Principal Gifts Officer

Title:
Principal Gifts Officer

Department: Development
Reports To: Campaign Director
Classification: Full-Time, Exempt
Compensation: Pay Grade 5 ($ – $)

The Principal Gifts Officer serves as a senior frontline fundraiser in advancing San Francisco Ballet’s multi-year comprehensive campaign, Arrow to the Future. Reporting to the Campaign Director, this role manages a portfolio of top prospects and donors, driving principal and leadership gifts that are pivotal to the campaign’s success. As both a lead solicitor and supporting partner to the Campaign Director, the Principal Gifts Officer plays a critical role in cultivating high-impact relationships with individuals and families capable of making transformational investments in the Ballet’s future.

This role blends frontline fundraising expertise with campaign strategy, ensuring that campaign goals are met through thoughtful participation in planning, coordination, and personalized donor engagement.

• Manage and grow a portfolio of 75–100 top campaign prospects and donors with the capacity to make gifts of $1 million and above, including multi-million-dollar principal gifts.
• Develop individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies for each prospect in collaboration with the Campaign Director and senior leadership.
• Lead and participate in all stages of the solicitation process, including prospect qualification, strategy development, proposal preparation, and gift closing and agreements.
• Collaborate with campaign consultants, volunteer leaders, members of the Individual Giving team, and executive leadership to facilitate joint solicitations and strategic donor conversations.
• Work closely with the Campaign Director to prepare and execute complex, multi-faceted proposals and long-term gift agreements for solicitations by executive leadership and cabinet campaign members.
• Support the Campaign Director and leadership team in preparing campaign volunteers and Board members for cultivation and solicitation meetings.
• Maintain detailed and timely records of donor interactions and moves management in the CRM (Tessitura).

• Support the creation of tailored and data-informed strategies for top campaign prospects and the preparation of briefing materials for leadership and volunteers.
• Build and sustain deep, meaningful relationships with principal gift donors and prospects through personalized engagement and high-touch cultivation and stewardship.
• Partner with the Events team to design and implement bespoke cultivation and stewardship experiences, as well as dedicated campaign events that advance donor relationships
• Develop strategically planned prospect lists for donor experiences and campaign-related events that advance cultivation and engagement goals.
• In collaboration with Events and Individual Giving, develop tailored engagement opportunities with San Francisco Ballet’s leadership, artists, and programming to strengthen donor connection and loyalty.
• Collaborate with internal partners to ensure stewardship plans are executed with excellence and aligned with donor intent and institutional priorities.

• Serve as deputy staff liaison to the Campaign Cabinet, with support from the Senior Campaign Manager and Prospect Researcher, and Campaign Liaison, supporting volunteer leadership in planning, tracking, and follow-through on campaign activities.
• Alongside Campaign Director and campaign consultants, collaborate closely with campaign cabinet and Development leadership to ensure alignment between campaign strategy and organizational priorities, conducting pipeline review and moves management meetings with designated members of the cabinet.

• Demonstrated success managing complex donor relationships and contributing to multi-million-dollar campaigns.
• 10+ years of experience in frontline fundraising, with a proven record of closing six- and seven-figure commitments.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with proven success working with executive leadership, board members, and high-net-worth…