Director of Major Gifts

  • Full-time

Company Description

The Chicago Architecture Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public interest and education in architecture and design. As the 6th largest cultural institution in the City of Chicago, CAF presents a comprehensive program of tours, exhibitions, lectures, special events, and adult and youth education activities, all designed to enhance the public’s awareness and appreciation of Chicago’s outstanding architectural legacy.

Job Description

The Director of Major Gifts is responsible for securing major and planned gifts for CAF’s $10 million capital campaign. Working directly with the VP of Development, the President & CEO and leadership volunteers, this individual will help identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward CAF’s donors and prospects for the campaign, ensuring that these donors are inspired by the CAF’s mission and actively engaged to support the CAF capital campaign and vision for the future.

The Director of Major Gifts will develop and manage a portfolio of 100 prospects and donors, and will work with other front-line fundraising staff and the External Events Manager to develop strategic and targeted cultivation opportunities for major donors. He/she will work closely with the Development Operations and Research Specialist on prospect research, portfolio development and moves management practices. This individual will also attend CAF events and programs as appropriate in an effort to cultivate donors and prospects for the campaign and other projects.


Key Duties and Responsibilities

 Work with the VP of Development and the Operations and Research Specialist to identify high net-worth individuals for the campaign.

  • Work with the VP of Development to establish immediate and long-term fundraising strategies and create timely reports on caseload and solicitation progress.
  • Qualify new major gift prospects and create cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies for the campaign.
  • Create a personal moves management contact and solicitation plan that takes into account the individual donor's interest, motivations, giving patterns and ask preferences as it relates to the campaign.
  • Write briefings and proposals for prospect meetings; compile contact reports; and track donor activity within the Tessitura database.
  • Work with the Marketing team to create and write proposals, reports and other collateral materials to be used in the campaign.
  • Serve as a liaison to CAF support groups, including the Burnham Society and Auxiliary Board.
  • With the VP of Development establish goals for growing the Blueprint Society, CAF’s Planned Giving Society to help support the endowment goal in the capital campaign.
  • Manage people, process, deadlines and budget while adhering to the policies and procedures of the organization and ability to get along with peers, subordinates and management.
  • Share responsibility for reaching capital campaign and annual fundraising goals.
  • Respect and protect the mission, goals and values of the organization.

Qualifications

Skills, Education and Experience:

  • Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree or fundraising certificate preferred
  • A minimum of five years of Major Gift fundraising experience with proven track record of successfully closing 6- and 7-figure gifts in a non-profit setting.
  • Must be a self-starter and creative thinker. 
  • Excellent communication skills, including superior grammar and writing skills.
  • Strong attention to detail and excellent organization skills.
  • Strong desire and motivation to see CAF’s initiatives succeed.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
  • Proficiency in Windows applications, including Word, Excel and Power Point
  • Proficiency in fundraising databases; Tessitura helpful

Additional Information

The Chicago Architecture Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.