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Bennington College is seeking a Leadership Gift Officer to join its Institutional Advancement team. Dedicated to expanding philanthropic support from alumni, parents, and friends across the western United States, the Leadership Gift Officer builds a strong pipeline for future major gifts by qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding constituents to deepen their relationship with the College.
Under the direction of the Vice President for Institutional Advancement, the Leadership Gift Officer oversees a portfolio of roughly 125 to 150 prospects and donors, concentrating on annual leadership gifts between $10,000 and $100,000 and securing multi-year pledges as appropriate.
This is a remote position requiring residence in the West Coast, Mountain West, or Pacific Northwest, as it demands frequent in-person travel across the region—specifically targeting the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and the Pacific Northwest. Duties will also require periodic travel—including overnight stays—to Bennington, Vermont, and additional destinations, as well as occasional work during evenings and weekends.
Bennington serves a diverse student population inclusive of members of ethnically/racially minoritized, international, LGBTQIA+, and disability communities, as well as diverse gender identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, and political beliefs. Our staff and faculty also reflect diverse and intersecting backgrounds and identities. All employees are expected to be respectful and responsive to these differences in the service of building a community that promotes student and employee success and community cohesiveness. Each individual (faculty, staff and students) will be accountable for upholding these values. The College’s approach to pluralism and inclusivity—both as fields of inquiry and practice—is to prioritize flexible thought, and to invite the examination of access, value, power, and privilege through its institutional policies and areas of study. We encourage applicants from diverse realms of interest, backgrounds, experience, and accomplishment to apply.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
Three to five years of progressively responsible experience in frontline fundraising, sales, account management, relationship management, business development, or a related field; experience in higher education advancement or nonprofit fundraising is preferred.
Valid/current driver’s license and ability to travel independently.
Demonstrated ability to establish and sustain meaningful relationships with a wide range of individuals.
Comfort and effectiveness in initiating conversations about philanthropy and making direct person-to-person solicitations.
Strong organizational and portfolio-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple relationships, priorities, and deadlines independently.
Demonstrated ability to set priorities, take initiative, follow through consistently, and work toward measurable goals.
Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
Strong listening skills and the ability to understand constituent interests and translate them into meaningful engagement and philanthropic opportunities.
Experience using CRM or donor-management databases; familiarity with fundraising and moves-management systems is preferred.
Comfort using data, research, and technology to inform portfolio strategy and fundraising activity.
Ability to work effectively both independently in a remote environment and collaboratively as part of a distributed team.
Ability to interact professionally with donors and colleagues and exercise sound judgment and discretion when handling confidential information.
Demonstrated ability to work respectfully and effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
Willingness and ability to travel regularly throughout the Western United States and periodically to Bennington, Vermont, and other locations as needed.
All offers of employment are contingent on successful completion and acceptable results of a background check.
Compensation: The annual salary for this position starts at $82,000.
Bennington College offers a comprehensive benefits program that includes medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance, retirement, and tuition benefits, including Tuition Exchange scholarships. The College also offers an on-site fitness center as well as generous time off benefits.
General Responsibilities
Portfolio Management and Fundraising:
Develop and implement individualized qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for assigned constituents.
Personally solicit leadership annual gifts, with a primary focus on renewing and increasing gifts in the $10,000–$100,000 range and securing multi-year commitments when appropriate.
Conduct approximately 8-12 meaningful in-person or virtual donor and prospect visits each month.
Build a consistent pipeline of prospective donors through qualification, discovery, engagement, and solicitation.
Identify individuals with major and planned gift potential and partner with senior development colleagues to develop appropriate next-step strategies and transitions.
Meet or exceed established annual goals for fundraising revenue, donor visits, qualifications, solicitations, renewals, upgrades, and other key performance indicators.
Use prospect research, data analysis, and portfolio management tools to evaluate, prioritize, and strategically manage assigned relationships.
Maintain accurate and timely records of donor interactions, strategies, proposals, contact reports, demographic updates, and moves-management activity in the College’s constituent database.
Donor Engagement and Relationship Building:
Build authentic, sustained relationships with alumni, parents, friends, trustees, and other constituents that deepen their connection to Bennington College and strengthen their understanding of the College’s priorities and impact.
Serve as a visible and knowledgeable representative of Bennington College within the Western United States.
Listen closely to donor interests and motivations and connect those interests with appropriate opportunities to support the College.
Develop a strong understanding of Bennington College ’s mission, academic programs, student experience, institutional priorities, and philanthropic opportunities in order to communicate the College’s story effectively.
Prepare personalized donor correspondence, proposals, gift documentation, briefing materials, and other communications as needed.
Steward donors thoughtfully and consistently in partnership with Donor Relations and other Institutional Advancement colleagues.
Identify opportunities to engage donors and prospects through College events, regional gatherings, campus programs, volunteer opportunities, and other meaningful points of connection.
Strategic Collaboration:
Work closely with Institutional Advancement leadership to support annual fundraising goals and the long-term development of Bennington’s leadership and major gift pipelines.
Collaborate with Advancement leadership and colleagues across Major Gifts, Annual Giving, Alumni and Constituent Engagement, Donor Relations, Special Events, Advancement Services, and Institutional and Academic Grants to develop coordinated and comprehensive donor strategies.
Partner with College leadership, trustees, faculty, staff, and volunteers, as appropriate, to advance constituent relationships and philanthropic opportunities.
Identify emerging donor interests, philanthropic trends, and engagement opportunities that may support institutional priorities.
Share relevant donor insights and information with colleagues to ensure coordinated relationship management and a consistent constituent experience.
Contribute to a collaborative, flexible, and goal-oriented Advancement team culture.
Events and Regional Engagement:
Support the planning and execution of targeted cultivation, stewardship, and engagement opportunities in the Western United States and other assigned areas.
Attend and staff select College and Advancement events involving donors, prospects, alumni, parents, and other constituents.
Represent Bennington College professionally at regional events and gatherings.
The College
Bennington College is a small residential liberal arts college in southern Vermont, long distinguished for its progressive approach to higher education. The College was founded in 1932 on the principle of active engagement in learning, which is manifest in individualized plans of study developed by students together with faculty. We serve a diverse student population, and our faculty and staff also reflect diverse backgrounds and identities. Our aim is to educate students towards self-fulfillment and constructive social purposes, and we believe that equity, diversity, and inclusivity--in community and in curriculum--are vital to achieving those aims.
Nestled at the foot of the Green Mountains in Vermont, the campus consists of approximately 370 acres. The College was named one of ten with the best architecture by Architectural Digest. From campus, it is a short drive to the cultural offerings of the northern Berkshires in Massachusetts, Albany, New York, and many of Vermont’s top recreational centers. New York City, Boston, and Burlington, Vermont are all within three and a half hours by car.