Major Gift Officer

Alumni Relations and Development

Full-time, exempt, 40 hours/week

$75,000-$85,000

On-Campus, in person position 

Reports to: Vice President, Alumni Relations and Development

VLGS Benefits and PTO include:

- Full benefits (medical, dental, vision, etc.).

- 403b including 4% employer contribution.

- 2 weeks of paid vacation in addition to paid personal and sick days.

- 11 paid holidays plus two weeks of paid days off for Summer and Winter breaks.

- Employee Assistance Program.

- VLGS course participation with tuition assistance.

- Flexible schedule potential.

Vermont Law and Graduate School is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness. We grow and learn better together with a diverse group of faculty, staff, and students. In recruiting for faculty and staff, we seek unique backgrounds to enrich and challenge our community. 

Position Summary:

The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) is an advancement professional who strategically builds and manages a portfolio of major gift donors to support Vermont Law and Graduate School’s long-term philanthropic goals. Reporting to the Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development, the MGO is responsible for analyzing, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding relationships with major and planned gift donors and prospects to secure philanthropic support for the school's strategic priorities. 

This is a direct fundraising position whose primary responsibility is to develop donor relationships and secure philanthropic support for VLGS. The MGO will be joining a small, high-functioning development operation looking to round out the team with an energetic, collaborative, and creative professional.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Major Gift Fundraising:

· Develop and implement strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors capable of making significant contributions to VLGS.

· Manage a portfolio of major gift prospects, building and maintaining strong relationships with individual alumni, parents and friends, and others.

· Manage planned giving outreach and stewardship efforts in collaboration with the Alumni Relations and Development team.

· Work collaboratively with the Alumni Relations and Development team to align major giving efforts with overall fundraising objectives, anticipated campaigns, and institutional goals.

· Conduct regular donor and prospect visits and maintain an active schedule of meaningful donor interactions.

· Make direct solicitations and close major gifts in support of VLGS's priorities.

· Identify planned-giving opportunities among donor relationships and coordinate those opportunities with leadership.

· Research prospective donors and prepare donor profiles.

· Employ CRM, wealth screening and other tools to track and cultivate donors and prospects to keep team informed and coordinated.

· Maintain complete and timely records of donor contacts, strategies, solicitations, and next steps in Raiser’s Edge.

Donor Relations and Stewardship:

· Establish and maintain strong relationships with major donors, providing personalized and strategic engagement to enhance their connection to the school.

· Create and execute tailored cultivation and stewardship plans for major and planned giving donors, ensuring a positive and meaningful philanthropic experience.

· Prepare personalized proposals, gift requests, donor correspondence, thank you letters, impact updates, briefing materials, and other materials necessary to advance solicitations.

· Coordinate with Alumni Relations and Development team and Communications to ensure a consistent, well-represented donor experience

Collaboration:

· Work closely with colleagues, including key administrative leaders, and Communications, to ensure a coordinated and integrated approach to fundraising, donor engagement, and donor communications;

· Collaborate with colleagues to gather relevant information and project updates for effective donor communication.

· Work with volunteers, such as Board of Trustees and Alumni Association, as needed.

Events and Outreach:

· Assist in the planning and execution of both in-person and virtual events, gatherings, and activities to engage and connect donors, prospects and alumni with VLGS.

· Represent VLGS at external events and conferences to build relationships and identify potential major donors.

Other work as assigned.

Required Education, Skills, and Experience:

· Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience required; advanced degree or CFRE certification preferred.

· Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in individual and major gift fundraising required, preferably in higher education or a related field.

· Proven track record of securing and stewarding major gifts and meeting goals.

· Superb interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills, including public speaking.

· Experience preparing compelling donor proposals, solicitation materials, and correspondence;

· Experience with development database tools, such as Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge, prospect research, and other wealth screening tools used in moves management.

· High degree of integrity and professionalism, respecting confidentiality of donor information and relationships.

· Excellent attention to detail and strong project management skills.

· Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team-oriented environment.

· Familiarity with legal education and a passion for promoting access to justice is a plus.

· Understanding and appreciation of higher education.

· Willingness and ability to travel to meet with donors and prospects and to attend events.

· Evening and weekend work is required. 

Other Requirements:

• 85% computer related work.

• Primary work is done sitting and/or standing at desk.

• Must be able to work legally within the United States without sponsorship.

• Ability to perform all essential functions of the job with or without basic accommodations.

Application Requirements:

Please attach a resume and cover letter for consideration. If you are applying from a third party website (Indeed, etc.) and are unable to attach additional materials to your online application, please apply directly at https://www.vermontlaw.edu/community/about-vls/employment-opportunities or email required documents to HR@vermontlaw.edu.

As part of our commitment to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, candidates who meet the qualifications for this position and who require accommodations to apply should contact Human Resources at jobs@vermontlaw.edu. Vermont Law and Graduate School strives to raise the bar for being an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, place of birth, marital status, disability, veteran's status, HIV status, pregnancy, genetic information, health insurance status, and crime victim status.

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