PRINCIPAL MAJOR GIFTS OFFICER

Summary

The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia – one of the most popular websites in the world, accessed by over 1.8 billion unique devices every month. It is the only non-profit in the top 50 websites, supported by a community of millions of individual donors around the world.

The Wikimedia Foundation is looking for a Principal Major Gifts Officer, reporting to the Senior Director of Development. The person in this role will play a critical part in the maturation of the Wikimedia Foundation’s major gifts program.  Succeeding in our global and distributed environment requires taking a hands-on approach to connecting with a broad array of donors one-on-one and in groups, using traditional development methods and online engagement.

The ideal candidate will be located with convenient travel into US East Coast or West Coast major metros and travel frequently.  

Learn more about Wikimedia Foundation fundraising by reading our annual reports and fundraising reports.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with the Senior Development Director & Endowment Director to develop fundraising strategy for the Major Gifts & Foundations and Endowment teams.
• Lead the development of fundraising strategy for restricted gifts and other special fundraising campaigns
• Serving as a principal gifts officer for teams currently tasked with raising $20M per year in direct donations
• Securing new principal gifts, both independently and in collaboration with colleagues on the Major Gifts & Foundations and Endowment teams
• Cultivating and stewarding a portfolio of 50-75 prospects who are rated at $1M+ capacity
• Ability to collaborate with colleagues across teams and departments to create engagement opportunities and proposals appropriate for current and prospective principal gift donors 
• Collaboration with colleagues on the Major Gifts & Foundations and Endowment teams to develop fundraising and donor engagement tactics
• Lead fundraising initiatives of various types and sizes, including one-on-one meetings and meetings that include Wikimedia’s senior leadership
• Preparing detailed meeting briefings for senior leadership who are engaging with principal gifts donors
• Modeling leadership that cultivates a collaborative, positive, and respectful team culture; serving as a collaborative thought partner across teams at the Foundation, and as a mentor for other gift officers

Skills and Experience:

• Work experience or equivalent degree plus work experience. (Bachelor’s + 12 years related work experience; Master’s + 8 years related work experience.)
• A demonstrated track record of identifying, cultivating, soliciting and securing donations in the 7- to 8-figure range from individuals and organizations
• Broad-based knowledge of various development campaign activities, including: direct solicitations, event planning and management, planned giving, and leveraging fundraising databases
• We are an international organization serving an internationally distributed audience. A strong international perspective with personal experience in cross-cultural communication is highly valued
• Compassionate communication, both in speaking and writing, and particularly able to recognize the alignment of a donor’s interests with the value of Wikimedia Foundation programs, communities, services and events
• Sharing a culture of constructive criticism and respect
• Demonstrated commitment to and belief in equity, inclusion, and diversity.
• Ability to work and communicate effectively within a large team distributed across multiple time zones
• Ability to work in an open, transparent, and collaborative environment, while respecting donor confidentiality and data security. Possess a finely-tuned sense of discretion.
• Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy and accountability
• Desire to work in a dynamic and mission-driven organization

Additionally, we’d love it if you have:

• Experience working with technical and/or scientific donors
• Experience fundraising for endowments, including experience with planned giving
• Experience working in an organization with a distributed workforce
• Global perspective, with experience living or working internationally

About the Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia free knowledge projects. Our vision is a world in which every single human can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. We believe that everyone has the potential to contribute something to our shared knowledge, and that everyone should be able to access that knowledge freely. We host Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects, build software experiences for reading, contributing, and sharing Wikimedia content, support the volunteer communities and partners who make Wikimedia possible, and advocate for policies that enable Wikimedia and free knowledge to thrive. 

The Wikimedia Foundation is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that relies on donations. We receive donations from millions of individuals around the world, with an average donation of about $15. We also receive donations through institutional grants and gifts. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA.

As an equal opportunity employer, the Wikimedia Foundation values having a diverse workforce and continuously strives to maintain an inclusive and equitable workplace. We encourage people with a diverse range of backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate against any person based upon their race, traits historically associated with race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy or related medical conditions, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristics.

The Wikimedia Foundation is a remote-first organization with staff members including contractors based in more than 50 countries. Salaries at the Wikimedia Foundation are set in a way that is competitive, equitable, and consistent with our values and culture. The anticipated annual pay range of this position for applicants based within the United States is US$127,721 to US$193,119 with multiple individualized factors, including cost of living in the location, being the determinants of the offered pay. For applicants located outside of the US, the pay range will be adjusted to the country of hire. We neither ask for nor take into consideration the salary history of applicants. The compensation for a successful applicant will be based on their skills, experience and location. 

All applicants can reach out to their recruiter to understand more about the specific pay range for their location during the interview process.

If you are a qualified applicant requiring assistance or an accommodation to complete any step of the application process due to a disability, you may contact us at [email protected] or +1 (415) 839-6885.

More information

U.S. Benefits & Perks
Wikimedia Foundation
Applicant Privacy Policy
News from across the Wikimedia movement
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Wikimedia 2030
Our Commitment to Equity
This is Wikimedia Foundation
Facts Matter
Our Projects
Our Tech Stack