Major Gifts Officer

Who we are

Nature is in crisis. People are destroying and consuming the natural world at a devastating rate, threatening the ecosystems on which all life depends. Birds are our early warning system, revealing the health of our planet and helping us understand the urgent action needed to protect it.

BirdLife International is the world’s largest partnership for nature conservation, bringing together 125 national organisations across six continents to protect birds, biodiversity and the natural systems that sustain life. Through our unique local-to-global approach, we work at the intersection of science, policy and community action to tackle the global nature and climate crises.

Using world-leading bird science, we collect and analyse data from across continents, landscapes and seascapes to identify the most effective and innovative conservation solutions. Our work conserves species, safeguards critical habitats and empowers communities to create lasting change for nature and people.

At the heart of BirdLife is a powerful global movement. More than two million birders, scientists and local volunteers help track, study and protect birdlife around the world, generating the knowledge and action needed to drive conservation impact at scale. Together, we are giving nature a voice and building a future in which birds, wildlife and people can thrive.

BirdLife International’s Development Team is in an exciting new phase of recruitment and growth and will be hiring for a number of roles to support growth and sustainability across the organisation – including this newly created role.

About the role

BirdLife International has created the role of Major Gifts Officer to provide dedicated focus to cultivating, stewarding and growing the pool of donors in the £10k-£50k giving range – helping supporters move through the pipeline while providing outstanding stewardship and donor care. Working closely with the Head of Major Gifts and the wider team, the postholder will have the opportunity to learn from experienced major donor fundraisers while developing their own portfolio and solicitation skills.

Key responsibilities:

• Personally manage a portfolio of donors and prospects in the £10k–£50k range, developing appropriate cultivation, solicitation and stewardship plans
• Cultivate and steward relationships with donors and prospects in the portfolio
• Conduct prospect research to inform cultivation strategies, working closely with the Prospect Research & Insights Manager.
• Work with conservation, regional, science, policy, communications and finance colleagues to gather information for donor proposals, impact updates, reports and other cultivation or stewardship materials.
• Draft donor reports, proposals and stewardship materials to support the Major Gifts team in cultivating and reporting to donors.
• Support the Events Coordinator in the planning and delivery of cultivation and fundraising events
• Support the Major Gifts team across research, stewardship, administration, compliance and CRM management.

Who we are looking for

• Experience in fundraising, donor relationship management, or a related client- or relationship-facing role
• Ability to build rapport with donors and colleagues and to communicate donor and pipeline information clearly
• Good knowledge of major gifts fundraising practice and prospect research techniques
• Highly organised, evidence-based, results-focused self-starter
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to draft clear donor-facing correspondence, reports, proposals and stewardship materials
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams and with external stakeholders

Location: Remote, UK, with travel to the David Attenborough Building in Cambridge
Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 19th October