NONPROFIT EXECUTIVE SEARCH FOR DEVELOPMENT & PHILANTHROPY
Confidential Position Specification
Regional Major Gift Officer
Southern California/Southwest
Guide Dogs for the Blind
19 January 2016
RANDALL SEARCH ASSOCIATES
350 Rhode Island St., Suite 240
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-767-3814
www.randallsearchassociates.com
CONFIDENTIAL POSITION SPECIFICATION
Guide Dogs for the Blind
Position:
Regional Major Gifts Officer
Reports to:
Vice President of Philanthropy
Location:
San Rafael, California
THE ORGANIZATION
Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) is North America’s largest service dog organization, offering
enhanced safety and companionship to blind and visually impaired clients throughout the
United States and Canada. GDB was founded in 1942, originally to provide guide dogs to
blinded veterans returning home from World War II. GDB’s mission today continues to be one of
empowering lives through exceptional partnerships between people, dogs, and communities. In
1947, GDB moved to its present location in San Rafael, California. To meet the increasing
demands for its services, it opened a second training facility in Boring, Oregon in 1995.
Since its founding, GDB has graduated more than 14,000 working teams of blind or visually
impaired men and women and guide dogs. It graduates an average of 300 teams annually and
supports approximately 2,200 active teams throughout the country. GDB provides guide dogs at
no charge and receives no government funding.
GDB’s Programs
GDB provides a range of programs and services designed to improve the lives of its blind and
visually impaired clients. These services include:
Puppy Whelping and Raising: The process of raising, training, and creating a successful guide
dog working team takes approximately two years and begins with puppies that are born on the
GDB campus throughout the year.
Guide Dog Team Training: At 15 months of age, the dogs return to the GDB campus to begin
their formal training. Formal dog training requires 10 weeks and is followed by an intensive twoweek team training where dogs are partnered with a blind or visually impaired client.
Graduate Services: GDB's graduate services program is the most comprehensive of its kind and
includes: annual home visits by professionally-certified instructors; telephone counseling for dog
management, veterinary questions, or mobility concerns; professional peer counseling for
consultation, a veterinary financial assistance program; and access and discrimination support.
Canine Community Program: GDB places appropriate career change dogs with carefully
selected non-profit organizations that provide dogs to work with people with a variety of
disabilities. These may include roles as service or therapy dogs.
350 Rhode Island St., Suite 240 San Francisco, CA 94103
www.randallsearchassociates.com
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THE POSITION
Reporting to the Vice President of Philanthropy, the Regional Major Gifts Officer serves as a key
member of the development team and will be responsible for identifying, building relationships
with and soliciting a portfolio of high-level donors and prospects.
Working in collaboration with GDB colleagues, board members, and other volunteers, the
Regional Major Gift Officer will develop and drive GDB’s individual gifts program in Southern
California and the Southwestern U.S. and raise funds to implement an ambitious vision to expand
the organization’s mission and service. As its development program grows, GDB seeks an
energetic, strategic, and seasoned fundraiser who can help strengthen its individual giving
program nationally by building the major gift prospect pipeline and taking the existing portfolio
of individuals to the next level of philanthropy. This position is located at Guide Dog’s campus in
San Rafael, California.
Responsibilities:
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Build and manage a portfolio of regional prospects. Identify, cultivate and solicit
prospects capable of supporting GDB with gifts of $10K+, helping them to align their
philanthropic goals with opportunities/priorities at the organization
Serve as an ambassador of GDB to regional constituencies, recommending and assisting
with programming involving the CEO, Vice President of Philanthropy, board members
and other volunteers
Work collaboratively with GDB development and program staff to design strategies to
secure funding for designated priorities, including unrestricted support, facility
renovations, new facilities and other specified priorities
Identify and work closely with volunteer leadership, providing them with direction and
support in maximizing GDB’s major gift fundraising potential
Oversee donor stewardship/recognition efforts for select prospects/donors, in
collaboration with stewardship colleagues, helping to promote a culture of gratitude
among internal and external constituents
Effectively utilize the prospect management system to record prospect/donor activity
and other relevant data in a timely fashion
Design and execute donor cultivation and stewardship events in the region
Perform within established activity goals, meeting expectations for a high-performing
team
Prepare an annual portfolio plan in consultation with the Vice President of Philanthropy
and regularly review top prospect strategies
Develop and implement, in concert with the GDB marketing team, strategies to improve
GDB’s visibility, including but not limited to community relations, marketing and external
communications
Provide strategic and annual business planning, budgeting, and coordination
Track and report on overall major giving activity and results; develop and utilize GDB’s
tracking model
Work closely with the gift processing group to provide monthly/quarterly income
forecasting
Perform other duties as assigned
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE
Education:
A Bachelor’s degree is required. An advanced degree or equivalent is preferred.
350 Rhode Island St., Suite 240 San Francisco, CA 94103
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Experience:
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A minimum of five years of development experience, with a track record of raising major
gifts in the five- to seven-figure range
Demonstrated ability to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward prospects/donors and
effectively move them through the development cycle
Experience identifying giving opportunities and thinking creatively to establish matches
between donors and programs and funding priorities
Experience in making “qualifying” calls as well as developing donor-centric cultivation
and solicitation strategies
Demonstrated ability to engage and support volunteer leadership with their efforts in
fundraising, consultation, and advocacy
A successful track record of meeting annual fundraising goals
Proficient in MS Office applications; working knowledge of Raiser’s Edge software highly
desirable
COMPETENCIES/ATTRIBUTES
The successful professional will have or be:
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A high level of initiative, attention to detail and strong organization skills
Strong verbal communication skills and demonstrated ability to write clearly and
persuasively
Strong self-motivation and ability to work as part of a collaborative team
Skill in successfully managing multiple projects on tight deadlines and under pressure in a
dynamic and open environment
Unquestionable integrity and commitment to professional ethics, and the ability to
responsibly handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion
Ability to grasp and articulate multi-layered programs in a way that meets the interests
and passions of donors
Knowledge of and experience working with the philanthropic community in southern
California and/or other areas of the Southwest U.S. a plus
A creative, enthusiastic team member with a clear commitment to the mission of the
organization
Working knowledge of the principles of gift planning
Ability to travel on a regular basis either locally or on overnight trips from one to five
consecutive days, up to 50% of the time.
Knowledge of and experience with disability or animal issues, a plus.
Limited need for administrative support and ability to function independently
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
A competitive salary and generous employee benefits package will be offered. To be
considered for this position or for additional information on the opportunity, please send resume
to or contact:
David N. Randall
Principal
Randall Search Associates
415 767 3814
350 Rhode Island St., Suite 240 San Francisco, CA 94103
www.randallsearchassociates.com
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david@randallsearchassociates.com
350 Rhode Island St., Suite 240 San Francisco, CA 94103
www.randallsearchassociates.com
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