Major Gifts Officer

Organization

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian organization that delivers impartial medical care to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care in over 70 countries.

We welcome candidates who bring a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us in working toward MSF’s common mission.

Department

Our dynamic Development Department is responsible for raising over $600 million annually to support the mission of the organization. The Major Gifts unit is responsible for managing relationships with over 2,500 individuals giving over $25,000 in a 24-month period. The team raised almost $130M in 2021.

Project

Under the direction of the Director of Major Gifts, the Major Gifts Officer identifies, develops, manages and grows strategic relationships with existing major donors and prospects. This includes stewardship and solicitation plans for a portfolio of around 200 individuals giving over $24,000 in a 24-month period with the goal of securing funding for MSF-USA. The role requires close coordination with various MSF personnel to develop proposals around priority MSF activities and initiatives in line with the donors’ preferences.

In consultation with Senior Major Gifts Officer, the role implements the overall strategy for major donors and prospects at MSF USA in their assigned territory.

Tasks

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Stewardship, cultivation, and prospecting strategies to implement best-in-class donor experience in line with team’s objectives.
• Responsible for executing stewardship and cultivation strategies in their territory to drive donor acquisition, retention, reinstatement, upgrades to increase the number of donors giving and donor value.
• Create and implement personalized cultivation and solicitation plans for approximately 150 – 200 major donors giving $25,000+ in a 24-month period to grow their giving utilizing effective and appropriate stewardship techniques,
• In collaboration with the prospect research team, develop and manage a pipeline of major donor prospects within MSF’s file and the broader community.
• Implements moves management for their own portfolio, documenting all contacts and next steps in CRM.
• Build appropriate strategies and create the tools needed to initiate and cultivate these relationships, including crafting opportunities for restricted, multi-year, and planned giving.
• Collaborate cross-departmentally with the research and analytics, mid-level, and planned giving teams to effectively handle pipeline and moves management processes.
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of MSF’s programmatic and financial activities and priorities, and international news to relay accurate and appropriate information to donors in line with their needs.
• Leverage relationships to garner introductions to prospects or other philanthropic influencers.
• Work with other departments including Program, Communications, Finance, and the operational centers and missions, when appropriate, to obtain materials and information needed for the accurate communication of information to donors.
• Determine annual projections and regular reforecasting of major donors in their portfolio.
• Collaborate with fundraising officers across development on areas of overlap such as corporate, foundations, planned giving, and mid-level as appropriate.
• Conducts routine data entry, review, analysis to ensure donor information in the CRM is current and accurate.
• Stay abreast of industry best-practices and support innovations in the major gifts strategy.
• Contribute to annual major gifts strategic planning process.
• Responsible for maintaining the privacy of donors’ personal and financial data.
• Under the direction of the Director of Major Gifts, manage assigned projects in line with the strategic plan to fulfill major gifts objectives and revenue targets.
• Work with the Prospect Research team to ensure accurate and up to data donor profiles are maintained, and prospect opportunities are seized.
• Contributes to documenting the business policies and procedures followed by the Major Gifts team.

Qualifications

Required

• Minimum three years of development experience, preferably in the areas of Major Gifts or high-value partnerships.
• Minimum three years of experience of portfolio management with high-value donors.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and representation skills, including the ability to work with staff at all levels, and ability to represent MSF with tact, diplomacy, and confidentiality.
• Knowledge and interest in international affairs and humanitarian issues.
• Familiarity with and commitment to the work of Doctors Without Borders
• Ability to travel extensively
• Proven skills in working productively with donors, foundation staff, and/or board members. Ability to be flexible.
• Ability to analyze and synthesize complex and sensitive material, and to present appropriate, well-informed messages to donors.
• Ability to handle a large volume of work under pressure and with deadlines.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills.
• Digitally-literate, including fundraising CRM systems such as Salesforce NPSP. Comfortable learning new software applications.
• Awareness of key methodologies, approaches, and market trends in the industry.
• Enthusiastic “all hands-on deck” style team player; able to operate and collaborate across multiple teams and thrive in a fast-paced culture.
• Responsible, pro-active, driven, and able to work independently
• A passion for MSF and the work we do.
• Commitment to the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Facility with spreadsheets, budgets and forecasting.

Preferred

• Driver’s license.
• Experience working in North American philanthropic environment.
• French or Spanish skills a plus.

Expected to work in a hybrid remote work environment and have the ability to come into the DC office a minimum of 2 times a week.

Please note that this position is located in the Washington, DC office.

No phone calls or emails please. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Please note that relocation assistance and visa sponsorship will be offered for this position.

Application Deadline: Open Until Filled

MSF-USA/Doctors Without Borders is an Equal Opportunity Employer. No employee, or applicant for employment, shall be discriminated against in any term or condition of employment because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law. We are constantly striving to make our organization anti-racist. Diversity, equity and inclusion are core values. As an employee, you become part of that mission. We expect this same commitment from our staff.