Position Summary
The Leadership Gift Officer (LGO) is a front-line fundraising professional responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a pool of mid-level prospects to strengthen annual philanthropic support for Hobart and William Smith. Focusing on gifts of $1,000 to $25,000, the LGO advances donor relationships through personalized outreach, via phone, email, digital engagement, and occasional travel, as well as select in-person opportunities during campus and regional events.
The LGO plays a critical role in building the pipeline of future major gift donors, identifying and preparing prospects for transition to the Major Gifts portfolio while deepening annual support at the leadership level.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage and engage a pool of mid-level prospects, with a focus on cultivating long-term philanthropic relationships that benefit students, faculty, and institutional priorities.
- Conduct personalized outreach through digital platforms, phone calls, and in-person visits to solicit annual gifts at the Emerson Society level and above.
- Qualify prospects to assess inclination, interest, and capacity for philanthropic support.
- Collaborate with colleagues in Annual Giving, Alumni and Alumnae Relations, Stewardship, and Major Gifts to align strategies and maximize donor potential.
- Leverage ongoing campus and regional events, digital engagement, and affinity-based communications to create meaningful opportunities for connection and solicitation.
- Maintain accurate and timely records of donor interactions, strategies, and outcomes in Raiser's Edge NXT.
- Partner with the Executive Director of Annual and Athletic Giving to develop an annual work plan with defined goals and performance metrics (e.g., visits, dollars raised, new donors acquired, stewardship actions, qualifications/disqualifications and number of prospects referred to Major Gifts).
- Participate in giving day, reunion giving, and short-cycle fundraising initiatives that drive participation and leadership-level philanthropy.
Annual salary range is $65,000 - $75,000.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required.
- 1-2 years of experience in fundraising, alumni relations, sales, marketing, or a related field; direct solicitation experience preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategies for engaging and soliciting a large group of individuals.
- Strong communication, relationship-building, and active listening skills.
- Digitally savvy and comfortable using modern engagement tools; familiarity with Raiser's Edge NXT and Raise by Gravyty preferred.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
- Creative, detail-oriented, and highly motivated to work both independently and collaboratively across teams.
- Understanding of annual leadership giving principles and the donor life cycle.
- Ability to represent HWS with professionalism, enthusiasm, and integrity.
- Willingness to work occasional evenings or weekends and to travel regionally as needed.
About HWS
A liberal arts and sciences institution, Hobart and William Smith is known for consistent success in preparing students for meaningful lives and fulfilling careers through an outcomes-based focus on their futures. Our nationally ranked faculty are accessible teachers and scholars known for the impact of their research and distinguished by the depth of their mentorship. World challenges are studied in the classroom where critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills are honed. In the field, knowledge turns into discovery. In office hours, plans are carefully crafted to tie interests and talents to an academic path that motivates beyond graduation.
Our location in the heart of the Finger Lakes allows faculty, staff and students to live and work collaboratively on the banks of a resource-rich lake. Student-athletes play for 30 varsity teams boasting 24 national titles, including the 2023 and 2024 NCAA DIII Men's Ice Hockey Championships. With three graduate programs, students can build on their undergraduate degree with a Master of Arts in Higher Education Leadership, Master of Arts in Teaching, or a Master of Science in Management. Together, the experiences and mentorship at HWS prepare students to lead lives of consequence.
Application Instructions
For more information and to apply, visit https://apply.interfolio.com/176459