Principal Gifts Officer

Title: Principal Gifts Officer

Department: Development

Reports To: Campaign Director

Classification: Full-Time, Exempt

Compensation: Pay Grade 5 ($120,788.09 – $163,461.73)

Position Overview

The Principal Gifts Officer serves as a senior frontline fundraiser in advancing San Francisco Ballet’s multi-year comprehensive campaign, Arrow to the Future. Reporting to the Campaign Director, this role manages a portfolio of top prospects and donors, driving principal and leadership gifts that are pivotal to the campaign’s success. As both a lead solicitor and supporting partner to the Campaign Director, the Principal Gifts Officer plays a critical role in cultivating high-impact relationships with individuals and families capable of making transformational investments in the Ballet’s future. This role blends frontline fundraising expertise with campaign strategy, ensuring that campaign goals are met through thoughtful participation in planning, coordination, and personalized donor engagement.

Responsibilities

Principal Donor Cultivation and Direct Solicitation

• Manage and grow a portfolio of 75–100 top campaign prospects and donors with the capacity to make gifts of $1 million and above, including multi-million-dollar principal gifts.
• Develop individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies for each prospect in collaboration with the Campaign Director and senior leadership.
• Lead and participate in all stages of the solicitation process, including prospect qualification, strategy development, proposal preparation, and gift closing and agreements.
• Collaborate with campaign consultants, volunteer leaders, members of the Individual Giving team, and executive leadership to facilitate joint solicitations and strategic donor conversations.
• Work closely with the Campaign Director to prepare and execute complex, multi-faceted proposals and long-term gift agreements for solicitations by executive leadership and cabinet campaign members.
• Support the Campaign Director and leadership team in preparing campaign volunteers and Board members for cultivation and solicitation meetings.
• Maintain detailed and timely records of donor interactions and moves management in the CRM (Tessitura).
  
  

Campaign Cultivation and Stewardship Strategy

• Support the creation of tailored and data-informed strategies for top campaign prospects and the preparation of briefing materials for leadership and volunteers.
• Build and sustain deep, meaningful relationships with principal gift donors and prospects through personalized engagement and high-touch cultivation and stewardship.
• Partner with the Events team to design and implement bespoke cultivation and stewardship experiences, as well as dedicated campaign events that advance donor relationships
• Develop strategically planned prospect lists for donor experiences and campaign-related events that advance cultivation and engagement goals.
• In collaboration with Events and Individual Giving, develop tailored engagement opportunities with San Francisco Ballet’s leadership, artists, and programming to strengthen donor connection and loyalty.
• Collaborate with internal partners to ensure stewardship plans are executed with excellence and aligned with donor intent and institutional priorities.
  
  

Campaign Administration

• Serve as deputy staff liaison to the Campaign Cabinet, with support from the Senior Campaign Manager and Prospect Researcher, and Campaign Liaison, supporting volunteer leadership in planning, tracking, and follow-through on campaign activities.
• Alongside Campaign Director and campaign consultants, collaborate closely with campaign cabinet and Development leadership to ensure alignment between campaign strategy and organizational priorities, conducting pipeline review and moves management meetings with designated members of the cabinet.
  
  

Qualifications

Qualifications

• Demonstrated success managing complex donor relationships and contributing to multi-million-dollar campaigns.
• 10 years of experience in frontline fundraising, with a proven record of closing six- and seven-figure commitments.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with proven success working with executive leadership, board members, and high-net-worth individuals.
• Demonstrated excellence in written communication, with the ability to craft clear, compelling, and tailored donor materials, including proposals, impact reports, and stewardship collateral, that convey powerful narratives and inspire philanthropic engagement.
• Exceptional project management and organizational skills.
• Bachelor’s degree; advanced degree or CFRE certification (or equivalent work experience) a plus
• Background in the performing arts or cultural sector strongly preferred.
  
  

Physical Requirements

• Typical office environment with some evening and weekend work during performance or campaign events. More evenings and weekend work required during the repertory season.
• Ability to lift up to 30 lbs unassisted.
  
  

Application Procedure

We prefer you apply online

NO CALLS, PLEASE

San Francisco Ballet Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to employing a diverse staff.

Qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for the position in accordance with the

Fair Chance Ordinance (FCO).

Organizational Profile

As America's oldest professional ballet company and one of the three largest ballet companies in the United

States, San Francisco Ballet has enjoyed a long and rich tradition of artistic firsts since it was founded in 1933.

SF Ballet performed the first American productions of Swan Lake and Nutcracker, as well as the first production

of Coppelia, choreographed by an American choreographer. Guided in its early years by American dance

pioneers and brothers Lew, Willam, and Harold Christensen, San Francisco Ballet currently presents more than

100 performances a year locally, nationally, and abroad. Under the direction of Tamara Rojo, the Company

upholds and drives an international reputation as one of the preeminent ballet companies in the world.