Senior Philanthropy Officer

• Do you want to do work that really matters? Help us end avoidable blindness
• Full time, Permanent role based in New York, our office is located in mid-town Manhattan (Flexible work from home arrangements available)
• Closing Date: Sunday the 16th of October 2022

ABOUT THE FRED HOLLOWS FOUNDATION

The Fred Hollows Foundation is an international development organisation working to prevent avoidable blindness and restore sight. This year marks The Foundation’s 30th anniversary of carrying on the legacy of Professor Fred Hollows, who believed every person had the right to quality eye care, no matter where they live. The Foundation is known around the world as an organization that works with purpose and determination. With a reputation for excellence, we are well known for making change happen.

The Foundation has grown to work in more than 25+ countries throughout Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Pacific, as well as Australia. The Foundation has restored sight to more than 3 million people worldwide. We have an ambitious five-year strategic plan that aims to take us even closer to realizing our vision of a world in which no person is needlessly blind, or vision impaired.

We are proud to announce The Fred Hollows Foundation has been awarded the Employer of Choice Award (Public Sector and NFP) at the 2022 Australian HR Awards. The Foundation is also endorsed and in partnership with The Life You Can Save.

To find out more about our work, please visit our website https://www.hollows.org

ABOUT YOU

You will be an experienced steward of major donors eager to join an international development organization and gain global experience. You will be a self-starter and motivated to grow our donor community. You will be a people person, able to make genuine connections and focused on the donor experience. This will be coupled with excellent communication (verbal and written) and engagement skills. Further, you will be innovative and strategic in your approach, with a desire to not only raise funds but also to strengthen our processes and systems in the US office. You will be deadline driven coupled with strong data management skills. Finally, you will be a team player and open to working flexible hours. The Foundation is headquartered in Sydney, Australia and you will work closely and collaboratively with the Australia based philanthropy team and other international markets.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Senior Philanthropy Officer is accountable for the implementation of The Foundation’s ambitious growth strategy in North America by developing a Major Donor engagement strategy and its successful execution.We are seeking a relationship builder who can meet goals and objectives, acquire new funders, connect with them, and serve our mission. This position identifies, engages, cultivates, solicits, and stewards current and prospective funders in securing and expanding their financial support of the work of the Foundation. Responsible for meeting an annual revenue target by working towards building and growing a robust pipeline of Major Donors and stewarding an assigned portfolio of funders and prospects to advance the mission of the organisation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategy: Design and develop the Major Donor Engagement Strategy to grow the Foundation’s revenue through Major Donors. Works collaboratively with other markets and the Head of North America to create customized solicitation strategies in line with the Major Donor Strategy, matching the objectives of the organization and interests of the prospective donors.
• Prospects Development: Develop and execute programs/activities to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward donors at the $10,000 level or higher. Work with the Head of North America and the Board members and other key personnel to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward appropriate donors.
• Development in a New Market: Networking and raising awareness of the Foundation in North America as a new market. Design and execute strategies to strengthen engagement with current stakeholders and new prospects while enhancing the Foundation brand presence.
• Relationship Development: Develops ongoing relationships with major donors. Accountable for cultivating relationships for individual fundraising. Cultivates relationships with individual donors personally and meet the donor needs i.e. facilitate program visits, connection to programs, regular updates and reporting.
• Giving Circle: Work closely with the Head of North America to design and develop a giving circle to facilitate and strengthen the support of the Major Donors to the Foundation***.***
• Communications – Advanced presentation skills and written skills, to assist the wider US team to prepare correspondence, briefings, and pitches to support donor cultivation and stewardship efforts across the portfolio.
• Global Collaboration: Collaborate with colleagues on local and global projects and initiatives as appropriate; liaise with colleagues in other Foundation fundraising offices to share innovations and best practices and, where needed, provide support; and interface with program colleagues around the world to meet funder demands and organizational fundraising needs.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO SUCCEED

• Minimum seven years business development and/or fundraising experience required.
• Proven experience in developing strategies for donor retention growth and recapture and proven success with complex requests is required.
• Strong understanding of the philanthropic landscape and associated trends.
• Demonstrated experience building long term relationships to deliver growth against targets
• Experience in asking for and closing gifts of five and six figures or more.
• Experience in managing and tracking high volumes of prospects and donors.
• Experience working with cross-functional, global teams
• Budget management experience within a not-for-profit environment or other relevant environment
• Experience briefing and working with C-suite Executives
• This role will include significant travel in the Northeast and West Coast to meet and engage with donors.

Desirable Experience:

• Experience in international development & Not for Profit sector.
• Knowledge and understanding of international development sector
• Knowledge of converting complex program language into clear proposals
• Working knowledge of cause related databases

How we recognise your contribution

Through our internal programs and employee benefits we aim to create an environment where you will feel supported and empowered. Whether your focus is on continuous learning, professional development or finding an environment which enables you to thrive while balancing family or personal commitments, we have a range of programs in place to support you.

To find out more about our benefits click here