Major Gift Officer

Trinity Christian College seeks a full-time Major Gift Officer for the Advancement Department.  As a Major Gift Officer, your primary responsibility is to strategically identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward significant philanthropic relationships who will joyfully support the ongoing work and mission of the College.  You will work closely with the President and other members of the major gifts team to continue to build enthusiastic philanthropic support for the College’s mission as expressed in ongoing general support, capital projects, scholarship and faculty development, and other programmatic support so that Trinity can fulfill and expand its reach and impact.  Further information pertinent to this position is described below. 

Position Summary

The Major Gift Officer reports to the Associate Vice President for Advancement and as a member of the major gift team is responsible for helping Trinity exceed fundraising goals through the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major donor gifts of $5,000 and above with a focus on high-level donors who have the capacity to gift multi-year commitments and fund capital projects. The Officer will manage a portfolio of 100-150 donors by designing and developing solicitation strategies, identifying gift opportunities that match donor’s interest, and personally soliciting and stewarding gift donors.

The Officer will maintain a close working relationship with  the President and other members of the major gift team to develop strategies for major donors and maintain strong affiliations with key donors, foundations, and corporations. Also, in collaboration with members of the advancement team, identify donor prospects and opportunities to cultivate a significant pipeline.

The role will create written proposals, pitches, gift agreements and other written material as needed to target appropriate foundations and corporations in support of college department programs, scholarships and endowments.

Duties & Responsibilities

In this role, the Officer will be expected to formulate annual plans that fit into the overall strategies of the college and then move forward with carrying out those plans with limited supervision. This position will regularly engage with Trinity's staff, faculty, the greater college community, and major donors coast-to-coast.

Steward/Secure/Report

• Manage a portfolio of 100-150 major gift donors to secure annual and multi-year gifts
• Conduct personal visits with major donors and prospects for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Create proposals in support of new programs, endowments, and capital campaigns
• Develop and implement cultivation and solicitation strategies
• Establish new donor scholarships and endowments
• Develop and maintain a prospect pool to be solicited in a 12–18-month period
• Utilize Blackbaud NXT platform to maintain donor records, track goals, and analyze data 

Qualifications

Position success factors:

• Ability to establish, cultivate and steward strong professional relationships with stakeholders
• Exceptional interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
• Goal and results driven
• Self-motivated, able to manage multiple projects while working both independently and as a team member
• Collaborative problem solver and innovator
• Desire to pursue excellence in all areas of life

Data Management

The Officer will work with Advancement Services to provide clean data, ease of access to data, and timely donor stewardship.

• Work with the Director of Advancement Services in the supporting areas of gift processing, data management and donor relations as related to annual giving.
• Measure data externally in terms of total dollars, percentage participation, and consistency of giving and average gift size to evaluate the program. 

Aspects of the position

Faith & Beliefs

Trinity Christian College seeks candidates that have a personal faith and commitment to Jesus Christ and a sincere allegiance to the mission of the college. 

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree (BA)
• Minimum of 5-8 years related experience
• Master’s degree or CFRE is a plus

Specific Technical Skills & Knowledge Requirements

• Knowledge and experience with research and CRM platforms
• Blackbaud/Raisers Edge and GiveCampus platform experience is a plus.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Products (Word, Excel, Outlook, Etc.)

External Relationships & Contacts

As a Major Gift Officer, you will:

• Manage, cultivate, and expand many external relationships with the donor base of the College both on the campus and away from the campus in a variety of settings.
• Help maintain a vast database of contact information that will serve as a source of knowledge concern for the College.

Physical Demands & Working Conditions

An on-campus workspace will be made available to manage work responsibilities. Candidates must be able to:

• Maintain a valid driver’s license
• Ability to travel 50% of the time via car or plane
• Type on a computer
• Talk on a phone
• Carry light loads of materials 

How to Apply to the Major Gift Officer Position

Upload the following during the online application process:

• Brief cover letter that speaks directly to your experience and interest in working at Trinity
• Professional resume
• Written statement that describes your Christian faith commitment and how it is expressed through involvement with the body of Christ and participation in a local church.

About Trinity Christian College

Set on a treelined campus just outside Chicago, IL, Trinity Christian College is a Christian liberal arts college with a mission to provide a Biblically informed liberal arts education in the Reformed tradition. At Trinity you will find a rich and vibrant community working together to educate students to seek a life of purpose for good, for God, and for the world. We offer a collaborative and supportive working environment, an encouraging atmosphere, and a variety of benefits, tools, and resources to ensure our coworkers have every opportunity to learn, grow, and create a faithful and meaningful future.