Gift Planning Officer

American Red Cross•Minneapolis, MN

1d•$110,000 - $130,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The American Red Cross is seeking a Gift Planning Officer to support donors throughout the Minnesota and Dakotas Region of the organization. This position offers a work-from-home flexibility while also requiring regular engagement with donors and regional partners (in person, by phone and virtually) throughout the assigned territory. The Gift Planning team seeks to secure planned gifts supporting any component of the organization’s mission and to establish the Red Cross as the charity of choice for such gifts. Reporting to the Director of Gift Planning, this role includes identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding gift-planning prospects and donors in the area. The Gift Planning Officer will be responsible for developing strategies to increase funding capacity and maximize donor relationships.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree is required.
Minimum 5 years of major gift or gift planning experience or equivalent combination of education and related experience required.
Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication, presentation, and negotiation skills are required.
Basic proficiency in computer, word-processing, spreadsheet applications, and database applications is required.
Strong organization skills and good attention to detail are essential.
Demonstrated tact and diplomacy in difficult or sensitive situations is essential.
Ability to work on a team.
Knowledge of Microsoft Office is necessary.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or certification in one or more of the following areas is preferred: CFRE, CFP, CAP, JD, LLM.
Experience with gifts of assets and life income gifts including charitable gift annuities and charitable trusts is preferred.
Experience promoting, managing, cultivating and soliciting such programs is highly desirable.
Experienced candidates from the financial, estate, and/or philanthropic planning, law, and trust administration fields are encouraged to apply.
Knowledge of applicable principles, concepts, practices and standards of planned giving vehicles and fundraising is desired.
Knowledge of the technical aspects of planned giving vehicles as well as an extensive knowledge of fundraising principles and techniques in a large organization is desired.
Training in PG Calc or Crescendo planned giving software is desirable.

Responsibilities

Develop and manage the gift planning strategy for a portfolio of prospects throughout the Region to support Red Cross programs and services.
Develop, lead, and implement strategies to substantially grow membership of the Legacy Society.
Maintain and enhance a stewardship program for all planned giving donors. Raise and enhance the profile of the Legacy Society.
Deliver training as appropriate on gift planning to advance knowledge and foster opportunities in gift conversations and strategy development.
Remain current in gift planning trends and fundraising techniques by attending meetings and conferences and participating in training programs.
Provide technical assistance to the Region’s development team to increase its fundraising capacity to solicit planned and current gifts.
Cooperate with various local financial planning and estate planning associations to plan meetings that maximize the Red Cross position as the charity of choice for bequests, trusts, retirement funds, life insurance policies, and life income arrangements.
Support the reporting by the Region of all estate documents to the Office of General Counsel.
Communicate with the Director of Gift Planning on a regular basis about donor and gift activity. Utilizes development prospect management system to facilitate regular reporting of donor and gift activity and to manage achievements of fundraising and personal goals.