Philanthropy Officer

Summary of Position:

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President of Philanthropy, the Philanthropy Officer will develop and manage a portfolio of donors who will participate in the School’s long-term philanthropic strength, including through the Building Our Future capital campaign for the new Frank Gehry-designed Colburn Center. Responsibilities will include prospecting, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors to the School’s annual fund, endowment, capital campaign, special projects, and planned giving program. The Philanthropy Officer will also support operations, diligently tracking portfolio activity in the School’s CRM, Tessitura, and working in partnership with other philanthropy officers and our Director of Campaign and Philanthropy Operations to ensure professional fundraising best practices.

You belong on our team if you have a deep interest in education, the performing arts, and the Los Angeles community, and are highly self-motivated, forward-thinking, donor-centric, and committed to teamwork as well as individual achievement. If you enjoy a fast-paced environment and are excited to be a part of a life- and city-changing campaign, let us know!

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Contribute to the success of a 12-person philanthropy team’s growth of contributed revenue;

Manage all aspects of a portfolio of approximately 100 five- and six-figure gift donors, including sourcing, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors to annual fund, endowment, planned, and special campaign gifts;

Promote interaction with donors and prospects through high-level participation in events, including Colburn Society events, the annual gala, house concerts, recitals, and other programs on and off campus; weekends and evenings will be required;

Gather information about donors’ specific interests and pair with the Colburn School’s programs and campaign opportunities; create custom proposals, reports, and acknowledgements, and contribute to philanthropy marketing campaigns to cultivate your portfolio;

Work together with philanthropy officer team on creating programs to engage new capital campaign donors (e.g., seat-naming campaigns);

Work with donors, prospects, and their legal and financial advisors to establish charitable trusts, bequests, and complex outright gifts to benefit the School;

Work with the philanthropy and finance teams to determine School compliance with donor restrictions and donor intent in its management of gifts and funds;

Partner with the Director of Campaign and Philanthropy Operations and the philanthropy operations team on donor stewardship and tracking, supporting a data-informed office culture;

Working directly in Tessitura, provide accurate and timely relationship and gift documentation;

Work with the Philanthropy Data Systems Manager and Portfolio Coordinator to grow Philanthropy Officer’s portfolio through prospecting and related fundraising functions;

Staff concerts and events as a philanthropy donor services representative to bolster Colburn donor community engagement;

Maintain best practices and ensure a coordinated and collaborative approach;

Establish credibility and collaborative relationships with senior leadership, Board members, donors, volunteers, and colleagues from all academic units and other departments;

Develop a current, thorough, and comprehensive understanding of the Colburn School’s mission, areas of excellence, student population, student and faculty profiles, services, programs, and goals; and

Perform other duties as required.

Education and Experience:

A bachelor's degree is required for this position as is at least seven years of experience in fundraising;

Direct experience with five- and six-figure solicitation and stewardship is required; experience with capital campaign projects and complex gift agreements—including long-term recognition activities (naming) and corporate partnerships is a plus;

A strong background of frontline fundraising, interacting with donors, patrons, artists, guests, and prospects in a professional manner;

A strong aptitude for design and branding, messaging, and the common technology used to support and advance these activities, like Adobe Creative Suite, email marketing, CRM systems, and websites; experience with Tessitura is a plus;

A commitment to the mission of Colburn—to provide access to excellence in the arts and the highest quality performing arts education at all levels of development in an optimal learning environment;

Experience managing a variety of staff and academic, or artistic, leadership through indirect influence and partnerships;

Experience with self-directed projects;

Dedication to accuracy and timeliness of work delivery;

An ability to work independently and closely with a broad team of varying constituents, including staff, faculty, volunteers, and trustees;

Strong interpersonal and writing skills; ability to communicate effectively in verbal and written form;

Experience utilizing collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom;

Ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders, and operate tactfully and strategically;

Ability to handle highly sensitive and confidential information appropriately; and

Website development experience (beneficial).

Compensation and Benefits:

The position is a full time, exempt role with a salary range of $80,000 to $110,000 depending on skills, experience, and ability level. The Colburn School offers excellent benefits including medical, dental and vision insurance plans; Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability and Life Insurance plans; paid sick leave and vacation; a 403(b)-retirement plan with a generous employer matching contribution.

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