Major Gift Philanthropy Advisor - Los Angeles, CA (Los Angeles)

About Food For The Poor

Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. Join us in our mission to serve the poorest of the poor.

Overall Responsibility :

The Philanthropy Advisor is not just a role but a commitment to serving those who live below the poverty line in developing countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This commitment is fueled by a strong passion for the Food For The Poor mission and a solid career in cultivating, soliciting, closing, and stewarding five to seven-figure gifts. The incumbent is driven by a strong desire to engage donors and present funding opportunities to build support for the Food For The Poor mission.

The Philanthropy Advisor's primary focus is establishing donor relationships and growing FFTP's footprint. This encompasses acquiring, identifying, qualifying major and principal gift donors, emphasizing major gifts of $25,000+ and principal gifts of $100,000+.

• Candidates to be considered must reside in Los Angeles, California

Duties :

• As part of your role, you will travel within your territory in the United States to meet face-to-face with donors. Estimated travel time is 50%.
• Travel internationally on mission trips to show donors the needs of the beneficiaries we serve. Your mission travel will play a significant role in raising awareness and support for our cause. During these trips, your responsibilities will include :
• Showcasing new projects for funding
• Monitoring projects in progress
• Witness projects that have been completed
• Develop and implement personalized fundraising plans for 125-150 prospects in a fluid portfolio to increase donations and secure transformational gifts for FFTP.
• Qualify assigned prospects and navigate through the identification and discovery process.
• To deepen engagement with prospects, you aim to have 20 meaningful donor interactions (in person, video, or phone call) per month.
• Engage with organizations donor acquisition strategies.
• Create a yearly solicitation pipeline.
• Ensure all donor interactions encourage positive and purposeful donor engagement.
• Work collaboratively and strategically with other team members to support donor-centric philanthropy in alignment with FFTP's strategic plan.
• Meet and exceed agreed-upon individual and collective goals.
• Ensure donor satisfaction through ongoing communication and relationship management.
• Maintain a productive and collaborative relationship with all FFTP stakeholders and partners across Latin America and Caribbean (LAC).
• Responsible for working with support team members to develop, prepare, and distribute high-quality and professional communications, reports, letters, mailings, and other materials necessary to appropriately communicate with and engage individual donors.
• Provide regular reports on activity and progress to management.
• Follow fundraising standards according to the Association of Fundraising Professionals' code of ethics to promote the development and advancement of our organization and the fundraising profession for the purpose of enhancing philanthropy and volunteerism.
• Foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrate empathy, perseverance, optimism, and sensitivity to donors and team members through words and actions.
• Actively participate in training sessions and seek professional development opportunities to stay current with the industry's latest best practices.
• Flexibility to work with and engage with donors when available, including occasional evenings and weekends.
• Work collaboratively with and be a resource for other departments.
• Perform other duties and projects as assigned by the Senior Director of Major & Principal Gifts.

Education :

• A bachelors degree in related field is required.
• CFRE, CAP designation preferred.

Experience :

• Minimum of 7-10 years of progressive fundraising experience.
• Knowledge of engaging donors in all aspects of the gift cycle, including identification, qualification, discovery, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Demonstrated working expertise of major and principal gifts and gift planning fundraising best practices and strategies.
• Energetic professional with a track record of building donor relationships with experience closing five-, six and seven-figure gifts.
• Experience working independently to build networks, connect like-minded individuals around the FFTP mission, and foster significant financial support to fund our programs.
• Experience networking and making cold calls successfully.

Skills :

• Ability to meaningfully connect donor interests to FFTP's mission, projects and programs.
• Understand the work within a complex organizational structure.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills geared toward high-wealth and ultra-high-wealth audiences.
• Excellent writing skills and the capacity to consistently represent the FFTP brand and messaging in all communications.
• Knowledge of all Microsoft 365 applications and CRM experience .
• Strong administrative and organizational skills in time management and the ability to plan, organize, and implement a successful fundraising strategy.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills. Attention to detail and the ability to effectively prioritize workload, manage and complete multiple tasks, and meet deadlines.
• Exceptional interpersonal and relational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to engage with team members in all situations respectfully.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Must have a valid Driver's License and be comfortable traveling alone regularly.
• Christian person / commitment to faith.

Ability and willingness to model our organizations CRUSE guiding principles : Collaboration, Right Things Right, Urgency, Stewardship and Engagement.