Major Gifts Officer
A U S T I N S Y M P H O N Y O R C H E S T R A
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Austin Symphony Orchestra is hiring its first dedicated Major Gifts Officer to lead individual giving at the $5,000–$10,000-or-more level. Your portfolio starts with established major donors, members of the Board of Trustees, and warm leads, paired with prospects identified through data and research. The work is to deepen those relationships, grow their giving, and bring new major donors in. The timing matters. The ASO has new leadership and is strengthening its financial foundation for the long term. The coming season includes a 30th-anniversary celebration and the farewell of our longtime music director, natural openings for conversations about legacy and major support.
You’ll join a development team of five, report to the Vice President of Development, and work directly with the CEO and board. In tandem with ASO leadership, you’ll build the ASO’s major gifts program, shaping its strategy, standards, and systems. The portfolio and its results are
yours.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
• Manage a portfolio of 75–125 donors and prospects, including board members, current major donors, warm leads, and research-identified prospects.
• Cultivate, solicit, and close gifts of $5,000–$10,000 or more, with a strategy for each top prospect.
• Complete 175–225 substantive donor contacts a year: visits, stewardship meetings, and event conversations that advance a relationship.
• Write and present proposals tied to the ASO’s artistic and education priorities.
• Identify and cultivate planned and legacy gifts.
• Keep Tessitura current with contact reports, strategy notes, and next steps.
• Work with the VP of Development on portfolio strategy and on building the major gifts program.
WHEN AND WHERE YOU’LL WORK
Donors are at the concert hall, so you will be too: about 25 evening and weekend concerts and events a year, mostly during the season. Flexible scheduling accommodates work outside regular hours.
When you’re not out on donor appointments, three days a week are at ASO headquarters, a new, modern office with an open-concept development workspace, and two days remote.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
In year one, you’ll qualify the portfolio, establish relationships with board members and top donors, and have moves management plans in place for your top prospects. Within 18–24 months, your portfolio will raise $500,000–$750,000 a year, with at least 20%
from new or increased giving. Results should grow as relationships mature.
WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR
We’re looking for a savvy nonprofit fundraiser with a track record of closing major gifts.
• At least 3 years of frontline nonprofit fundraising, with a record of personally cultivating and closing individual gifts of $5,000–$10,000 or more. Arts experience is desirable; education, healthcare, human services, and other mission-driven backgrounds are also
welcome.
• Working knowledge of moves management, stewardship, gift agreements, and planned giving.
• Experience with Tessitura or a comparable fundraising CRM.
• The ability to work independently toward your goals as part of a collaborative team, with sound judgment and strong follow-through.
• Genuine interest in the performing arts and their place in Austin’s civic life. Austin connections are welcome but not required. We value curiosity, relationship-building, and fundraising skill over an existing local network.
COMPENSATION
$85,000–$100,000 salary, based on experience, plus a full benefits package, comp time for
evening and weekend work, and a hybrid schedule.
HOW TO APPLY
Please submit a résumé and a cover letter describing your fundraising experience. In your cover letter, please address:
• The largest gift from an individual that you have personally solicited and closed, and the organization it was for.
• How many years you have worked in a frontline nonprofit fundraising role with your own portfolio of individual donors.
• The size of your most recent donor portfolio and its annual fundraising goal.
Email careers@austinsymphony.org with “Major Gifts Officer” in the subject line and include your resume and a brief cover letter as one PDF attachment.
Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
No phone calls, please.
Statement of Non-Discrimination
The ASO is committed to equity, inclusion, and non-discrimination, and it is our policy and goal to promote the inclusion and engagement of the residents of Austin and Central Texas across all protected classes of people, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, cultural background and experiences, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, socio-economic status, physical and mental ability, and religion in all aspects of employment.
About the Austin Symphony Orchestra
For over a century, the Austin Symphony Orchestra has been Central Texas’s professional orchestra — world-class musicians performing in one of America’s fastest-growing cities. We serve our community through extraordinary live performances, robust education programs, and a deep commitment to accessibility.