Interlochen Center for the Arts has a unique opportunity available for fundraisers and those in affiliated fields with an interest in gift planning. We seek a motivated, high energy individual to join our advancement team to develop our gift planning program as well as the necessary skills to lead the program. Our new colleague will also be responsible for raising outright, major gifts.
Although helpful, gift planning experience is not a pre-requisite for consideration. We seek an individual with transferable skills and competencies and will provide necessary educational opportunities. Individuals with significant fundraising, trusts and estates, marketing, or financial services experience may wish to consider this terrific opportunity.
The successful candidate will be an organized and entrepreneurial person. The position requires strong verbal and written communication skills; the ability to establish priorities, set objectives and achieve stated goals; advance a large number of complex projects simultaneously; and to adapt to change. Outstanding diplomacy, tact, and judgment are necessary, as is the ability to motivate and manage volunteers.
Status: Full-time, salaried/ exempt, with benefits
Key Elements: The Director of Gift Planning conceives and directs a vigorous national program to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward alumni, parents, patrons and friends capable of making deferred gifts and split interest gifts. Toward this end s/he personally manages relationships or assists with those individuals who have been identified as capable of making a major or deferred gift in support of Interlochen Center for the Arts. The position entails significant interaction with trustees and high level donors, and involves working closely with the Associate Vice President for Advancement and other advancement officers to build strong relationships with Interlochen’s diverse constituents and to maximize gift revenue. Responsible for developing and implementing an effective plan to regularly promote planned gifts, including efforts to educate and inform Interlochen’s constituents of the opportunities inherent in tax-wise giving. Travel is a necessary component of the position.
Duties include but are not limited to:
Cultivate, solicit and steward potential donors of outright and deferred gifts.
The Director of Gift Planning will be an active fundraiser, responsible for personally managing a group of potential individual donors and performing direct solicitations of both major outright and deferred gifts. To this end, the Director of Gift Planning will develop effective cultivation strategies and events, perform direct solicitations of potential donors either in tandem with volunteers or independently, and steward all donors accordingly.
Manage and enhance Interlochen’s Gift Planning program.
The Director of Gift Planning will take the lead in the management of all aspects of Interlochen’s gift planning efforts, including efforts to secure gifts in trust, charitable gift annuities, becoming beneficiary of retirement funds, bequests, gifts of real estate, and other gift vehicles. Update and maintain monthly AFR rates on Crescendo software, Charitable Tax Services materials, prospect status, and enter new gift planning donors as members of Heritage Society.
Proactively identify prospects for annuity gifts, provide appropriate contracts and sample computations of tax calculations for donors. Oversee tax reporting (1099-R’s) for annuitants and communicate directly with donors and their beneficiaries.
Process new life insurance gifts, monitor premium payments/donor gifts and maintain appropriate systems to track the policies and to monitor the insurance companies. Interpret contracts and communicate directly with donors and insurance companies.
Update prospect management systems.
The Director of Gift Planning will be responsible for keeping current tracking reports and obtaining all hard copy documentation necessary to manage any activity related to deferred giving. It will be incumbent upon the Director of Gift Planning to appropriately inform the Finance Office regarding deferred giving transactions and to maintain a database of these gifts capable of providing Interlochen with summary reports.
Donor recognition and stewardship.
Ensure that deferred donors to ICA receive accurate and timely acknowledgement for gifts of all types and that stewardship efforts are routine, regular, and consonant with the type and magnitude of the gift(s) received.
Steward members of Interlochen’s Heritage Society which recognizes individuals who have remembered Interlochen in their estate plan or made a deferred gift. Either form of gift needs to be documented and on file.
Serve as primary source for Advancement Department on tax code changes and other information necessary for effective gift planning operation:
Working with other Interlochen Advancement staff, develop and present programs to educate colleagues to recognize circumstances which suggest a planned gift might be appropriate, and to inform staff regarding techniques, issues, and new developments in gift planning.
Formulate expectations and responsibilities for those volunteers who are assisting with the gift planning program at Interlochen:
This includes the Planned Giving Committee, the Planned Giving
Ambassadors and those Financial Advisors across the country who have agreed to serve as advocates for Interlochen.
Be visible within the Interlochen, local, and regional community.
Plan and participate routinely in on and off-campus events and gatherings organized to support Interlochen’s goals of the institution and the Advancement department.
Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree preferred, with a minimum of five or more years of planned giving/major gift fundraising experience, with a thorough knowledge of planned giving vehicles and charitable estate planning. Demonstrates success in soliciting and closing planned gifts. Position requires strong verbal and written communication skills; the ability to motivate and manage volunteers; the ability to establish priorities, set objectives and achieve stated goals. Must be computer literate. Preference for candidates with working knowledge of Crescendo software.
Licenses: Must have valid driver’s license and be insurable by our insurance carrier.
Application: Please submit electronically (MSWord doc or PDF) a letter of interest, resume, and a sample of writing to employment@interlochen.org, subject: Gift Planning.
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