Director of Gift Planning

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a nonprofit international conservation leader, committed to inspiring a passion for nature and creating a world where all life thrives.

Empowering people from around the globe to support our mission to conserve wildlife through innovation and partnerships, we support cutting-edge conservation, and bring the stories of our work back to our two world-famous front doors — the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park — giving millions of guests, in person and virtually, the opportunity to experience conservation in action. The deep and extensive knowledge gained from more than a century of experience in wildlife care, health, veterinary services, nutrition and conservation makes us invaluable in the global effort to save species. Our team members play a crucial role in driving our conservation efforts forward and bringing us closer to a world where all life thrives.

HOW YOU WILL IMPACT OUR MISSION

The Director of Gift Planning oversees the engagement, growth, and strategic direction of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s (SDZWA) planned giving program, including documented planned gift intentions and realized estate gifts. The Director actively solicits planned gifts and partners with Philanthropy staff on planned giving solicitations, is responsible for the cultivation and active management of a portfolio of 100-125 planned giving prospects, and provides direct supervision to the Philanthropy Specialist- Estate Administration. This position reports to the Senior Director of Philanthropy and closely collaborates with the Chief Philanthropy Officer, Senior Director of Principal Gifts, and the Director of Philanthropy.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Oversee all aspects of SDZWA’s planned giving efforts. On average realized estates and documented planned gift intentions account for 2/3 of Philanthropy revenue.
• Manage an assigned pool of planned giving prospects and donors, qualifying, cultivating, and soliciting planned gifts.
• Design and implement a comprehensive planned giving marketing strategy to generate support through outright gifts, estate planning, wills, trusts, and deferred gifts and serve as SDZWA’s primary contact for any and all planned giving matters.
• Partner with fundraising colleagues to provide planned giving expertise and support for the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of planned gifts in their portfolios.
• Provide technical expertise in planned giving to donors and staff regarding the tax and financial aspects and consequences of various giving vehicles with respect to understanding and optimizing principal, major, and planned gifts.
• Develop outreach and stewardship materials and programming for prospective and confirmed planned giving donors.
• Prepare documentation for gift acceptance in accordance with institutional procedures and oversee required filings for gift planning vehicles. In collaboration with Legal, oversee any settlement negotiations, litigation, or conflicts regarding planned gifts.
• Oversee administration of the estates of which SDZWA is a beneficiary and supervise the Philanthropy Specialist- Estate Administration.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Philanthropy team is looking for someone with demonstrated experience in fundraising, including gift planning, with excellent skills in building relationships with donors, making the ask, and closing gifts. A self-starter with experience developing strategy to engage donor prospects, the finalist will be equally comfortable spending time on the phone and in person engaging individual donors and soliciting gifts while also developing programs to broadly market planned giving options to a wide audience. A team-player, the finalist will collaborate and partner with others on the Philanthropy team and serve as the team’s expert in gift planning options.

JOB EXPERIENCE

• Minimum seven years or related professional experience in a fundraising/development unit or department within a complex non-profit organization required
• Five years or more of progressively responsible experience in the areas of planned giving. Demonstrated ability to manage, cultivate, and expand a prospect pool required.
• Extensive and demonstrated success in collaborating with individual fundraisers, equipping and motivating them to have gift planning discussions required.
• Experience working within a complex academic environment, such as a major health sciences organization or large state university with multiple colleges, campuses and programs required.

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree Business administration, marketing, communication, or a related field required

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

• Demonstrated success in building a gift planning program as part of a comprehensive philanthropy department
• Deep appreciation and understanding of a mission and vision of an organization and the ability to articulate values internally and externally
• Understanding of proposal development and writing
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, demonstrating the ability to establish and maintain internal and external relationships
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proven experience motivating individuals and teams for maximum performance
• Proven ability to support employee inclusion and professional development