Leadership Gifts Officer / Senior Leadership Gifts Officer

About this role

About the California Academy of Sciences

Founded in 1853, the California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned, AZA-accredited non-profit scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Home to a world-class planetarium, aquarium, rainforest, research institute, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.

Our living collection reflects Earth’s vast biodiversity, consisting of nearly 60,000 animals representing over 800 species. Our research collections are the largest west of the Mississippi, spanning nearly 46 million plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. Our diverse team includes leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who are passionate about advancing knowledge and catalyzing action through science and storytelling.

Whether you're conducting research behind the scenes or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.

About the Opportunity

The Leadership Gifts Officer / Senior Leadership Gifts Officer is a seasoned frontline fundraiser responsible for a robust portfolio of high-net-worth donors and prospects, with a focus on securing and stewarding major and principal gifts. The role leads complex identification, cultivation and solicitation strategies, partners closely with Advancement Leadership, staff, and Leadership Philanthropy team as well as Academy program leaders to design high-impact donor experiences, and models best practices that strengthen a donor-centered, data-informed culture across the division.

Primary Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities will be appropriate to the level and title; the below describes the responsibilities for Senior Leadership Gifts Officer. The Academy’s Talent Acquisition representative will be able to provide the Leadership Gifts Officer Job Description should you meet those qualifications.

Portfolio Management & Fundraising

• Manage a portfolio of 70-90 donors and prospects, with emphasis on leadership (six-figure) and principal gifts (seven-figure +).

• Independently develop and execute tailored cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for each donor and prospect.

• Consistently secure gifts of $100,000+, prioritizing unrestricted flexible support as well as advancing priorities across biodiversity science, environmental learning, and conservation.

• Regularly identify and cultivate opportunities for upgrading donor gifts from five to six-figure gifts.

• Maintain disciplined moves management, forecasting, and pipeline documentation and reporting in Tessitura.

• Identify pipeline development opportunities with internal stakeholders and partners to advance high-potential donors and prospects into the leadership gift pipeline.

Donor Engagement & Events

• Serve as primary relationship manager for select high-profile donors, supporters, and prospects.

• Deliver bespoke, high-touch experiences—behind-the-scenes tours, lab/collections visits, field and site visits—that deepen affinity and accelerate giving.

• Collaborate with Donor Experience and Communications teams to provide personalized, timely stewardship touchpoints and impact reporting.

• The work schedule varies, with long hours during critical periods and special events, such as Academy Day, Big Bang, and SuperNatural fundraising events. This job requires occasional in-person event support on evenings and weekends, which may fall outside of normal business hours.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Experiences

• Partner with scientists and program leads to align donor interests with mission-critical work; translate complex initiatives into compelling donor offers.

• Collaborate with the Donor Experience team to plan and execute curated on-site and field-based activations that advance cultivation and stewardship goals.

• Work with Advancement Operations to leverage data, dashboards, and reporting that inform strategy and drive results.

• Collaborate with Legacy Giving team to identify prospects for the Eastwood Associates and create custom solicitations for blended gifts.

• Deepen relationships with well-cultivated new prospects following initial engagement by the Advancement Coordinator, Advancement Research Manager, or Direct Response fundraising team.

Internal Leadership & Strategy

• Partner with the Director of Leadership Philanthropy and the Associate Director of Leadership Philanthropy to provide input on donor strategy goal-setting for the division.

• Identify potential board candidates and help lead them toward deeper engagement and philanthropy.

• Model donor-centered communication, rigorous planning, and cross-team collaboration; serve as a mentor and fundraising strategy expert for wider division, reviewing approaches and coaching on donor conversations.

• Represent Leadership Philanthropy in internal meetings as needed, contributing to seamless coordination across Advancement and program teams.

Qualifications

• Leadership Gifts Officer: 2+ years of relevant frontline fundraising experience or equivalent high-level relationship management, with a track record of securing $50,000+ gifts.

• Senior Leadership Gifts Officer: 6+ years of frontline fundraising or equivalent high-level relationship management, with a track record of securing $100,000+ gifts.

• Demonstrated success managing a robust major-donor portfolio, including gift forecasting and closing complex, multi-stakeholder solicitations.

• Experience with complicated gift vehicles such as DAFs, stock/security donations, and family foundations.

• Capital or comprehensive campaign experience welcomed.Experience partnering with executive leadership and board members on solicitations.

• Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills;…