Position Summary

The Director of Major and Planned Giving is responsible for overseeing a robust and sustainable major and planned giving program to achieve ambitious revenue goals. The Director reports to the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO), manages three fundraisers/relationship managers across major, leadership, and planning giving, and serves as a key member of the Development Management team and Chicago Public Media’s Senior Leadership team. Working closely with the CAO, this position is responsible for developing and executing strategies to secure annual and multi-year philanthropic support and estate gifts. The Director will manage and advance their own prospect portfolio and apply best practices to qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors and prospects. This role will focus on significantly increasing major gift and planned gift support at CPM. The Director will, as appropriate, support the CEO, Chief Content Officer, Board members, senior staff, and other key staff in managing donor and prospect relationships to foster and sustain a culture of philanthropy at CPM. 

Qualifications

• 7 years of development experience, including demonstrated success in raising major gifts ($5K to 7-figures). 
• Successful experience in developing multi-year major gift strategies.
• Management experience with the ability to lead, coach, and motivate a talented team of fundraising professionals. Comfortable using both quantitative and qualitative data to inform strategy and create a culture of excellence, accountability, and support.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Experience developing case statements and donor proposals. 
• Superior interpersonal skills required with donors and prospects as well as internal leadership, peers, colleagues, and direct reports. Must be a team player with high emotional intelligence who values collaboration and partnerships and treats everyone with respect.
• Proactive nature with strong planning and attention to detail. Ability to be strategic, collaborative, and results-oriented. Ability to take initiative and manage complex projects and work effectively from conception to completion in a timely manner. 
• Working knowledge of various planned giving vehicles (e.g., bequests, gift annuities, trusts, etc.) Previous experience working in an environment with an established planned giving program is a plus. 
• Possess an understanding of fundraising industry standards, especially regarding the legal and ethical aspects of donor solicitation, confidentiality, gift crediting, stewardship, and financial principles that shape the work of fundraising professionals. 
• Proficiency with Google Suites and constituent management and fundraising software.
• Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree a plus.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Serves as a leading fundraiser managing a portfolio of major donors/prospects with the capacity to make 5- to 7-figure gifts. Identifies potential planned giving prospects within the portfolio. 
• Establishes major gift fundraising goals in consultation with the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) and management team and advances strategies to reach them. 
• Drives all aspects of the gift cycle: identifies, qualifies, and prioritizes donors and prospects for cultivation and solicitation of major and planned gifts. 
• Partners with organizational and volunteer leaders to cultivate and solicit major donors. 
• Provides leadership and coaching to direct reports to lead to successful outcomes. Motivates team to deliver strong revenue results and work collaboratively across the organization.
• Responsible for overseeing moves management of major donor portfolios to ensure that timely solicitations are being made, and relationship managers (RMs) are updating proposal data in a timely manner. 
• Prepares personalized communication and customizes proposals and recognition opportunities for major donors. 
• Oversees the work of fundraisers who manage CPM’s Business Leadership Council, and WBEZ Next volunteer groups to ensure ongoing recruitment of new members, timely communications, planning, and execution of meetings and related events. 
• Staffs peer solicitation efforts, providing support to Board and council members to carry out high-level cultivation and solicitation strategies. 
• Provide direction on major gifts cultivation and recognition events, in collaboration with the CAO and the events manager. 

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

• This is a remote-hybrid position with requirements to be on-site a minimum of 2 days a week.
• Travel to off-site locations is required.
• Position may require use of a personal vehicle.
• Ability to stand, walk, sit, talk, see, smell and hear in the normal audio range with or without correction is required.