Sr. Institutional Giving Officer

POSITION SUMMARY: The Senior Officer will be responsible for developing and implementing donor strategies with a portfolio of high-level foundation and corporate prospects. They will also have the opportunity to provide team leadership and help shape department goals and strategic development around the execution of a new five-year strategic plan. To a lesser extent, they will assist with certain aspects of government grant fundraising. Environmental Defense has an $11 million goal for foundation grants, and a goal of $500,000 in corporate grants, contributing to a $42 million annual organizational budget.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Maintain an existing portfolio of foundation and corporate funders with a combine fundraising annual goal of at least $2,000,000; specific tasks include preparing proposals and reports, attending program fundraising meetings, developing further cultivation strategies, and providing current income projections and portfolio foundations.
• Identify, cultivate, and solicit new foundation and corporate funding sources; work with Institutional Giving researcher to perform a range of research tasks including: writing up donor profiles with recommended strategies and presenting new foundation prospects at weekly foundation meetings.
• Make initial contacts with new funding sources by calling sources to arrange meetings, attending funder meetings and presenting Environmental Defense programs to those funding sources.
• Write and edit key correspondence with existing and potential foundation funders including letters of inquiry and emails.
• Oversee, initiate, and coordinate all Environmental Defense activity with affinity groups (i.e. Environmental Grantmakers Association, Council on Foundations, etc.), focusing on new opportunities with non-environmental affinity groups. Ensure that Environmental Defense is well positioned with these foundation associations.
• Support Director of Institutional Giving in strategic planning for the department, including helping to develop and cultivate networking opportunities with foundation program staff and board members to increase visibility of Environmental Defense.
• Maintain strong interface with the foundations staff in New York and regional development staff to design and implement a series of issue-specific scattershot mailings to interest new, smaller foundations in Environmental Defense's work.
• Assist management and mentorship of Foundations Associate and Institutional Giving Associate.
• Maintain strong working relationships with key organization staff economists, scientists, lawyers, and others.
• Work with appropriate development staff to coordinate, plan and implement donor events, such as luncheons and seminars of region or issue focus.
• Serve as an enthusiastic and well-informed spokesperson for Environmental Defense and it's programs. Be able to articulate organization mission and projects, including communication of scientific, economic, and policy concepts for lay audience.
• With a thorough knowledge of database management, track and maintain income projections and work plan for portfolio.
• Responsible for keeping donor database and income projections, due dates, etc., current.
• Assist with a range government grant fundraising activities.
• Attend and actively contribute to the twice-annual development retreat and the annual all-staff organizational retreat.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• BA degree and at least 5 years institutional fundraising experience
• Proven track record of identifying and soliciting institutional prospects;
• Experience writing/editing institutional grants
• Superior oral, written, presentation, analytical, organizational and interpersonal skills
• An understanding of and commitment to Environmental Defense's mission of protecting the natural environment and limiting humankind's impact on the eco-system
• Creativity, assertiveness, and ability to work independently, as well as demonstrate leadership with a team
• Energetic self-starter with the confidence to express opinions and forge ahead appropriately with sensitivity to the feelings and ideas of others
• Strong project management skills
• Familiarity with Pledgemaker is a plus