Major Gifts Officer, Western Region - Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

Overview

NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Beijing; Bozeman, Montana; Chicago; New Delhi; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; and Washington, D.C. 

NRDC is seeking a Major Gifts Officer to work with the Western Region Major Gifts team in our San Francisco office.  

Position Summary 

NRDC is currently seeking a skilled Major Gift Officer, Western Region (MGO) to join NRDC’s Western Major Gifts team, comprised of seven seasoned fundraisers – one Regional Director and six Major Gifts Officers – in addition to one Development Manager, covering the West Coast, Midwest and Southwest and an annual revenue goal of approximately $20m. This full-time position will be affiliated with NRDC’s San Francisco, CA office, and work within an in-office and remote hybrid environment. This is an exciting opportunity for a creative fundraising professional with experience in and appetite for prospecting and cultivating new funding relationships while encouraging higher levels of commitment from existing donors. This person should have familiarity with philanthropic landscape in the Bay Area to help NRDC advance our fundraising goals. Regular travel across the Bay area is to be expected.   

The Major Gifts Officer is expected to execute prospecting and renewal strategies for a portfolio of existing donors and potential supporters who are capable of giving at the major gifts level defined at $25K – $1M+. This position will pursue new and lapsed donors and will take the lead on the relationships they are able to cultivate and bring to solicitation. This MGO will work with a diverse range of development and program staff, including advocates, scientists and litigators, who work to fulfill NRDC’s mission and strategic expansion in the Western Region. While this is not a management position, the Western Region is highly collaborative and values input and strategic contributions from all team members.   

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop a portfolio of approximately 120 individuals with the capacity to give at the five, six and seven figure levels.  
• Partner with Research and other fundraising colleagues to identify and develop a pipeline of new major gift prospects.  
• Establish donor specific strategies and timelines for the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of gifts, including strategic in person and/or virtual donor engagement.  
• Contribute to the creation of fundraising materials and regular communications that will resonate with donors in the region.   
• Partner with and support NRDC’s leadership with respect to cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts, using their time and talents appropriately; ensure their effectiveness as representatives of NRDC.   
• Work with the Special Events, Planned Giving, Action Fund, E2 and Membership teams to plan events in the region that maximize donor and prospect cultivation opportunities.   
• Develop and maintain expert familiarity with programmatic needs, budgets, institutional priorities, and regional work.   
• Adeptly manage Salesforce and other processes such as tracking donor gift projections and list management for your portfolio.  
• Collaborate with NRDC’s Action Fund to deploy effective fundraising tactics to raise non-deductible 501c4 funding.  

Qualifications

The Major Gifts Officer, Western Region must be a highly skilled major gift fundraiser with a track record of successfully and strategically identifying, cultivating, and stewarding donors from $25k-$1M. Other desired skills and qualifications include:   

• 5-7 years of major gifts fundraising experience with a proven track record of successfully and strategically identifying, cultivating and stewarding major gift prospects and donors.    
• Eagerness to pursue new potential high net worth supporters with significant capacity.  
• Strong writing skills to communicate in a regular, compelling manner with donors.  
• Familiarity with philanthropic communities in Northern California.   
• Collaborative and inclusive approach to inter and intra departmental work.  
• Professional demeanor when interfacing with NRDC donors and senior staff members.   
• Passion for the mission and goals of NRDC.  
• Willingness to travel up to 20%.   
• Experience with advocacy or environmental groups a plus.  
• Experience with political or 501c4 fundraising a plus.  
• Bachelor’s degree and a commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion required.  

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.  

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer. For this position, the salary range is $142,000 to $157,000.  

Our offices are open and we are operating in a hybrid model. We offer NRDCers flexibility, and we ask them to come into the office and spend meaningful time there in collaboration with their colleagues. We call this purposeful presence. 

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws. 

To apply, visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your résumé and cover letter. Please mention where you saw this posting and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person résumé drop-offs. 

If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422. 

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.