Make-A-Wish Illinois

Gift Officer-Planned Giving, Full-Time

Supervisor:                             Individual Giving Director

Department:                            Development

Salary Range:                          $76,000-$100,000 (Salary is based on level of experience)

How to Apply:                    

https://apply.workable.com/j/CD50D5C0AD/?utm_medium=social_share_link

Job Summary: Reporting to the Individual Giving Director the Gift Officer over Planned Giving is charged with increasing the number of known planned giving donors through identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Manage a portfolio of planned giving-focused individuals and estate administrators. Assist the Individual Giving Director to create, implement, and manage a formal planned giving program from prospect identification through realized intentions.

Major Responsibilities:

• Secure planned and outright gifts through the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individuals in a portfolio of 125+ prospects and donors
• Achieve annual performance metrics, including general and substantive actions with individuals (averaging 4 – 6 contacts/day) and in-person visits (40 – 60+/year)
• Creatively work with individual donors to fulfill their interest in giving, increasing their connection to and engagement with the Make-A-Wish mission
• Work with attorneys, trust officers, accountants, financial planners, and other estate planning professionals as necessary
• Utilize and maintain database system and processes to plan, track, and prioritize prospect/donor activity
• Manage estate administration process to realize donor intentions
• Create the core infrastructure of a planned giving program at Make-A-Wish Illinois, including a written case for support, leadership engagement, prospect identification, database tracking, new legacy society and correlating recognition, planning and executing special events, communication and marketing, stewardship of existing planned giving donors
• Manage the partnership with FreeWill, an online resource for will creation
• Develop and provide training and guidance to frontline fundraisers in tax-wise giving opportunities, recent tax law changes and updates, and solicitation techniques for planned gifts
• Staff and support fundraising events
• Represent and travel to all regions of the state to proactively prospect and engage with donors at fundraising events, meetings, and activities
• Learn and embrace the working structure between Make-A-Wish America and the Illinois Chapter, and benefit from partnership opportunities with peers throughout the MAW enterprise
• Engage current Make-A-Wish volunteers and friends to develop donor relationships
• Perform other duties as required or assigned

Required Skills and Abilities:

• Self-motivated
• Drive to achieve and surpass goals
• Proven record of relationship building, customer service skills, and successful gift solicitations
• Thorough knowledge of planned/deferred giving with continuous learning of best practices and updates in the field
• Organized and detail oriented
• Excellent written and oral/presentation communication skills
• Able to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and customer relationship management (CRM) systems

Preferred Education and Experience:

• 5+ years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, preferably in planned giving or in a field providing comparable knowledge of planned giving principles
• Bachelor’s Degree (required) or equivalent combination of qualifying experience