Position summary:
Reporting to the Senior Director, Individual Giving (IG) and serving as a key member of the IG team within the Development department, the Principal Gifts Officer advances the mission of Rainforest Alliance through the engagement and solicitation of high-net-worth individual donors and prospects at the Principal Gifts level (i.e., gifts of $500,000+), in close partnership with the CEO and CDO.  Specifically, this includes managing and coordinating the identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of an assigned portfolio with the goal of significantly increasing revenues in support of RA’s ambitious Vision 2030 strategy. The successful candidate is a seasoned fundraising professional with a demonstrated track record of managing a portfolio and closing significant gifts from individuals, families, and family foundations.
The Principal Gifts Officer is a high impact, proactive, confident self-starter that thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment that values results. They are persistent and driven to succeed in advancing efforts to grow a robust pipeline of high-net-worth individual donors and in meeting or exceeding stretch goals. Success in this role will require the following qualities:

• Self-motivated, self-sufficient, and driven to lead and collaborate with others to achieve success;
• Detail-oriented and analytical;
• Strategic, proactive, and forward thinking;
• Persuasive, outgoing, and confident with exceptional communication skills;
• Possesses the highest standards of personal and professional integrity; and
• Adheres to and promotes RA’s mission, culture, and strategic priorities.

Responsibilities:

The Rainforest Alliance’s Core Values are Impact, Change, Collaboration, Openness and Trust and as such they form the basis of the behaviours we demonstrate. The following are the responsibilities that fall under this role:
Portfolio Management & Strategy

• Build and manage a portfolio of 75 donors and prospects with the capacity to make transformative gift in their lifetime, including identification and qualification, cultivation, request for support, and prompt follow up, stewardship and recognition.
• Prepare donor/prospect meeting and event briefings for CEO and CDO, specifically Board Committees;
• Utilize systems and software to track and cultivate donors and prospects, including our donor database and wealth screening tools;
• Regularly provide analysis and reports to team members and Development leadership;
• Maintain up-to-date revenue projections toward annual revenue goals;
• Track and report relationship management activity using Salesforce;
• Build and analyze reports in Salesforce to report progress against cultivation, stewardship, and fundraising goals;
• Develop and maintain strong collaborative working relationships with other team members; and
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• College degree or equivalent experience;
• 7+ years of experience in Development preferred, with an emphasis on principal gift fundraising;
• Team player with an affinity for building close, effective working relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders;
• Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills;
• Flexible and works well under tight deadlines;
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and demonstrated experience in development; database, preferably Salesforce;
• Takes initiative, self-motivated, resourceful, strong attention to detail;
• Experience in a not-for-profit and international environment preferred;
• Proven track record of successfully managing complex projects and using project management tools; and
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally and domestically.