Philanthropic Advisor

Salary Description: $60,000 - $75,000 Annually

Classification: Exempt

Organization Description

Naples Botanical Garden is a 170-acre world-class paradise, featuring the flora and cultures of the tropics and sub-tropics including Brazil, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Florida. The Garden’s mission is to connect people and plants through display, education, conservation, and applied science. The Garden has beautifully restored native habitats, cultivated gardens, walking trails, and public programming that offer education and enjoyment for people of all ages. Naples Botanical Garden is a 501(c)3 organization.

Position Summary: The Philanthropy Advisor is responsible for identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of donors and prospects to advance the mission of Naples Botanical Garden. This position builds meaningful relationships with individual and corporate donors, develops strategies that inspire philanthropic investment, and collaborates across the organization to secure support for annual operating priorities, special initiatives, and endowment. This position is responsible for increasing Royal Palm Society Gifts and Individual and Corporate gifts $10,000 and above.

This position is not eligible for hybrid or remote work and requires full-time, on-site attendance.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage an assigned portfolio of approximately 115–130 qualified donors and prospects.
• Identify and qualify new donors through discovery visits, referrals, membership engagement, research, and events.
• Develop and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans.
• Conduct meaningful donor visits and move donors through the continuum of engagement.
• Prepares well-written proposals, gift agreements, stewardship reports, and donor correspondence.
• Partner with program staff to align donor interests with Garden priorities.
• Ensure timely documentation of donor activity, next steps, and strategies in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT.
• Participate in donor events, volunteer activities, and organizational initiatives.
• Represent Naples Botanical Garden professionally within the community.
• Attends/supports events and connects with donors to further relationships. Records relevant activity in Raiser’s Edge.
• Serves as an industry-leading resource to other Garden and/or Museum professionals through informal means and/or formal association memberships.
• Ensure all team members are always representing the Garden in an appropriate manner.

Portfolio Performance Expectations:

• Qualify new prospects while strategically removing or reassigning donors when appropriate to maintain a healthy portfolio.
• Achieve an annual portfolio fundraising responsibility of approximately $750,000–$1 million.
• Completes approximately 100 meaningful donor visits annually.
• Maintain timely and accurate portfolio management in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT.
• Performance expectations may be adjusted annually based on portfolio composition and organizational priorities.

Requirements/Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree required.
• Two plus years of development experience with history of soliciting major gifts from corporations and/or individuals.
• Demonstrated experience creating and executing innovative corporate sponsorship and donor cultivation strategies.
• Demonstrated experience in executing corporate sponsorship programs.
• Attends and completes Garden interpretive training withing six weeks of employment.
• Proven experience with high touch, high value donors and prospects.
• Experience building an annual plan for a portfolio.
• Exceptional communication skills, including written, interpersonal, and in public speaking in English.
• Exceptional active listening skills.
• Evenings and weekend work is required for events and/or donor meetings.
• Good computer skills including MS Office (Word, Excel, etc.), Outlook, and use of web browsers.
• Experience with CRM systems, Raiser’s Edge NXT preferred.
• Obtain Raiser’s Edge NXT Fundamentals certification within 60 days of employment.
• Gardening or Arts and Culture experience helpful but not required.
• May stand for long periods of time, bending and kneeling.
• Work in fluctuating temperatures.
• Work indoors and outdoors.
• Lift and carry objects up to 10 pounds on a regular basis.
• Have reliable transportation.
• Pre-Employment background check required.

Benefits:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life Insurance
• Retirement Plan with matching
• Long -Short Term Disability
• PTO
• Paid Holidays
• Garden Perks

Naples Botanical Garden is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Garden has a long-standing policy of employment and advancement based solely upon qualifications to perform the essential elements of a position without regard to age, creed, gender, national origin or ancestry, race, color, religion, veteran status, pregnancy, marital status, HIV status, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, handicap or mental or physical disability.