Individual Giving Officer

Job Title: Individual Giving Officer
Reports to: Director of Development
Department: Development
FLSA Classification: Full-Time, Exempt
Wage/Compensation Range: $34-$36/hour – health insurance, paid time off, and paid holidays provided

Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the community we serve. Goodspeed Musicals is committed to creating an equitable, inclusive, and accessible workplace environment, and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, non-gender binary/trans individuals, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

General Statement of Job Function
Responsible for soliciting and securing major gifts from individual donors, including unrestricted annual gifts, designated gifts for specific projects and programs, campaign gifts, and planned gifts by managing a portfolio of approximately 100 high profile, high-capacity donors. This position will be responsible for identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donor prospects and closing annual major gifts, special gifts, campaign gifts, and planned gifts. This position will act as a key ambassador through personal contact with donors and prospects. The Individual Giving Officer must work independently by exercising judgment in representing Goodspeed in all areas of donor relations, have superior oral and written communication skills, and exceptional people skills. This position must work comfortably and professionally with donors, foundations, Trustees, individual prospects, and volunteers. The position serves as a representative of Goodspeed Musicals to the public and must represent the organization’s mission with enthusiasm and professionalism.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities
• Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors/members with the expectation to have a minimum of 50 donor visits annually—outside of member/donor cultivation and fundraising events or at performances
• Actively steward and solicit portfolio of donors primarily through in person meetings; as well as telephone, email, and written communications
• Set meetings with members/donors, engaging Goodspeed’s executive leadership and Director of Development for cultivation and to solicit major gifts
• Works collaboratively with and in support of volunteers and other development staff and Director of Development, to cultivate and solicit donors for organization-wide priorities, such as annual fundraising events, capital projects and campaigns
• Personalize donor interactions, using research and donor-centered best practices to engage with their portfolio regularly
• Adhere to the highest ethical standards; demonstrate empathetic disposition, and perseverance; reflect optimistic and positive attitude, and convey sensitivity to the needs
of the donors
• Work with Director of Development on strategies and activities involving the Goodspeed’s leadership, Trustees, leadership staff, and volunteer leaders

Manage Prospect Activity
• Monitor all prospect contacts to ensure positive and purposeful prospect and donor/member relations
• Identify prospects in the database with potential for leadership and major gifts
• Develop appropriate cultivation strategies for them
• Move prospective donors in an appropriate and timely fashion toward solicitation
and closure
• Identify and solicit planned giving prospects
• Prepare timely and accurate written communication for specific portfolio of donors—organizes and develops solicitations and acknowledgment materials; ensures accuracy of all billing, finances, and contributions
• Track campaign data and donor interactions to inform future fundraising strategy, create goals for each of their donors based on the donor’s history of giving and donor’s potential

Planned Giving responsibilities include
• Work with the Director of Development and Membership & Annual Fund Manager to plan and implement a planned giving marketing campaign
• Work with Goodspeed’s planned giving consultant as needed for:
o IRS/tax implications of all forms of planned gifts including Charitable Gift Annuities, Bequests, Qualified Charitable distributions from IRAs, endowments, etc.
o To create legacy plans which may include memorandums of understanding as well as stewarding those gifts and plans
o To implement and manage donor relationships in regard to charitable gift annuities and endowments
o To work with attorneys and executors to facilitate the interests of Goodspeed in realizing bequests

Other Duties and Responsibilities
• Work with Goodspeed’s Event Manager to identify and invite Members/Donors to annual fundraising events
• Assist with the planning and implementation of Major Donor and legacy donor
cultivation events
• Manage the Goodspeed Society of legacy donors
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications & Skills
• Experience in development, legal, financial, or related fields with a proven track record of closing gifts in the five to seven figure range
• Experience in making donation visits and calls as well as developing cultivation and solicitation strategies
• Experience in securing multi-year and complex gifts
• Experience tracking relationship-building steps in CRM databases
• Experience working with high-level decision makers, trustees, and other volunteers
• Ability to understand the needs and interests of major gift donors in order to develop relationships between them and the organization
• Demonstrated leadership and a dedication to promoting fundraising priorities through cultivating excellent relationships with staff, trustees, volunteers, and the development office team
• Must possess an enthusiastic and positive outlook and bring kindness, confidence, and a generous spirit
• Ability to treat confidential information with the utmost discretion
• Portfolio management experience required, some planned giving experience preferred
• Experience with fundraising databases and fundraising search engines. Goodspeed currently uses: Patron Manager, iWave, and Candid’s Foundation Directory
• Excellent verbal/written communication and presentation skills
• Must be willing to travel and work evenings and weekends
• Preferred: Bachelor’s degree or higher or the equivalent experience
• Respect for Goodspeed’s mission and drive, including the understanding that the focus of our work is to support the artistic and creative process—and people—at the heart of making musical theatre
• Exhibit interpersonal savvy, which includes relating comfortably to a variety of personalities; cultivating and maintaining positive relationships; employing discretion, diplomacy, and tact; seeking the positive in all situations
• Comfortably and effectively cope with change and ambiguity, which includes effectively transitioning between tasks and timelines; identifying priorities and making good decisions with a minimum of information; staying relaxed and proactive when things are uncertain; confidently managing risk and uncertainty
• A commitment to an equitable work environment, which includes use of gender inclusive language; support for individual gender expression, racial equity and inter-generational collaboration; accessibility for people with disabilities; and cultural sensitivity

How to Apply
Submission Deadline: Friday, May 16, 2025
Please send a cover letter, resume, availability, and list of three references to jobs@goodspeed.org with the subject line “Individual Giving Officer”