The Opportunity:
This position is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious fundraising professional with corporate donor experience to join WCS’s Global Resources department and grow corporate philanthropy and sponsorship revenue. The NYC-based Corporate Engagement team has the ambitious goal of generating $10M annually, contributing towards an overall departmental goal of raising $100M+ a year in private philanthropy. The Development Officer will be instrumental in helping WCS save 50% of the world’s biodiversity, advance nature-based solutions to climate change and the protection of critical landscapes and seascapes around the world, and connect leading corporations and their employees to support our world-class zoos and aquarium.
Based out of the Bronx Zoo, WCS’s headquarters, the Development Officer will manage a portfolio of 40+ donors and prospects with a cumulative capacity of $1.5-2M. The Development Officer will proactively push the pipeline of donor prospects, creating a qualified flow of donors in support of our growing revenue ramp. Through personalized engagement of high capacity corporate prospects identified by research, the Development Officer will assess the appropriate treatment of prospects, identify the strategy that best aligns with the corporation’s philanthropic and programmatic interests, conduct targeted outreach, and build donor relationships. The position will report to the Associate Director, Corporate Engagement, and will work within a team of 14 dedicated to securing and stewarding institutional donors for WCS. This is a uniqueopportunity to join a growing team making significant impacts advancing global conservationefforts and raising awareness across our zoos and aquarium.
Responsibilities:
• Qualify and prioritize new prospective corporate funders based on programmatic interests, demonstrated or emerging philanthropy and sponsorship, and potential for WCS engagement.
• Manage a portfolio of corporate donors and prospects valued at $1.5M-2M. Create prospect strategies of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship that include in-person and virtual meetings, concepts/LOIs/proposals, reports, and executive and trustee engagement. Develop and review proposals, decks, agreements, reports, and correspondence to corporate donors and prospects.
• Help plan and staff donor events and meetings.
• Ensure implementation of sponsorship/grant benefits and deliverables. Build and maintain collaborative relationships with staff across the organization.
• Work with the corporate engagement team and other Global Resources staff to ensure accurate and timely maintenance of required information in donor database, including projections, proposal status, actions, accurate contact information, etc. and contribute to budget forecasting and financial projections on a regular basis.
• Maintain a solid understanding of WCS, its programs and initiatives, history and goals, and corporate and societal trends to draft cultivation and stewardship communications forcorporate engagement partners and prospects.
• Perform all other duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications:
• 3+ years of front-line fundraising experience with demonstrable success in qualifying and closing corporate gifts.
• Experience assessing new prospects, creating donor strategies, and interfacing effectively with a high volume of donors and prospects.
• Excellent communication and writing skills (including external emails, proposal writing, and preparing briefing materials).
• Passion for WCS’s mission and ability to present as an effective representative of the organization.
• Ability to work independently and interface professionally with corporate representatives.
• Attention to detail.
• BS/BA degree.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience collaborating with teams and executive leadership in a complex organization.
• Working knowledge of global issues and geographies.
• Experience with Salesforce or similar fundraising database and tools.
• Prospect research skills.