[Remote] Senior Major Gift Officer at Wikimedia Foundation

Remote

Not SpecifiedCompensation

Senior (5 to 8 years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

Non-ProfitIndustries

Requirements

4 years of successful fundraising experience, including at least 3 years of direct major gifts experience
A record of personal success in raising money from individual major donors through current and planned gifts in the 4 to 5-figure range
Broad-based knowledge of various development activities, including direct solicitations, event planning and management, and planned giving
Excellent relationship management skills and the ability to work with a diverse group of donors and team members across geographies
Excellent verbal communication skills
Demonstrably strong writing skills
Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy and accountability
Ability to maintain confidentiality of donor information and a finely-tuned sense of discretion
Ability to travel to meet with donors in person and attend Foundation gatherings
Comfort and experience in a technology-driven environment
Located with convenient travel into US East Coast or West Coast major metros and travel frequently
Strong values and vision fit with the Wikimedia movement and Foundation
Strong international perspective with personal experience in cross-cultural communication (highly valued)
Articulate and persuasive communicator, both in speaking and writing
Active listening and strategizing; comfortable receiving input from many sources, and able to act on information to develop increased support
Detail-oriented, able to maintain systems, track progress, and follow-up in a timely fashion

Responsibilities

Serving as a front-line fundraiser on a team charged with securing annually increasing revenue targets through major gifts
Cultivating and stewarding a portfolio of 75-100 prospects who have the capacity to give between $1k-$25k annually, along with qualifying and disqualifying major donors from a large giving pool, with frequent reevaluation of the portfolio based on qualification meetings
Soliciting and securing major and planned gifts in support of the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia Endowment, and building a pipeline for further giving and cultivation across our major gifts team
Fostering strong, life-long donor relationships, including those assigned based on geographic location or other factors
Developing intimate, high-end donor cultivation events, including building invitation lists, assisting with program content, and executing post-event cultivation strategies, in conjunction with the Events Manager
Creating written materials to support fundraising, including meeting/event briefings, activity reports, solicitation letters, proposals, and stewardship reports
Managing a variety of major donor communications, including project management, writing, and editing of these pieces, in collaboration with other staff across the Foundation
Participating in donor identification, research, and qualification efforts
Assisting with gift processing, acknowledgements, donor recognition, and other gift administration tasks as needed
Tracking contact with donors in our donor database

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

Major Gifts FundraisingPlanned GivingDonor CultivationPortfolio ManagementDonor StewardshipFundraising EventsSolicitation WritingEmail OutreachDonor RelationsQualification Meetings

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

Is this position remote?

Yes, the Senior Major Gift Officer will work remotely, but the ideal candidate will be located with convenient travel into US East Coast or West Coast major metros and travel frequently.

What experience is required for this role?

Candidates need 4 years of successful fundraising experience, including at least 3 years of direct major gifts experience, and a record of personal success in raising 4 to 5-figure gifts from individual major donors.

What is the salary for this position?

This information is not specified in the job description.

What does the fundraising team structure look like?

The Senior Major Gift Officer reports to and works closely with the Senior Manager of Major Gifts & Planned Giving, manages a portfolio of 75-100 prospects, and collaborates with the Events Manager and other staff across the Foundation.

What makes a strong candidate for this role?

A strong candidate has excellent relationship management skills, broad-based knowledge of development activities like direct solicitations, event planning, and planned giving, and the ability to cultivate personalized donor strategies while managing communications at scale.

Wikimedia Foundation

Operates Wikipedia and free knowledge projects

About Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation operates Wikipedia and other free knowledge projects, aiming to create a world where everyone can freely access and share knowledge. It provides a platform for users to read, contribute, and share content, while also supporting the volunteer communities that help maintain these projects. The foundation is funded by donations from individuals and institutions, emphasizing its nonprofit status. Unlike many other organizations, it focuses on making knowledge accessible to all without charge, advocating for policies that support free knowledge initiatives. Its goal is to empower individuals to contribute to and benefit from a collective pool of knowledge.

San Francisco, CaliforniaHeadquarters

2003Year Founded

$145.9MTotal Funding

GRANTCompany Stage

Social Impact, EducationIndustries

501-1,000Employees

Benefits

Remote Work Options

Risks

Reliance on Nvidia's AI tech may affect Wikimedia's data processing autonomy.

DSA audit could reveal vulnerabilities requiring significant resources to address.

Decentralized platforms like Mastodon may divert users from Wikipedia.

Differentiation

Wikimedia Foundation operates the world's largest free online encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

It supports a diverse range of projects like Wiktionary and Wikisource.

The Foundation is a non-profit, relying on global donations for funding.

Upsides

Nvidia's NeMo Retriever tech reduced Wikipedia processing time from 30 days to 3 days.

Holistic AI's audit under the DSA enhances Wikimedia's platform safety and accountability.

Collaboration with Open Foundation West Africa combats misinformation during Ghana's elections.

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