Regional Director Of Donor Relations (major Gifts Officer)

Job Title: Regional Director of Donor Relations (Major Gifts Officer)

Reports To: Vice President of Donor Relations              

Location: Southern California preferred; other West Coast hubs considered

Status: Full time, Exempt

Position Summary: The Regional Director of Donor Relations will serve a portfolio of qualified major donors and prospects. The position will be responsible for donor research, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and retention, and will ensure that donors are invited to participate and engage in the work and outreach of Water for Good.

Responsibilities & Duties Overview:

• Manage ~120 relationships from varied accounts that represent individuals, churches, and corporations to qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward these relationships through excellent 12-month planning and intentional outreach.

• Create and execute a market-centric business plan for portfolio to reach annual revenue targets.

• Create and implement personalized cultivation and solicitation strategies for each donor in the portfolio.

• Independently plan and execute annual travel calendar to ensure proper care of donor relationships.

• Identify major donor referral prospects by executing a robust referral strategy with established partners.

• Draft major donor gift proposals and solicit major gifts from individuals, churches, and corporate partners.

• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors who have announced a commitment to planned giving.

• Steward and acknowledge donor gifts in a timely and personally appropriate manner, ensuring that donors feel appreciated and understand the significance of their gifts and partnership.

• Mobilize and accompany donors on periodic vision trips to Africa or Asia.

• Actively contribute to development strategies and Development team initiatives, making recommendations and contributing to team meetings.

• Facilitate meetings with high-impact donors with Water for Good CEO and other Senior Leadership Team members as appropriate.

• Perform all related administrative duties including but not limited to ensuring that records/contacts in the database are maintained accurately and ensure all financial and administrative reports are submitted in a timely manner.

• Other duties as assigned.

Work Experience & Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:

• Passion for Water for Good’s mission of serving vulnerable communities and children, and seeing an end to the global water crisis

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience from an accredited institution

• 5+ years in a nonprofit fundraising role, with demonstrated ability of closing 5 and 6-figure gifts

• Proficiency with Salesforce, or a similar CRM donor database

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, and emotional intelligence, with the ability to engage and inspire donors

• Knowledge of fundraising best practices, philanthropy trends, and ethical practices

• Domestic and international travel as needed

• Adherence to Water for Good’s statement of faith

• Legally eligible to work in the United States; no sponsorship will be provided

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience using project management software, such as Asana
• Experience using wealth screening tools, such as DonorSearch

Physical Qualifications:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds at times

Travel Required:

• Domestic and international travel between 30-40%