Major Gifts Officer

Our Mission: Since the 1893 World Columbian Exposition, our organization has aimed to connect people to the natural environment and human history.

The Field Museum is searching for a Major Gifts Officer to Join our team!

This position is an active participant in the Field Museum’s major gifts and planned giving philanthropy, reporting to the Director of Principal and Major Gifts. The Major Gifts Officer will identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, secure, and steward gifts of $25,000 . Working with trustees and museum leadership, this person will seek funding for the Museum’s restricted priorities, endowment and lead annual support. The Field Museum recently completed a $316 million comprehensive campaign and is preparing to fundraise to support initiatives outlined in its new strategic plan.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 50-75 prospects and a smaller portfolio of discovery prospects
• Solicit and close major and planned gifts to meet annual goal of $500,000
• Complete 120 Quality contacts per year with major and planned gift prospects from portfolio
• Develop/personalize written donor strategies, briefing, and solicitation materials, both for direct asks and those led by senior staff and Trustees.
• Develop relationships with prospects through various cultivation activities
• Conduct strategic personal visits with planned giving prospects and support Major Gift/Individual Gift team members with planned giving donor strategies
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Familiarity with fundraising practices and a successful track record directly soliciting major gifts and cultivating new relationships with donors and/or clients
• Outstanding writing, speaking, and interpersonal skills and ability to synthesize the work and priorities of a global science research organization for prospective donors
• Self-directed, proactive, and detail-oriented with strong organizational and time management skills
• Ability to work well with a variety of people in a dynamic environment; high energy; focus; a collaborative spirit
• Ability to work occasional nights and weekends
• Ability to manage confidential information with discretion and to represent the Field Museum with maturity, judgment, and professionalism
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office suite
• Comfort with and desire to learn new technologies and computer software
• Commitment to the mission and goals of the Field Museum

Preferred Skills:

• Experience, familiarity, and ability to work in a complex non-profit organization with many departments, programs, and fundraising priorities
• Campaign experience
• Familiarity with the Chicago-area philanthropic community
• Proficient in Raiser’s Edge, PG Calc, or a similar software program
• Familiarity with an understanding of proposals, actions, and queries
• Experience in a planned giving office or estate planning law firm
• An interest in administering, marketing, and soliciting planned gifts

Important Note: In order to protect the health and safety of our employees, guests and their families, the Field Museum is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Requests for exemptions from the vaccine will not be considered as given the nature of this position, we are unable to provide an accommodation for anyone who has not been vaccinated.

The Field Museum is an equal opportunity workplace and employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, Veteran status, or any other protected class. We strive to create a working environment that is free of all forms of discrimination and one that promotes human dignity and mutual respect among all staff. We believe every member of our organization enriches our diversity by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, to identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions.

The Field Museum strives to ensure that our career website and recruiting process are accessible to all. If you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our online application, or if you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to accessibility@fieldmuseum.org.