Senior Advisor, Principal Giving

About African Wildlife Foundation

African Wildlife Foundation’s mission is to ensure wildlife and wild lands thrive in modern Africa.

The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is the oldest international conservation organization focused solely on Africa. Since our founding in 1961, AWF has recognized that Africa’s wildlife resources and ecosystems are critical to the future prosperity of Africa and its people. Some key facts about AWF:

• With a geographic focus on the continent of Africa, AWF works with Africans at the local, regional and national levels to conserve the continent’s tremendous natural resources.
• We believe that sustainable development is good for Africa when balanced with biodiversity conservation.
• We focus on key African species, including elephants, rhinos, lions and other large carnivores, mountain gorillas and Africa’s other great apes.
• AWF is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with offices throughout Africa and in Europe and North America.

Our Conservation Approach

For long-lasting impact, conservation in Africa must be done at a large-landscape level, together with local, national and regional partners. Conservation must also consider the needs of not simply the wildlife living in the area but also the people. To that end:

• Supporting, promoting, investing in African conservation leadership is in our DNA and a fundamental building block in everything we believe in and do as an organization.
• AWF targets large areas of land that extend beyond single parks, even national boundaries.
• We implement a variety of conservation initiatives, all of which are centered around three specific areas: land, wildlife and people (including education and enterprise).
• AWF incorporates climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts into many of our projects. Because conservation does not always take effect without political will, we also work with governmental partners and regional bodies to effect policy change.

Role Summary

The Senior Advisor, Principal Giving (Sr. Advisor) is a senior level front-line fundraiser who will build and manage a portfolio of 25 to 35 principal donors. Part of an Individual Giving team, the Sr. Advisor will develop high-level engagement strategies, conduct in-person cultivation and solicitation meetings, and support Executive and Board interactions with top donors, prospects, and connectors. Reporting to the Chief of Staff and working closely with the Chief Executive Officer and other AWF executives, the Sr. Advisor’s primary emphasis is identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding high-level prospects who have the capacity to make transformative gifts of $1 million per year or greater. Spread across the United States and internationally, the Sr. Advisor portfolio is a mix of new, lapsed, and active relationships. The Sr. Advisor will build a broader base of support for AWF at this giving level. The Sr. Advisor will be supported by a team of donor researchers, stewardship professionals, and communications experts.

The Sr. Advisor must champion the strategic engagement, creativity, and poise required to inspire and mobilize the aspirations of internal partners and prospective donors alike. The Sr. Advisor will exemplify the sophisticated stewardship essential to maintaining and expanding donor relationships and must embrace the role as a mentor of corresponding best practices.

The Sr. Advisor is a high impact role with individual annual fundraising targets starting at $10 million. The Sr. Advisor will be expected to travel extensively within the US and internationally to program sites and beyond. The Advisor is a senior fundraising professional who will drive innovative philanthropic opportunities and contribute significantly to AWF’s growth.

Responsibilities

• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of approximately 35 high net worth individuals and family foundations with the capacity to make $1 million+ annual gifts.
• Develop and implement individualized donor strategies for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Contribute to advanced prospect research to grow the Principal Giving portfolio of AWF.
• Partner with Executive and Board leadership and across teams to develop customized fundraising strategies and funding opportunities.
• Guide the direction of written proposals, white papers, strategic plans, budgets, and other collateral materials as needed for securing significant ($1M+) philanthropic investments.
• Conceive of and lead specialized gatherings and meetings designed to engage donors at the Principal Giving level, accompanying leadership as needed.
• Track fundraising progress and be responsible for the data management of the assigned portfolio.
• Staff AWF’s Campaign Steering Committee, in partnership with the Vice President of Individual Giving
• Play a key role in organizing and/or developing AWF safaris targeting principal donors.
• Serve as a mentor to the individual giving team as members build their own portfolios of principal donors.

Skills and Experience

• Substantial and demonstrated track record securing principal gifts of +$1m USD;
• Documented success in personally implementing sophisticated, multi-year cultivation strategies that use a relationship-building and moves management approach leading to successful gift closure;
• Demonstrated ability to secure multiple annual principal level gifts of $1 million+ through renewals, upgrades and new donor relationships;
• Demonstrated ability to successfully advance donors through donor pipelines, from prospect to principal gift;
• Outstanding cultivation and solicitation skills with the ability to deepen the relationship of donors to AWF;
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to interact effectively with AWF’s diverse staff and donor community;
• Ability to exercise good judgment, to demonstrate an understanding of the ethics related to development activities, and to use discretion in interactions with donors, prospects, volunteers, and others;
• Complex problem-solving skills coupled with the ability to conduct research, gather data, analyze information, and prepare effective, accurate, and timely reports and other documents to support fundraising goals;
• Collaborative with the ability to foster effective working relationships within a team environment;
• Knowledge of fundraising techniques and ethics including moves management, solicitation best practices, blended giving, proposal development, prospect identification, program planning, fund solicitation, database management and donor tracking;
• Solid experience with marketing and social networking strategies and tools;
• Highly developed verbal and written communication skills and the ability to present effectively to small and large groups;
• External relations skills and the ability to communicate and engage effectively and meaningfully within diverse communities;
• Ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality and responsibility regarding information related to AWF and confidential prospect information;
• Ability to develop knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with those of other cultures and backgrounds;
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and comfortable working in donor/prospect computer database systems;
• Problem solving along with the ability to take initiative and set priorities;
• Ability to be flexible and agile to thrive in a fast-paced environment;
• Attention to detail and thoroughness in completing assigned duties on time,
• Experience in conservation and/or advancing African led conservation is desirable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree;
• At least ten years of successful professional fundraising experience, including with fundraising campaigns;
• Experience working in Raiser’s Edge
• Eligible to work in the U.S.
• Fundraising qualifications desired but not a requirement.