Is a senior-level development professional who focuses on securing and growing planned gifts — such as bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and other deferred gifts — to support an organization’s mission and endowment goals.
Core Responsibilities
Portfolio Management: Oversee a portfolio of planned giving prospects, tracking progress.
Donor Cultivation & Stewardship: Identify, market, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors with the capacity to make planned gifts, building long-term relationships.
Strategic Planning: Develop and execute a comprehensive planned giving strategy aligned with the organization’s fundraising and endowment goals.
Program Administration: Oversee the administration of planned gifts, including processing bequests, trusts, and other vehicles.
Education & Engagement: Conduct meetings, presentations, and events to educate prospects about planned giving options and their benefits.
Marketing & Proposal Development: Create marketing materials, proposals, and communications to promote planned giving opportunities.
Skills & Qualifications
Typically requires a bachelor’s degree and 7–10 years of experience in planned giving, major gifts, or related fundraising.
Strong knowledge of estate planning, tax strategies, and charitable giving vehicles.
Excellent communication, relationship-building, and negotiation skills.
Proficiency in donor management systems (e.g., Salesforce) and ability to manage complex legal/financial arrangements.
In short, the Senior Planned Giving Specialist is both a strategic planner and a relationship builder, ensuring that the organization’s planned giving program is effective, compliant, and aligned with its mission.