Discovery Gift Officer

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Join Our Team as a Discovery Gift Officer for the Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University!

If you're eager to make an impact and be part of a dynamic team, then we invite you to explore this exciting opportunity with us!

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

About The Department

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is dedicated to advancing the understanding and protection of the natural world and joins with people from all walks of life to make new scientific discoveries, share insights, and galvanize conservation action. Our management and staff are committed to the highest standards of ethics and excellence in all areas of our work, and our Board leadership includes faculty from Cornell and other universities, successful entrepreneurs and managers from the business and non-profit sectors, and conservation-minded citizens from the United States and beyond.

About the Opportunity

The Discovery Gift Officer will research, develop, and implement appropriate solicitation strategies for prospects while proactively advancing the mission of the Lab, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Cornell.

Based at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and reporting to the Lab of Ornithology, the Discovery Gift Officer is a front-line fundraising professional responsible for developing relationships with about 250 households who have potential interest in the Lab's programs and priorities. The primary focus of this role is the discovery and engagement of potential leadership- and major-gift-level donors cultivated mainly from the Lab's broad, nationwide membership base of nearly 200,000 people. Foster philanthropic connections - engaging, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding leadership- and major-gifts level prospects and donors.

This role has the following responsibilities;

• Cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding current use, annual fund gifts between $10,000 to $100,000, and multi-year commitments up to $250,000.
• Collaborate with Lab Program Directors and Lab staff, AA&D, and regional staff and colleagues in areas across the division, including membership/annual giving, gift planning, donor relations and major/principal gifts, as well as board members and other Lab volunteers.
• Maintain an in-depth knowledge of the Lab's annual and strategic priorities within the context of the university's priorities, and inspire the respect and confidence of the executive, academic, administrative, trustee, and volunteer leadership of Cornell.
• This position will require extensive travel to accomplish 125+ annual prospect visits.

What We Need

• Bachelor's degree and at least 3 years development or sales experience or equivalent combination.
• Proven skills working in a team with a complex organization, for example, including key alumni, donors, volunteers, and executive staff.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills; with the ability to learn quickly about issues related to conservation, scientific research, citizen science, education, and ornithology, and then present to laypersons credibly.
• Effective organizational skills, strong detail orientation, and a high motivation to work independently.
• A high degree of personal motivation and integrity and a commitment to values that support the Lab's and Cornell's mission to foster initiative, integrity, and excellence in an environment of collegiality, civility, and responsible stewardship.
• Ability to work in a system that emphasizes measurable objectives, including mutually agreed upon targets for fundraising goals.
• Must be able to work in a fast-paced, demanding environment while using sound judgment in decision making and in accomplishing tasks that are urgent or of a sensitive or confidential nature while meeting competing deadlines.
• Must be able and willing to work occasional weekends, evenings, and to travel extensively on behalf of the Cornell Lab.
• Demonstrated proficiency with technology (particularly Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and knowledge of relational database management systems and ability to work with complex data for analysis.
• Must have and maintain a valid and unrestricted New York State driver's license and be cleared to drive for university business and have the ability to travel monthly.
• Must have demonstrated ability for working collaboratively and inclusively.
• Proven ability to work in a team environment where cooperation between colleagues and flexibility to different styles and approaches is required.
• Passionate about working in an organization that values and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and wellbeing.

Preferably, the successful candidate will also have the following:

• Non-profit or higher education fundraising experience, or work within a similarly complex environment.
• Active commitments to science, conservation, nature, and higher education. Experience with Raiser's Edge.

This hybrid position is located in Ithaca, New York. This position has the ability to be performed at least partially remotely. The specifics of this arrangement will be reviewed with you when you begin the position, and the University must approve the desired remote work location.

If you are passionate about fundraising for conservation and scientific discovery, we encourage you to apply!

Rewards and Benefits

Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, sustainability, and diversity initiatives.

• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: https://hr.cornell.edu/benefits-pay.
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: https://hr.cornell.edu/jobs/your-total-rewards.
• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1.
• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program.

No Visa Sponsorship is available for this position.

How to Apply:

You must submit both a Resume and Cover letter.

When applying through our system, please attach your application materials (resume and cover letter). You can upload documents either by "dragging and dropping" them into the dropbox or by using the "upload" icon on the application page. For more detailed instructions on how to apply to a job at Cornell, visit How We Hire on the HR website. If you are an internal employee, please log in to Workday.

Cornell University is an innovative Ivy League university and a great place to work. Our inclusive community of scholars, students, and staff impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose and contribute creative ideas to further the university's mission of teaching, discovery, and engagement.

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University's heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations.

Familiarize yourself with Cornell's COVID-19 workplace guidance as well as the university's COVID-19 services and information.

University Job Title:

Major Gifts Ofcr II

Job Family:

Alumni Affairs Development

Level:

F

Pay Rate Type:

Salary

Pay Range:

$80,717.00 - $93,807.00

Remote Option Availability:

Hybrid

Company:

Contract College

Contact Name:

Denise Smith

Job Titles and Pay Ranges:

Non-Union Positions

Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience

• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position

• Unique applicable skills

• Academic Discipline (faculty pay ranges reflects 9-month annual salary)

To learn more about Cornell's non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator.

Union Positions

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement. To learn more about Cornell's union wages, see Union Pay Rates.

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Online Submission Guidelines:

Most positions at Cornell will require you to apply online and submit both a resume/CV and cover letter. You can upload documents either by "dragging and dropping" them into the dropbox or by using the "upload" icon on the application page. For more detailed instructions on how to apply to a job at Cornell, visit How We Hire on the HR website.

Employment Assistance:

For general questions about the position or the application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or email mycareer@cornell.edu.

If you require an accommodation for a disability in order to complete an employment application or to participate in the recruiting process, you are encouraged to contact Cornell University's Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX at voice (607) 255-2242, or email atequity@cornell.edu.

Applicants that do not have internet access are encouraged to visit your local library, or local Department of Labor. You may also request an appointment to use a dedicated workstation in the Office of Talent Attraction and Recruitment, at the Ithaca campus, by emailing mycareer@cornell.edu.

Notice to Applicants:

Please read the required Notice to Applicants statement by clicking here. This notice contains important information about applying for a position at Cornell as well as some of your rights and responsibilities as an applicant.

EEO Statement:

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University's heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, and we do not tolerate discrimination based on any protected characteristic, including race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex/gender, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual's genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff to all identities and backgrounds. We encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

2024-07-24

EEO Statement: Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University’s heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. Cornell University is an innovative Ivy League university and a great place to work. Our inclusive community of scholars, students, and staff impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose, and contribute creative ideas to further the university's mission of teaching, discovery, and engagement.

Minimum Salary: 31200.00 Maximum Salary: 31200.00 Salary Unit: Yearly