Legacy Giving Officer

Legacy Giving Officer

Development

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE

The San Francisco Symphony is widely considered to be among the most artistically adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the United States, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, active touring, award-winning recordings, and standard-setting education programs. In the 2020–21 season, the San Francisco Symphony welcomed conductor and composer EsaPekka Salonen as its twelfth Music Director and embarked on a new vision for the present and future of the orchestral landscape. This exciting artistic future builds on the remarkable 25-year tenure of Michael Tilson Thomas as the San Francisco Symphony’s Music Director. Tilson Thomas continues his rich relationship with the Symphony as its first Music Director Laureate. In their inaugural season together, Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony have introduced a groundbreaking artistic leadership model anchored by eight Collaborative Partners from a variety of cultural disciplines: Nicholas Britell, Julia Bullock, Claire Chase, Bryce Dessner, Pekka Kuusisto, Nico Muhly, Carol Reiley, and Esperanza Spalding. This group of visionary artists, thinkers, and doers joins with Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony to chart a new course of experimentation by collaborating on new ideas, breaking conventional rules, and creating unique and powerful experiences.

The San Francisco Symphony presents more than 220 concerts and presentations annually for an audience of nearly 450,000 in its home of Davies Symphony Hall and through its national and international touring. A cornerstone of the organization's mission, the San Francisco Symphony's education programs are the most extensive offered by any American orchestra today, providing free comprehensive music education to every first- through fifth- grade student in the San Francisco public schools, and serving more than 75,000 children, students, educators, and families annually. The San Francisco Symphony’s recordings have won such awards as France's Grand Prix du Disque and Britain's Gramophone Award, as well as 16 Grammy Awards. San Francisco Symphony radio broadcasts, the first in the nation to feature symphonic music when they began in 1926, today carry the Orchestra's concerts across the country. In 2004, the SFS launched the multimedia Keeping Score on PBS-TV and online and in 2014, the San Francisco Symphony inaugurated SoundBox, an experimental performance venue and music series located backstage at Davies Symphony Hall. February 2021 saw the launch of SFSymphony+, the San Francisco Symphony’s on-demand video streaming service. For more information, visit sfsymphony.org.

JOB SUMMARY

Working with the Director of Legacy Giving, the Legacy Giving Officer will help manage and grow the department’s endowment and planned giving programs through all phases of philanthropy - identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of the San Francisco Symphony’s Pierre Monteux Society. Approximately 40% of the Legacy Giving Officer’s time will be spent working with donors, patrons, and estate administrators as a frontline fundraiser, 30% on estate and endowment administration, 30% on marketing and event support, program analysis, and general administration. This role will require managing program administration demands as well as engaging in thoughtful, effective frontline fundraising. The ideal candidate is a highly organized professional who will bring a passion for supporting a well-established legacy giving program and also someone skilled in donor relations and committed to fostering meaningful legacies at the San Francisco Symphony.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage a portfolio of 30-40 individual donors and prospects, acquiring new legacy giving donors (planned giving and endowment support).
• Act as the first touchpoint for unassigned donors identified via legacy giving inquiries.
• Ensure accurate tracking and moves-management towards the goals of each named endowment fund held at the SF Symphony.
• Drive an estate gift program that is proactive in receiving gifts due, ensures donors’ wishes are honored, and maintain organized reference files.
• Serve as the primary contact for trustees and estate attorneys, drafting correspondence to estate representatives to obtain regular updates as well as facilitate and acknowledge receipt of estate distributions.
• Track gift expectancies, process gift summaries, communicate regular updates to the team and elevate any potential delays or acceptance issues (personal property, expenses, etc.) to the attention of the leadership.
• Coordinate with the Director of Legacy Giving on the management of the legacy giving program in support of annual operations, the endowment, and a future capital campaign.
• Coordinate with internal departments, external vendors, and gift beneficiaries regarding updates and documentation related to split income gifts (charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts).
• In coordination with the Engagement Events team, support the planning and implementation of the legacy society luncheons that take place through the year for 200+ attendees.
• Manage annual production of legacy giving marketing plans, list coordination, and response metrics.
• Maintain and update program recognition lists for planned giving and endowment fund donors.
• Serve as the primary resource for the Development Department for legacy giving data entry and reporting, as well as conduct regular data integrity checks and maintain procedure documentation.
• Respond to questions from Symphony colleagues in Development and Patron Services to support them with any inquiries about endowment or planned gifts.
• Support the Gift Planning Committee meeting preparation and follow-up, including stewardship of members, recordkeeping, and event support.
• Coordinate sending communications related to legacy giving to various Symphony constituent groups as requested.
• Be well-versed in and assist with the application of the Symphony’s Gift Acceptance Policy.
• Continuously learn about tax law and estate planning strategies pertinent to charitable giving, offer training and resource support to Gift Officers and in proposal development.
• Conduct job functions and activities in alignment with the principles of the SFS’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work, and support the organization’s DEI work through participation in working groups and other initiatives as possible.
• Perform additional duties as required by the SFS.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Three years of relevant or transferrable professional experience in fundraising/development, relationship management, legal or financial services.
• Familiarity with or genuine desire to learn about legal and procedural aspects of financial planning, legacy gift establishment, and estate administration.
• Experience with project & budget management, such as events and mailings.
• Ability to handle highly confidential information with discretion.
• Portfolio management experience and familiarity with a donor centric moves management system.
• Highly attentive to detail, strong analytical and communication skills, proactive and solution-oriented approach to challenges, and ability to compose meaningful correspondence.
• Solid relationship building skills across a wide variety of constituents.
• Comfortable in a self-driven, flexible, creative, fast-paced environment.
• Committed to success of the symphonic artform and able to communicate thoughtfully and enthusiastically about the work of the San Francisco Symphony. A passion for or interest in music is preferred.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and donor database software. Tessitura preferred.
• Willing to attend concerts and events, regularly on nights and weekends.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To apply, please visit www.sfsymphony.org/careers. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at !hr@sfsymphony.com or you may call us at 415-503-5334.