Gift Officer

Job Title: Gift Officer

Department: Development

Reports to: Director of Development

Supervises: BAO Volunteers as needed for the Department

Classification: Full-Time, Exempt (salaried), 1.0 FTE

Hybrid: Must be located in the Portland area

Salary range: $71,200-$73,200 annually

Benefits Include:

• Medical insurance: 100% payment of premiums for medical and dental insurance, for employees only
• Competitive leave benefits include two (2) weeks of paid vacation during a staff member’s first year of employment, accrual of eight (8) hours of paid sick time per month, eight (8) recognized paid holidays as well as 40 hours of flexible holiday time per year (Prorated to date of hire), and family leave.
• 401(k) 3% match
• Ability to attend free or subsidized courses at Bird Alliance of Oregon
• Substantial discount at our Nature Store, including optics

About Bird Alliance of Oregon

Bird Alliance of Oregon has been a leading voice in conservation for over a century. Through conservation advocacy, environmental education, and wildlife rehabilitation, we promote the understanding, enjoyment, and protection of native birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. We are located in a 172-acre wildlife sanctuary next to Forest Park, just minutes from downtown Portland.

Bird Alliance of Oregon believes that inspiring all people to love and protect nature is best achieved when we embrace diversity as a value and practice. In the same way, an ecosystem needs many types of plants and wildlife, an organization thrives when it includes a diversity of people and perspectives. We recognize widespread inequities that create gaps between our present reality and our aspirations. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive environment, reflecting the diversity of our community in our board, staff, volunteers, and members, ensuring our internal culture, business practices, and programs are welcoming and advance our diversity goals.

Department Summary

The Development Department works to connect supporters with their individual giving priorities through interpersonal communications, written appeals, and events. We work to provide the critical resources that fund Bird Alliance of Oregon's conservation, education, wildlife rehabilitation, and land stewardship work.

Position Summary

The Gift Officer plays a key role in advancing Bird Alliance of Oregon’s leadership giving program. They cultivate, solicit, and steward transformative gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners. This position will design and execute an engagement strategy that connects donors deeply with our mission ensuring they feel informed, valued, and inspired to invest in our shared future. By building and sustaining meaningful relationships, this role strengthens the organization’s financial sustainability while upholding Bird Alliance of Oregon’s core values of conservation, equity, and accountability.

This position reports to the Director of Development and works closely with the Executive Director, Associate Director of Development, Donor Experience, and other senior staff to align fundraising strategies, deepen donor relationships, and support integrated campaigns.

Essential Duties:

• Manage a mixed portfolio of approximately 100–150 individual, foundations, and corporate donors and prospects, focusing on gifts in the $5,000+ range.
• Develop and implement individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies to deepen engagement and inspire increased giving over time.
• Create compelling proposals, reports, and donor communications tailored to donor interests and organizational priorities.
• Identify, qualify, and migrate emerging donors into the major gift pipeline using data insights, referrals, and proactive outreach.
• Conduct regular personal outreach via in-person visits, calls, written updates, and events to maintain meaningful and mission-centered relationships with donors.
• Collaborate with leadership and program staff to match donor interests with Bird Alliance of Oregon’s priorities and initiatives.
• Support the Director of Development in creating strategic fundraising plans.
• Collaborate with the Director of Development to establish annual fundraising goals, metrics, and strategies across individual, foundation, and corporate giving.
• Assist with organizational budgeting and revenue forecasting to inform development planning and resource allocation.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of campaign- and initiative-based fundraising efforts (e.g., capital campaigns, major donor campaigns, etc.).
• Assist the Donor Experience team in planning and executing donor cultivation and stewardship events.
• Ensure timely, personalized follow-up with donors after meetings and events.

Represent the organization at external events, meetings, and networking functions.
Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and inclusivity within the development team.

Preferred Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below represent the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Ability to perform essential job duties with or without reasonable accommodation and without posing a direct threat to the safety or health of employees or others.
• At least 5 years of experience in related fields or similar experience.
• Experience cultivating and closing five- and six-figure major gifts, developing donor strategies, and effectively cultivating and stewarding major donors.
• Ability to work with and communicate with a wide range of internal constituents, including Board Members, senior management, program staff, finance, and volunteers.
• Outstanding written and verbal skills to persuasively convey the mission of Bird Alliance of Oregon to diverse constituencies.
• A strong understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, particularly in outdoor spaces.
• A passion for local conservation, environmental education, and wildlife rehabilitation.
• Ability to function in a fast-paced, high-volume, multifaceted, results-oriented work environment.
• Must have the flexibility to frequently travel (mostly in the metro area) and work some evenings and weekends. Must be able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Must be proficient in research and relevant analysis, including navigation of databases and online resources.
• Strong working knowledge of the broad philanthropic landscape, prospect research methodology, best practices, and evolving trends in philanthropy is highly preferred.
• Ability to analyze issues, identify priorities, manage projects, and make decisions expeditiously.
• Working knowledge of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software (Bird Alliance of Oregon uses Raiser’s Edge NXT).
• Strong ability to convey a variety of complex projects succinctly in written and verbal communications. Proficient in communicating about environmental justice and creating equitable outdoor spaces.
• Exceptional relationship building, interpersonal, verbal/written communication, and organizational skills.
• Detail-oriented and deadline-driven.

Working Conditions

The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. The work environment characteristics described here represent those the employee may encounter while performing the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to perform essential duties.

• The Gift Officer position has a hybrid remote and on-site schedule. They must be flexible in their time around the hybrid model and the demanding schedules of donors and program staff.
• Primary responsibilities are working on a computer, typing, audio and video calls and face-to-face interactions with stakeholders of all types.
• Must be comfortable with shared desk space in the office.

Cultural Competencies:

Bird Alliance of Oregon is committed to maintaining an anti-racist organizational culture. We are committed to training all staff on cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We see staff with a high degree of cultural competency or lived experience working with communities of color, people who are disabled, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and people from all socioeconomic backgrounds as vital for all positions in our organization. We seek staff with comfort and curiosity in engaging in conversations around issues of identity, belonging, and systemic oppression.

• Creates an environment that acknowledges, encourages, and celebrates differences.
• Functions and communicates effectively and respectfully within varying beliefs, behaviors, orientations, identities, and cultural backgrounds.
• Seeks opportunities to gain experience working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings with a willingness to change for continual improvement.

Diversity Statement:

Bird Alliance of Oregon strives to cultivate a welcoming and inclusive community with a collective vision of a more just, sustainable, and healthy environment for all people and wildlife. We are committed to advancing equity, embracing diverse perspectives, and working to dismantle systems of oppression in order to build a better future for Bird Alliance of Oregon, our community, and the environmental movement.

We acknowledge the impacts of systemic racism and oppression in our country, and how they show up in the conservation movement, as well as in our own organization. We will continue to examine the ways Bird Alliance of Oregon has benefitted from these structures and work to address past wrongdoings, close gaps in our programming and policies, and build stronger and deeper relationships with diverse communities.

Our commitment to equity and inclusion extends to all facets of our organization, from our board and staff to our membership, volunteers and beyond.

“Together for nature” means that every person has a voice and a meaningful contribution to make in stewarding our natural environment, not only at Bird Alliance of Oregon, but in the greater conservation movement.