Principal Gifts Officer

Job Description

The Philanthropy team, led by Chief Philanthropy Advisor Ishan Johnson, works with Stanford Calderwood General Director & Chief Executive Officer Bradley Vernatter to secure major, planned, and principal gifts, partnering closely with the board and BLO’s artistic leaders. The Principal Gifts Officer (PGO) will use creative and sophisticated identification, cultivation, and solicitation methods to deepen relationships with high‑net‑worth donors and their networks, with a focus on closing gifts of $1 million and above.

Along with the Director of Campaign and Philanthropy Operations, the PGO will serve as co‑liaison to the Campaign Committee, leading strategy and training support for prospect identification and peer solicitation activities. The PGO will be knowledgeable about the nuances of fundraising for the arts and the budget model for performing arts nonprofits.

Candidates should have at least seven years of directly applicable fundraising experience, proficiency in a resource‑lean organization, and the ability to craft creative cultivation plans. Leading candidates will have broad experience in principal and planned gifts from which to draw when guiding complex gift conversations and strategies—ideally in a campaign setting. Attuned to delivering an exceptional donor giving journey, PLO candidates will exhibit strength in building nurturing, productive, collaborative relationships with leaders and staff across an organization and a coordinated and thoughtful approach to all activities meant to engage prospects and donors—from identification and solicitation to gift closure and stewardship.

The ideal candidate will be a self‑assured, results‑oriented individual who leads by example with a collegial and accessible style.

• Manage, grow, solicit, and steward a portfolio of approximately 50 households that can give at the principal gift level. Identify, cultivate, and solicit BLO donors and prospects for gifts of $1 million or more. Cultivate and solicit donors for multi‑year commitments, creating sustainability for the organization in future years. Meet assigned activity and revenue goals.
• Develop and maintain a multi‑faceted principal gift solicitation program, including a strategic operating plan, identifying priorities and prospects, assigning prospect ratings, and recommending goals for future support.
• Identify and leverage Board and other network links to prospects and donors.
• Devise and implement cultivation and solicitation strategies. Initiate and maintain contact with current, past, and prospective donors, promoting positive donor relations efficiently. Identify disaffected or disinterested donors and devise strategies to encourage or redirect their interests as appropriate. Engage volunteers proactively as needed.
• Prepare funding proposals, talking points and strategies, assessments of potential support, briefings for the CEO, and stewardship reports for all assigned prospects; ensure that all interested parties are involved in key efforts focused on specific prospects; document all substantive prospect contacts.
• Serve as a resource and role model to staff on matters of prospect strategy and offer new approaches and techniques; seek to provide creative solutions to complex solicitations; remain current with evolving trends in philanthropy as well as economic trends in the national and Boston business sectors.

• Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of seven years of fundraising experience in moves management systems, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated ability to personally and consistently close six‑figure or larger philanthropic gifts; experience at the seven‑figure gift level strongly preferred.
• Experience utilizing industry‑standard best practices and a donor‑centric approach in managing a donor portfolio of approximately 50 individuals and determining donors’ philanthropic interests related to specific fundraising goals, ideally in a campaign environment.
• Proven ability to build and maintain long‑term donor relationships. Ability to leverage relationships to strategically solicit donors, maximizing their…