Development Officer Planned and Major Gifts; FSL

The Folger Shakespeare Library, located on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., seeks a Development Officer for Planned and Major Gifts (DO-PMG) to join a dynamic fundraising team. The Folger is a world-class research and cultural center on Shakespeare and the early modern age. Home to the world’s largest and finest collection of Shakespeare materials, the Folger offers activities that range from scholarly seminars to theatrical performances, from K-12 outreach to exhibitions and lectures.

• Cultivate and solicit individual donors, with particular attention to capital campaign prospects, the planned giving program, and stewardship of the legacy giving society.
• Collaborate closely with the Chief Advancement Officer, Senior Directors, the Board of Governors, the Advancement Committee, and Folger staff.
• Manage various cultivation initiatives, including small to mid-sized events.
• Develop, record, and implement strategies from identification through proposal and closure on gifts of $50,000 or more.
• Coordinate the marketing program for the Folger’s planned giving effort.
• As a member of the advancement team, become familiar with institutional priorities and articulate them eloquently to internal and external contacts.

• Significant expertise in individual giving and major gifts; working knowledge of gift planning fundamentals.
• Excellent communication skills, strategic thinking, attention to detail, creativity, and enthusiasm about funding strategies.
• Proven track record in personal cultivation and solicitation resulting in gifts of five figures or more.
• Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in an applicable field and at least five years of progressively responsible development experience, with emphasis on major gifts, preferably in a cultural or academic institution.
• Skilled in face-to-face solicitation, delivering persuasive appeals, collaborating with senior staff and volunteer leadership, using prospect research, and developing strategies to increase gifts.
• Ability to coordinate with staff across the institution and within the development/advancement team to engage donors.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook; experience with fundraising databases and email marketing programs; experience with Tessitura or a similar donor database is a plus.
• High level of discretion and attention to detail.
• Occasional evenings, weekends, and travel may be required.

This position offers the opportunity to work with a successful team of development professionals and an established yet growing institution.