Leadership Gifts Officer

Reporting to the Director of Annual Programs and Engagement with a dotted line to the AVP of Major Gifts and Campaign, the LGO manages the discovery, cultivation, outreach, solicitation, engagement, and stewardship of the NEC Leadership Circle - consisting of donors and prospects with the capacity to make annual gifts of $1,000-$50,000 to the NEC Fund and Annual Scholarship Gala.

The LGO will have measurable goals related to fundraising, discovery calls, and meetings with the primary objective of building a robust pipeline of annual donors that supports long-term philanthropic engagement and major gift readiness. The ideal candidate is creative, resilient, adaptable, and confident in creating meaningful connections with donors and NEC’s mission.

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of a dynamic portfolio of approximately 300 prospects consisting of alumni, college parents, prep parents, and friends, with the expectation of 20+ in-person and virtual meetings per month.
• Qualify, cultivate, and solicit annual fund gifts at the leadership level ($1,000+), with focus on gifts $10,000+.
• Create and execute multi-channel annual giving strategies, including mail, email, special events, and direct proposals to acquire, renew, and upgrade donors, in collaboration with the Associate Director of Annual Giving and Director of Annual Programs.
• Develop cultivation and solicitation strategies and proposals for prospects, in collaboration with the Director of Annual Programs and the Chief Development Officer.
• Participate in prospect development and assignment strategies in collaboration with the Annual Giving, Major Giving, and Advancement Operation teams.
• Craft compelling, personalized, and targeted communications that articulate the impact of leadership annual gifts.
• Build the major gifts pipeline by identifying, qualifying, and transitioning appropriate prospects for further cultivation at the major gift level.
• Participate in the execution of events and programs in support of advancement activities to engage key donors to move solicitations forward.
• Collaborate with Major Gifts, Alumni Engagement, Donor Engagement, and Advancement Operations colleagues to achieve both individual and departmental goals.
• Manage and maintain Raiser’s Edge reports, dashboards, tracking systems to monitor fundraising performance, prospect analysis, and portfolio upkeep and maximize data to create and execute strategies for constituents in assigned portfolio.
• Performs other duties as assigned, including but not limited to assisting with planning, implementing and staffing key events and meetings, as needed.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree and 3 years of work experience, with at least two years of direct fundraising/development experience is required.
• Front-line fundraising experience is essential, as well as the proven ability to secure a high volume of development visits and to close five- and six-figure gifts.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills with a proven ability to foster meaningful relationships between donors.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and attention-to-detail.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain composure and professional demeanor in a high-volume, high-accountability environment with multiple, changing priorities.
• Ability to work in a performance-based environment with tracking of meeting goals, contacts, and dollars raised.
• Knowledge of advancement and fundraising principles and best practices.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Workplace. Experience with NXT/Raiser’s Edge is a plus.
• Ability and willingness to work nights, weekends, and to travel as required.

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