Advancement Officer (Major Gifts)

About Us:

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) was founded in 2000 with one clear objective: accelerating meaningful therapeutic advances and, ultimately, a cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Foundation applies extraordinary scientific, business and media assets to this singular focus—thus creating a unique and dynamic organization. Since inception, MJFF has quickly grown into the largest global funder of Parkinson’s disease research outside the U. S. federal government, having funded over $800 million in research projects in both academic and industry labs worldwide.

Core to our philosophy is how we think of our capital and its risk profile relative to other stakeholders in the drug development pipeline. We work aggressively to de-risk various therapeutic strategies and tools in the hopes of building a robust pipeline of new treatments for patients.  In order to achieve our mission of finding a cure for PD it is critical that we engage with, and bring together, members of the PD community including researchers, physicians, health professionals and most important, people with Parkinson's and their families. We believe that raising the Foundation’s profile with a broader audience will help us more efficiently reach and mobilize highly engaged stakeholders who are more likely to feel personally vested in helping speed progress toward a cure.

We believe that to find a cure for PD as quickly as possible, our capital needs to push research forward today—we therefore deliberately have no endowment. We instead start our fundraising from zero each year and seek to deploy funds raised as quickly and wisely as possible. MJFF raises over $100 million annually. Today, the Foundation has approximately 140 full-time employees who are based in New York City.

 

Position Summary:

Working as a member of a dynamic, fast-paced team, the Advancement Officer will be responsible for building and strengthening the Foundation’s presence through fundraising and community engagement efforts. This position will report to the Lead for their assigned territory, representing the Foundation as an on-the-ground ambassador when appropriate.

This is a unique opportunity for a dedicated, results-oriented, relationship builder to make a significant impact at an innovative not-for-profit.  The Advancement Officer will manage and support a portfolio of donors in an assigned territory, be part of a team that creates a stewardship plan for constituents, work with the territory team across development to deepen engagement opportunities, seek additional funding opportunities and track territory forecasting and revenue. Located in Midtown Manhattan, MJFF is an international organization with a national funding base.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Fundraising and Donor Outreach Efforts

• Steward key constituents in respective territory with a focus on donors giving above $1,000
• Identify and compile relevant, timely updates and articles of interest to share with key constituents
• Work as a member of a territory team
• Conduct in-depth prospect research
• Update donor and prospect records, track and record action items and update notes in CRM
• Manage relationships with other MJFF teams to coordinate travel/exposure and promote cross-pollination
• Coordinate with Associate Director, Advancement to plan, direct and support significant donor stewardship efforts
• Travel required (25-30%)

Community Engagement

• Build and strengthen the Foundation’s presence through fundraising and community engagement (including Team Fox) efforts in the assigned territory 
• Coordinate outreach, conduct research, track revenue, manage stewardship, and seek additional opportunities for broader community engagement within assigned territories
• Increase MJFF presence at research, patient and community events; Research Roundtables, Hosted Events/Friendraisers/Salons, Support Groups, Team Fox events, Symposiums
• Work with Team Fox staff to support events and increase our presence in assigned region
• Assist with development and expansion of Team Fox Young Professional Groups

Administrative Support

• Assist in preparing all High End gift mailings
• Prepare list reviews
• Conduct Significant Donor Calls
• Ensure accurate updates are maintained in the Constituent records
• Respond to donor inquiries via email and phone
• Support special project as assigned

Qualifications and Skills: The ideal candidate will be a pro-active, self-directed and organized professional who possesses the following skills and attributes:

Required

• Bachelor’s degree
• 2+ years similar relationship management experience
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills
• Strong inter-personal skills and excellent phone skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team
• Is a self-starter with sound judgment
• Excellent verbal and written skills
• Willingness to travel and work evenings and weekends as needed
• Familiarity with Salesforce CRM software or equivalent software, a plus

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter describing their specific qualifications and interest in the position. Submissions without cover letters will not be considered. Please click on the following link. Please, no telephone inquiries and do not contact our staff directly. Only applicants who best match the position needs will be contacted. 

The Michael J. Fox Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.