Annual Giving Officer

Who We Are

Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best-known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is “that the future may learn from the past” through preserving and restoring 18^th-century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation.  

Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301-acre restored colonial capital with 88 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world-class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, The Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute, and a renowned research library, the John D Rockefeller Jr Library.

Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today’s evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

 About the Position

The Donor Society Engagement team is primarily responsible for soliciting prospects and donors for gifts of $1,000-$99,999. Annual giving officer maintains a portfolio of donors and connects with prospects to advance gift discussions. The Annual Giving Officer is responsible for engaging new donor and/or renewing donor commitments in accordance with our solicitation plans. Responsible for achieving defined goals each year, assists with donor correspondence, and the direct solicitation of our high-level supporters.

Essential Functions:

1. Responsible for active evaluation, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of assigned portfolio of key donors. Implements short- and long-term strategies for increasing support and achieving both quantitative and programmatic goals each year.
2. Engages donors via onsite and off- site face-to-face visits, phone, email, and personalized notes to reengage and encourage continued support.
3. Using best practices, moves donor through solicitation cycle to increase philanthropic support.
4. Appropriately documents interactions with donors and maintains accurate donor records.
5. Helps identify Principal/Major and Planned Giving prospects, working closely with colleagues in those areas.
6. Prepares and sends inquiry packets, which include personalized notes, to existing or potential donors requesting information about donor societies.
7. Assist with special projects as assigned.
8. Attends all onsite & offsite donor society events and serves along with donor society engagement team as the face of the Foundation at the St. George Tucker House (donor reception center).
9. Weekend and evening obligations and assignments are routine

Required and Preferred Education and Experience:

Required: Bachelor’s Degree, 2-4 years Frontline Fundraising or similar job experience (i.e. direct sales or customer service)
Preferred: Master’s Degree

Qualifications: 
Must have strong interpersonal skills as well as organizational and communications skills, both oral and written, and the flexibility to work in an environment with widely varying workloads. Experience working in a development, direct sales or customer service setting. Experience working with databases, strong writing skills; a polished and professional manner, both on the phone and in person. Energized by developing new relationships. A sense of humor and dynamic, engaging personality.

Must be extremely goal and detail-oriented; able to communicate effectively with a wide variety of people and demonstrate an understanding of protocol in social situations; able to demonstrate effective interpersonal skills and to develop strong relationships with those in other departments; able to handle confidential material with tact and discretion; able to meet deadlines, adapt to changing work priorities, and be willing to work non-standard hours including weekends and evenings as needed.