Major Gifts Manager

The Nature Conservancy•New York, NY

1d•$101,000 - $107,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Major Gifts Manager is a critical member of the development operations team within the New York development program. The Manager oversees the Development Operations team, which is responsible for providing resources such as research, gift processing, prospect management, stewardship, writing, and database management. The primary responsibilities of the Major Gifts Manager are to drive the team’s Major Gifts fundraising success by building processes to effectively manage the major donor pipeline, leveraging fundraising reports and analyses, overseeing data management for prospect portfolios, providing team donor strategy support, and driving team accountability to meet fundraising goals. The Major Gifts Manager is responsible for leading the major gift prospect management program for the New York development team including developing and managing strategic and operating plans to meet the priorities of the program. They manage a team responsible for major gifts fundraising support functions and establish processes and plans to ensure maximum fundraising effectiveness. They are responsible for hiring, onboarding, training, coaching and performance management for their team. They oversee the booking and management of donor pledges, ensuring audit compliance and accuracy, and tracking against stated fundraising goals. The manager tracks and monitors all fundraising progress. They will collaborate with the centralized Global Development Prospect Management Team to manage, research, and prioritize their team’s prospect portfolio and work with development team leadership to assign and track prospect activity. They will work towards meeting the strategic priorities of the program by developing and implementing tactics for approved plans and completing and/or overseeing day-to-day tasks. They will manage the discovery pipeline process for the New York development team to ensure the ongoing identification and qualification of new major donors and prospects. They will leverage centralized fundraising reports and conduct ad-hoc advanced analyses of fundraising activity to establish and manage metrics/KPIs for the development team and inform strategy and action. They will review proposals and solicitations for revenue processing accuracy, alignment, and audit compliance. They organize and help lead team pipeline meetings at least once a month to ensure timely cultivation, solicitation, follow-up, data entry, tracking of new and current prospects, and strategy development. They align fundraising program activities to ensure all prospect management and solicitation activities are coordinated and donor-centered in approach. They identify and solve gaps in SOP’s and How To documentation. They serve as a liaison to the Global Development office, other state chapters, and international field offices for questions related to pledge audit, opportunities, pipeline projections, crediting, and donor strategies. They will provide support and targeted training related to the major gifts process and database management. They must maintain advanced skills in fundraising systems and resources utilized by the team to execute assigned tasks, including the fundraising database, Power BI, and Microsoft Excel. They participate in Major Gifts Manager network and other position-related calls/networks to learn about best practices and organizational requirements for their role. They help manage the annual budget and goal setting processes. They will improve and implement processes and practices to improve major gifts management effectiveness and communicate information to assist staff in making decisions, solving problems, and improving workflow. They will keep up to date on market trends and best practices to improve services. The Major Gifts Manager works in close cooperation with any or all the following: Conservancy staff, donors, volunteers, vendors, public agencies, financial institutions, and legal and accounting professionals. They will organize and coordinate diverse activities, projecting outcomes, and implementing solutions in consultation with leadership. They may travel occasionally, and work long and flexible hours as needed. The work environment may involve infrequent exposure to disagreeable elements and minor physical exertion and/or strain.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 5 years related experience or equivalent combination.
Experience managing and implementing multiple projects.
Experience negotiating agreements.
Experience supervising staff, interns, and/or volunteers.
Experience with current and evolving technology in relevant field.
Experience working with cross-functional teams.
Experience, coursework, or other training in principles and practices of relevant field.
Advanced skills in fundraising systems and resources utilized by the team to execute assigned tasks, including the fundraising database, Power BI, and Microsoft Excel.
Maintain advanced skills in fundraising systems and other resources used by the team to execute assigned tasks and implement processes and practices to improve effectiveness, working with leadership to ensure the full team is implementing them.
Demonstrated experience using diplomacy and tact to build strong relationships and motivate staff.
Proficient in interpreting guidelines and manipulating, analyzing, and interpreting data.
Strong organization, planning, and problem-solving skills.
Successful experience implementing strategic program goals.
Understanding of accounting practices.

Nice To Haves

Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
Ability to manage and implement complex processes.
Ability to work in partnership with others in a collaborative role.
Ability to use existing technology to achieve desired results.
Advanced knowledge in current and evolving technology related to field of experience.
Knowledge of current and evolving trends in the specific field, preferably in a non-profit environment.

Responsibilities

General management of team operations and coordination of development team activity, including development team planning and coordination and logistics of team calls and team meetings/retreats, as needed.
Maintain advanced skills in fundraising systems and other resources used by the team to execute assigned tasks and implement processes and practices to improve effectiveness, working with leadership to ensure the full team is implementing them.
Implement and manage new initiatives that will ensure department and organization-wide goals and strategies are achieved.
Accountability for strategic goals related to functional area.
Communicate clearly and effectively around functional area priorities.
Act independently and in supervisor’s stead as needed, exercise independent judgment to identify and solve problems.
Ensure programmatic commitments, TNC policies and procedures, financial standards, and legal requirements are met and managed for compliance.
Financial responsibility includes assisting with the development of a budget, working within a budget, and negotiating and contracting (some complex) with vendors.
Manage and implement multiple projects.
May supervise one or more administrative or professional staff, responsibility includes training and professional development.
Travel occasionally, work long and flexible hours as needed.
Work environment involves only infrequent exposure to disagreeable elements and minor physical exertion and/or strain.
Work is diversified and may not always fall under established practices and guidelines.