Major Gift Officer

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY•San Francisco, CA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The San Francisco Symphony is among the most adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the United States, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, award-winning recordings, and standard-setting education and community engagement programs. Since it was established in 1911, the Symphony has grown in acclaim under a succession of distinguished music directors: Henry Hadley, Alfred Hertz, Basil Cameron, Issay Dobrowen, Pierre Monteux, Enrique Jordá, Josef Krips, Seiji Ozawa, Edo de Waart, Herbert Blomstedt, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. The San Francisco Symphony presents more than 200 concerts and presentations annually for an audience of nearly 350,000 in its home of Davies Symphony Hall and around the Bay Area. A cornerstone of its mission, the San Francisco Symphony provides some of the most extensive education and community programs offered by any American orchestra. The Symphony’s free music education experiences engage students in grades 1–12 throughout the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), serving more than 25,000 students annually. In 2001, the SF Symphony became the first American orchestra to launch its own in-house record label SFS Media. Recorded live in concert and engineered at Davies Symphony Hall, SFS Media recordings showcase music by contemporary composers as well as core classical masterworks. San Francisco Symphony radio broadcasts, the first in the nation to feature symphonic music when they began in 1926, today carry the Orchestra’s concerts across the country. In 2004, the SF Symphony launched the groundbreaking multimedia Keeping Score series on PBS-TV and the web; the series was made available for unlimited free streaming on the Symphony’s YouTube channel in 2020. In 2014, the San Francisco Symphony inaugurated SoundBox, an experimental and eclectic live music series, which takes place in an alternative performance space located backstage at Davies Symphony Hall. In 2023, the San Francisco Symphony partnered with Apple for the launch of a new classical music streaming app, Apple Music Classical, and has since released 15 spatial audio recordings of live concert performances through the app. For its adventurous programming, the Symphony has been honored 19 times by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and the Symphony’s recordings have garnered France’s Grand Prix du Disque and Britain’s Gramophone Award, as well as 17 Grammy® Awards. The Major Gift Officer (MGO) reports to the Senior Major Gift Officer (SMGO) and is a member of the Individual Giving Team. The MGO is a frontline fundraiser responsible for managing a portfolio of 120-130 Major Gift and Planned Giving prospects that collectively contribute $1.5M - $3M annually to the Annual Fund. The MGO is charged with meeting Symphony targets and contributing to the overall growth of private philanthropy.

Requirements

5-7 years of experience in fundraising, with a track record of success preferably in the performing arts. Relevant experience outside the nonprofit environment working with high net worth individuals will be considered.
Proven experience in major individual gift fundraising, preferably in performing arts organizations, and in cultivating and soliciting prospects capable of gifts at the $25K+ level.
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Ability to professionally and diplomatically communicate and interact with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders.
Proficient in Microsoft Office and donor database software. Tessitura preferred.
Strong organizational skills.
Ability to handle multiple tasks and priorities, and meet deadlines in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
Willing to attend concerts and events, regularly on nights and weekends.
Must be willing to travel around the Bay Area as needed.

Nice To Haves

Major gift success working during a Campaign in a sophisticated and complex environment preferred.
Familiarity with and/or passion for orchestral music a plus.

Responsibilities

Manages a Major Gift and Planned Giving portfolio of 120-130 households through all stages of identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship totaling $1.5M - $3M annually. The MGO will work with donors to craft personalized giving strategies, providing individual major gift proposals or planned gift illustrations as appropriate.
Works with the SMGO to establish annual goals for gift revenues, as well as other performance and productivity measures.
Collaborates with the Director, Planned Giving on identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship for Planned Giving prospects in the portfolio.
Works collaboratively and strategically with other Development staff and key volunteers, as appropriate, to coordinate strategic and purposeful cultivation and solicitation activities.
Authors and/or edits funding proposals, consistent with Symphony protocols, to facilitate effective gift solicitations.
Endeavors to be well informed of the Symphony’s strategic priorities and gift opportunities in order to best align them with the interests of those donors and prospective donors who have the capacity and inclination to support them.
Recognizes opportunities and anticipates needs, reviews requests for information and determines appropriateness of release, and keeps SMGO, Deputy Director, Development and Individual Giving & Chief Philanthropy Officer informed of items requiring attention.
Ensures that his/her prospect portfolio is routinely updated with regard to contact reports, moves management, and documentation of other key milestones in the donor’s relationship with the Symphony.
Able to articulate the case for support so that individuals "buy in" to the vision/mission/goals of the Symphony, and to secure gifts at assigned donor giving levels.
Maintains a broad knowledge of tax laws that impact charitable giving, personal assets and estates.
Broad knowledge of the principles of fundraising – able to participate in all aspects of the gift cycle.
Performs additional duties as required by the San Francisco Symphony.