Major Gift Officer

Position Purpose

The Rivers School is seeking a full-time Major Gift Officer who will be responsible for developing

strategies to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward long-term relationships with key donor

prospects. Through face-to-face solicitations, the frontline fundraiser will generate revenue from

major, capital, annual and planned gifts. This position will be pivotal in Rivers’ comprehensive

capital campaign in support of the School’s newly developed strategic plan. As an integral member

of the frontline team, the Major Gift Officer will manage a portfolio of leadership prospects and

help secure the philanthropic support necessary to achieve the campaign’s ambitious goals. The

successful candidate will collaborate closely with school leadership, colleagues, and volunteers to

build momentum and advance the campaign’s priorities. These efforts will enhance the overall

experience of Rivers’ students, parents and caregivers, and professional community. This position reports into

the Director Development.

Essential Job Functions

• Manage an assigned portfolio of approximately 80 prospects, who have the capacity to give $100,000 or more through identifying, qualifying, cultivating, and soliciting prospects for annual, major, and planned gifts, as well as successfully meet departmental metrics and annual goals.
• Participate in the development of overall fundraising strategies, as well as prepare written and oral presentations and proposals.
• Participate and manage all aspects of building donor relations and solicitation of gifts.
• Assist the Director of Development in managing the planned giving program with annual goals for growing the number of members in the Robert W. Rivers Society.
• Collaborate with the Director of Annual Giving to solicit top annual fund gifts.
• Ensure donors are appropriately thanked and stewarded by the office.
• Establish and build relationships with the professional community to better represent the school.
• Other duties as assigned with night and weekend work on occasion.
  
  

Qualifications

• Qualified candidates will hold a Bachelor’s degree and have at least three to five years of fundraising or transferable experience, preferably in an educational setting. An understanding and appreciation of independent schools is preferred.
• Must have a demonstrated record of fundraising success.
  
  

Required Skills

• Must have exceptional writing and communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills.
• High level of fluency with Raiser’s Edge NXT, Google Suite, and Microsoft Office.
• Ability to organize and prioritize work, multi-task, and work with many people on different projects—from administrators, professional community members, volunteers, parents/caregivers, and alumni.
• Maintain a high level of confidentiality and professionalism.
• Must be a collegial, flexible, and collaborative team player.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
  
  

Salary Range: $90,000-$125,000

Rivers encourages interest from candidates who will enrich the diversity of identity, experience, and

perspectives among our professional and school community. We recognize that skilled and

innovative individuals follow a variety of pathways in life, and we enthusiastically invite applications

from those who may have experience that meets our qualifications in non-traditional ways. Rivers

offers BIPOC affinity, LGBTQ affinity, and white allyship spaces for professionals, as well as

institutional professional development, to support and enrich our work around equity and access. In

addition to mentorship from peers and direct supervisors, all professional community members

benefit from a year-long onboarding program.

If you would benefit from any accommodations at any point during the application process, please

contact our DEI Director, tc Hanmer (tc.hanmer@rivers.org).