National Director, Major Gifts and Planned Giving

Easterseals is leading the way to full equity, inclusion, and access through life-changing disability and community services. Through our national network of affiliates, Easterseals provides essential services and on-the-ground supports to more than 1.5 million people each year — from early childhood programs for the critical first five years, to autism services, to medical rehabilitation and employment programs, to veterans’ services, and more. Our public education, policy, and advocacy initiatives positively shape perceptions and address the urgent and evolving needs of the one in four Americans living with disabilities today.

If you're passionate about working in an inclusive and supportive environment that values diversity, we encourage you to apply and join our team to positively impact the communities we serve. Your talents are welcome here, and we look forward to how we can grow and succeed together.

The National Director, Major Gifts and Planned Giving is an externally facing fundraiser, charged with securing outright and multi-year commitments from individual donors at the $25,000+ level as well as planned gifts at all levels for Easterseals, Inc. Additionally, the National Director, Major Gifts and Planned Giving will play a significant role in supporting Affiliates capacities to grow and advancing our mission in the communities we serve by expanding major gifts and planned giving across the Network. Reporting to the SVP Direct Response and Integrated Fundraising, this position will work closely with the President and CEO, Administrative Director and Board Liaison, Affiliate Leadership and Board to achieve annual fundraising goals and build a pipeline of major and legacy donors to position Easterseals and our Network of Affiliates, for ambitious revenue growth over the next five years.

• Manage a portfolio of 150 major and planned giving donors and prospects; act as a front-line Major Gifts Officer to strategically develop relationships with new prospects, taking existing relationships to the next level through proactive outreach and face-to-face meetings and solicitations.
• Build on existing momentum to continue to grow the planned giving program through identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding deferred and estate gift donors through face-to-face visits. Use Advanced Wealth Analytics and other tools to conduct prospective donor research. Identify untapped planned giving constituencies.
• Develop and implement overall strategies for engagement, solicitation, cultivation, stewardship, and follow up with the goal of increasing the number of gifts, donors, intentions, and revenue at the $25,000+ level.
• Secure face-to-face donor and prospect visits and opportunities to engage in person. 
• Create and maintain budgets for individual giving and planned giving channels. Collaborate with Finance on timely reporting and reconciliation of budgets and bequest income. Project, monitor, and track major gifts revenue and expenses, adjusting business plans according to results.
• Oversee internal donor tracking and moves management for portfolio and support President and CEO, Administrative Director and Board Liaison with tracking outreach and efforts with all major gift and planned gift prospects and donors in BBCRM/BI.
• Prepare timely and complete gift proposals, bequest language and other supporting documentation to secure deferred gifts. Work with donors, their advisors, and attorneys to finalize gift terms and transfer assets to Easterseals, Inc.
• Support a comprehensive marketing program to promote legacy giving. Work closely with other members of the team to integrate planned giving into cultivation and solicitation cycle for potential donors and their families.
• Act as a resource for Major Gifts and the Network Planned Giving Program to enable Affiliates to reach proficiency in utilizing the tools and resources provided by the National Office. Maintain and enhance the Network Planned Giving Program and assets.
• Develop and implement customized major and planned giving solutions and strategies for engagement, solicitation, cultivation, stewardship, and follow up for a handful of Affiliates. Determine KPIs/success metrics around number of gifts, donors, intentions, and revenue specific to the Affiliate’s market/prospect research.
• When appropriate and in collaboration with the Affiliate Network, conduct donor site visits, tours and in-person meetings.
• Performs other duties as assigned or requested.

• A Bachelor's degree is required.
• 10-15 years of experience working in a strategic, major gifts and direct solicitation environment.
• Experience soliciting legacy gifts and managing a planned giving program.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently to create a vibrant major gifts program.
• Exceptional recognition of ethical and legal requirements of confidentiality in handling of sensitive information and situations.
• Highly organized, creative, proactive, detail-oriented, and able to prioritize with superior time management and troubleshooting skills.
• Excellent verbal & written communication skills and demonstrated ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, accurately, and concisely.
• Fluency in MS Office products: MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, MS Outlook.
• Ability to travel as required.

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package!

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