Mar 7th, 2025
Women's Foundation of the South
About the Organization
The Women’s Foundation of the South (WFS) is the first public foundation of its kind, guided by and working for women and girls of color in the Southern United States, including trans women and gender non-conforming people. WFS is led by experienced grant makers of color and raises funds and leverages resources for nonprofit organizations and small businesses that are operated by and serve women and girls of color in the American South. The Foundation is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana.
WFS addresses racial and gender equity at its root by shifting philanthropic resources to the women of color changemakers who daily demonstrate powerful leadership and problem-solving despite centuries of abuse, injustice, and exploitation. WFS recognizes the intersectional nature of the lives of women of color and the need for intersectional solutions. Our work is place-based and committed to building health, wealth, and power. By intentionally leveraging resources to support the vibrant communities and just policies women and girls of color deserve, WFS is building a South in which families experience optimal health outcomes, just policies, accumulate wealth, and dictate the conditions for their success across multiple generations.
Job Description
Position salary range: $75,000-$90-000
Position reports to: Vice President of Advancement
The Individual Giving Officer will report to the Vice President of Advancement. This is a new position created to help meet the growing needs of the Women’s Foundation of the South. This position is responsible for growing and managing a portfolio of individual donors, with a focus on securing mid-level and major gifts ($10,000+ annually) to support the mission of WFS.
As a frontline fundraiser, the Individual Giving Officer will cultivate strong relationships with donors and prospects, develop tailored engagement and solicitation strategies, and ensure a high level of stewardship to increase donor retention and long-term giving. This role also includes managing key annual giving initiatives, donor events, and collaborating with leadership to drive strategic fundraising efforts.
The key to success in this role will be identifying and building relationships with new prospects, as well as strengthening relationships with existing donors to maximize philanthropic support. This is a special opportunity to make an enduring impact on women and girls of color in the South.
Reporting Structure
This position will report to the Vice President of Advancement, who will provide broad fundraising vision, day-to-day supervision, and overall performance management as well as oversee professional development.
Key Responsibilities
Individual Donor Cultivation, Solicitation & Stewardship
•Manage and grow a portfolio of 100+ midlevel and major gift individual prospects.
•Develop and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans for each donor, deepening their engagement with WFS.
•Develop and implement prospect-specific cultivation, briefing, and solicitation strategies.
•Identify and cultivate new major and transformational gift prospects.
•Advise the VP of Advancement and make key prospect introductions.
•Manage stewardship of individual donors through thank you letters, gift receipts, and impact reports.
•Serve as primary contact with donors via phone, email, and in-person when possible.
Annual Giving & Pipeline Development
•Lead the strategy and execution of annual giving appeals and online fundraising campaigns, including direct mail and digital fundraising appeals.
•Develop and deploy strategies to increase donor retention, upgrade current donors, and re-engage lapsed donors.
•Create donor segmentation strategies to personalize outreach efforts and maximize response rates.
•Manage and grow WFS’s recurring giving program for individual donors.
•Track donor engagement metrics and adjust strategies to improve performance.
Data Management & Reporting
•Maintain and update donor information in WFS’ CRM database, Bloomerang, ensuring that all contact and activity is accurately documented.
•Track interactions, solicitation status, and moves management progress to ensure a robust and effective fundraising pipeline.
•Produce donor reports and performance analytics to inform strategy and decision-making.
Donor Events & Engagement
•Plan and execute small group events to cultivate and steward donors.
•Prepare prospect information materials for WFS leadership in advance of events.
•Follow event standard operating procedures (SOPs) for planning events, identifying and elevating opportunities for operational improvement as they arise.
Board & Volunteer Engagement
•Serve as primary administrative contact for the Board’s Advancement Committee and campaign committees as established.
•Interact with Board members and other interested parties to identify, cultivate, and solicit prospective donors.
Special Projects & Additional Responsibilities
•Assist with the development of planned giving and donor-advised fund (DAF) strategies.
•Stay informed about trends in philanthropy, social justice fundraising, and donor engagement.
•Participate in professional development opportunities to enhance fundraising skills and knowledge.
•Attend events, donor cultivation events, and related community activities, serving as a representative of WFS.
•Other duties as assigned by the Vice President of Advancement.
Experience and Skills
•An entrepreneurial spirit and strong appetite to work in a start-up environment with the ability to handle a degree of ambiguity, understanding that WFS is an emerging foundation. Creativity and persistence are required.
•Strong decision-making ability and attention to detail.
•High standards of quality and accuracy - a strong commitment to completing work on time.
•Passion for the mission of Women’s Foundation of the South with a strong commitment to its core values: We value the brilliance of mother wit, equity justice, sisterhood, power-sharing, ingenuity, self-determination, and community wisdom.
•Tech fluency - will work extensively with Bloomerang, Asana, Constant Contact, and other software.
•Written and verbal communication skills - able to communicate clearly and congenially with existing and prospective donors.
•High degree of integrity, initiative, and perseverance.
•Experience using various digital tools like Asana and Constant Contact.
•Ability to travel 25% of the time, mostly within WFS’ 13- state region of Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Background & Education
•Bachelor’s degree required.
•5-7 years professional fundraising experience, with a proven track record of securing five-figure gifts or higher.
•Foundation or nonprofit experience preferred.
•Experience engaging donors in small, intimate events and large events.
•Exceptional verbal and written communication skills and excellent attention to detail.
•Experience addressing various audiences on issues related to philanthropy, women’s issues, and social justice.
•Proven ability to navigate and negotiate the political, corporate, and institutional landscape around philanthropy, social policy, and women’s empowerment.
•Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment, meet concurrent deadlines, organize time and priorities, and do so in collaboration with diverse stakeholders.
•Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications especially Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint, donor CRM databases, Bloomerang preference.
Location
This position may be a hybrid position if candidate is based in New Orleans, LA or there is an opportunity to work remotely within WFS’ geographical footprint, which includes the following states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.
Salary Range
The salary range for this position is $75,000 - $90,000. The actual starting salary of the successful candidate will be commensurate with years, breadth, and depth of relevant experience, education, certifications, credentials, special skills, accomplishments, and other factors relevant to the position. WFS also offers a generous set of benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance, 403(b) plan with employer contribution, generous paid time off, paid parental leave, financial planning, and flexible spending account.
The Women’s Foundation of the South has contracted Fazande Consulting, a third-party consulting firm, to recruit for this position. To be considered for the position, interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to talent@fazandeconsulting.com by March 21, 2025.
Contact email for applicants talent@fazandeconsulting.com