computer
• Customer service

Benefits

Not specified.

Pay

$65,000 - $75,000 /annually

Schedule

Not specified.