All jobs The deadline for application is 30th July 2023. Interviews will take place remotely.
Location: Flexible global location, with a preference for the US or UK, candidates must have the right to work in the country they are applying from.
Reporting to: Head of Fundraising
Annual salary: £55,000 - £70,000 GBP, $100,000 - $130,000 USD plus healthcare.
Contract type: Two-year fixed term contract
Working hours: Full-time
Candidate level: Manager
Background
Save the Elephants (STE) is a non-profit organization founded in 1993 by Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, a renowned conservationist and elephant expert.
Elephants are the largest existing land mammal on earth, and they are a keystone species playing an important role in maintaining the biodiversity of the ecosystems in which they live. As icons of the continent elephants are tourism magnets, attracting funding that helps protect wilderness areas. However, having roamed the wild for 15 million years, today, this iconic species faces the biggest threats to its survival due to ivory poaching, human-wildlife conflict, and habitat destruction.
Save the Elephants is committed to the conservation of African elephants and their habitats, conducting research to better understand their behaviour and ecology, and developing innovative strategies to protect them from threats such as poaching.
Additionally, the organization collaborates with governments, NGOs, and other stakeholders to promote elephant conservation at the international level. Save the Elephants also works closely with local communities to promote sustainable land use practices, recognizing the important role that these communities play in protecting elephant habitats. Overall, the organization is a leading voice in the global effort to save these magnificent animals for future generations.
Now in its 30th year, Save the Elephants continues to work to protect elephants in an ever-changing world, searching for new ways to evolve both the team and ways to work to their mission.
Purpose of role
The Major Gifts Officer is a key senior fundraising role responsible for managing and growing Save the Elephants’ major gifts programme. The post holder will be a confident and entrepreneurial fundraiser with a strong track record of securing and stewarding five and six figure gifts, and experience of major gifts philanthropy in the US.
The incumbent will lead an exciting portfolio of over 100 major donors, developing, cultivating and maintaining important relationships, while also supporting other senior team members in their relationships.
Primary responsibilities
The job holder will have the following key responsibilities:
- Manage the major gifts programme to maintain existing relationships between the donors and their primary contact as well as with the organisation at large.
- Profile current major donors and put together cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans specific to that donor, working with the donors’ primary contact where appropriate.
- Plan donor engagement opportunities (internationally, online, or within Kenya) including international trips, donor events (in person and virtual) and donor meetings (in person and virtual).
- Contribute to overall fundraising strategy, as defined by the Head of Fundraising, proposing targeted activity for Major Gifts strategy.
- Develop and grow Major Gifts for the Elephant Crisis Fund, supported by, and in collaboration with the Head of Fundraising, the Elephant Crisis Fund team, the Wildlife Conservation Network and CEO.
- Work with the fundraising team and senior management to reach STE’s target budget.
- Report back to major donors in a timely manner (can be an actual report, an email update, a personal phone call or a visit – based on the individual donor’s needs).
- Maintain accurate and up to date donor information on Salesforce, following STE’s database architecture and ensure reports and lists are set up and pulled accurately, contacts are entered and set up correctly and donor correspondence logged promptly.
- Create 1-page donor profiles for all donors at over $5 K USD level.
- Build the donor pipeline through targeted prospect research including researching current and lapsed donors as well as new potential major donors.
- Maintain good working knowledge of principle issues in elephant conservation and the organisation’s programmes in order to be able to represent them.
- Set up a major donor event checklist to ensure any future events are appropriately planned and managed and the purpose is clear both for STE and the donors attending.
- Work with the Head of Fundraising to coordinate STE’s strategic preparation for dedicated fundraising campaigns.
The following offers an aspirational view of our ideal candidate profile; however, we encourage applications from candidates with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds, especially those from underrepresented groups.
Skills and experience:
- Demonstrable experience in a donor-facing major gifts role.
- Knowhow of the US philanthropy sector.
- Experience securing five and six figure gifts.
- Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills with proven ability to engage and influence both internal and external stakeholders at a senior level.
Personal traits desired
- Ability to work on initiative, from prospecting through to ask and stewardship.
- Ability to function in a small, high performing team.
- Willingness and capacity to travel internationally and within the US (approx. 30% travel a year).
- Proven ability to work with and support senior colleagues in managing donor relationships.
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Daryl Upsall International actively promotes equality, diversity and inclusion. In recruiting candidates, we seek candidates with the proven skills required; irrespective of race, gender, religion or belief, age, disability or sexual orientation.