Leadership Gifts Officer / Senior Leadership Gifts Officer

Founded in 1853, the California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned, AZA-accredited non-profit scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Home to a world-class planetarium, aquarium, rainforest, research institute, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.

Our living collection reflects Earth’s vast biodiversity, consisting of nearly 60,000 animals representing over 800 species. Our research collections are the largest west of the Mississippi,  spanning nearly 46 million plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. Our diverse team includes leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who are passionate about advancing knowledge and catalyzing action through science and storytelling.

Whether you're conducting research behind the scenes or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.

The Leadership Gifts Officer / Senior Leadership Gifts Officer is a seasoned frontline fundraiser responsible for a robust portfolio of high-net-worth donors and prospects, with a focus on securing and stewarding major and principal gifts. The role leads complex identification, cultivation and solicitation strategies, partners closely with Advancement Leadership, staff, and Leadership Philanthropy team as well as Academy program leaders to design high-impact donor experiences, and models best practices that strengthen a donor-centered, data-informed culture across the division.

Primary responsibilities will be appropriate to the level and title; the below describes the responsibilities for Senior Leadership Gifts Officer.  The Academy’s Talent Acquisition representative will be able to provide the Leadership Gifts Officer Job Description should you meet those qualifications.  

• Manage a portfolio of 70-90 donors and prospects, with emphasis on leadership (six-figure) and principal gifts (seven-figure +).
• Independently develop and execute tailored cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for each donor and prospect.
• Consistently secure gifts of $100,000+, prioritizing unrestricted flexible support as well as advancing priorities across biodiversity science, environmental learning, and conservation.
• Regularly identify and cultivate opportunities for upgrading donor gifts from five to six-figure gifts.
• Maintain disciplined moves management, forecasting, and pipeline documentation and reporting in Tessitura.
• Identify pipeline development opportunities with internal stakeholders and partners to advance high-potential donors and prospects into the leadership gift pipeline.

• Serve as primary relationship manager for select high-profile donors, supporters, and prospects.
• Deliver bespoke, high-touch experiences—behind-the-scenes tours, lab/collections visits, field and site visits—that deepen affinity and accelerate giving.
• Collaborate with Donor Experience and Communications teams to provide personalized, timely stewardship touchpoints and impact reporting.
• The work schedule varies, with long hours during critical periods and special events, such as Academy Day, Big Bang, and SuperNatural fundraising events. This job requires occasional in-person event support on evenings and weekends, which may fall outside of normal business hours.

• Partner with scientists and program leads to align donor interests with mission-critical work; translate complex initiatives into compelling donor offers.
• Collaborate with the Donor Experience team to plan and execute curated on-site and field-based activations that advance cultivation and stewardship goals.
• Work with Advancement Operations to leverage data, dashboards, and reporting that inform strategy and drive results.
• Collaborate with Legacy Giving team to identify prospects for the Eastwood Associates and create custom solicitations for blended gifts.
• Deepen relationships with well-cultivated new prospects following initial engagement by the Advancement Coordinator, Advancement Research Manager, or Direct Response fundraising team.

• Partner with the Director of Leadership Philanthropy and the Associate Director of Leadership Philanthropy to provide input on donor strategy goal-setting for the division.
• Identify potential board candidates and help lead them toward deeper engagement and philanthropy.
• Model donor-centered communication, rigorous planning, and cross-team collaboration; serve as a mentor and fundraising strategy expert for wider division, reviewing approaches and coaching on donor conversations.
• Represent Leadership Philanthropy in internal meetings as needed, contributing to seamless coordination across Advancement and program teams.

• Leadership Gifts Officer:  2+ years of relevant frontline fundraising experience or equivalent high-level relationship management, with a track record of securing $50,000+ gifts. 
• Senior Leadership Gifts Officer:  6+ years of frontline fundraising or equivalent high-level relationship management, with a track record of securing $100,000+ gifts. 
• Demonstrated success managing a robust major-donor portfolio, including gift forecasting and closing complex, multi-stakeholder solicitations.
• Experience with complicated gift vehicles such as DAFs, stock/security donations, and family foundations.
• Capital or comprehensive campaign experience welcomed.Experience partnering with executive leadership and board members on solicitations.
• Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills; poised and effective with high-profile donors and institutional leaders.
• Experience designing and executing bespoke donor engagements (tours, field visits, events) tied to program impact.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills; adept at prioritizing across multiple donors, deadlines, and partners.
• Proficiency with fundraising CRMs and reporting (Tessitura preferred); data-driven approach to strategy and forecasting.
• Collaborative, generous teammate with a coaching mindset; committed to sharing practices that strengthen team culture.
• Deep interest in the Academy’s mission; familiarity with science, climate, conservation, or museum philanthropy is a plus.

Interested candidates should submit a resume and application through our Careers Page portal.

The Leadership Gifts Officer is a frontline fundraiser who drives revenue growth by securing support and delivering high-impact donor experiences that reflect the Academy’s mission. They regularly secure gifts of $50,000+ and identify and cultivate donors to grow from five to six-figure gifts. In addition to managing donor relationships, the Gifts Officer contributes to team strategy and pipeline development, partners across departments to align donor passion with program ambition, and models a disciplined, donor-first approach. 

The Senior Leadership Gifts Officer is a seasoned frontline fundraiser who drives revenue growth by securing transformational support, upgrading donors from five to six-figure gifts, and delivering high-impact donor experiences that reflect the Academy’s mission. In addition to managing significant donor relationships, the Senior Officer contributes to team strategy and pipeline development, partners across departments to align donor passion with program ambition, and models a disciplined, donor-first approach. This role expands the Leadership Philanthropy team’s capacity, enabling the Director and Associate Director of Leadership Philanthropy to focus on top-tier strategy and portfolios while maintaining seamless operations and momentum across the major gifts program.

When you join the California Academy of Sciences, you become part of a mission-driven community that values curiosity, collaboration, and innovation, and celebrates its accomplishments together. Staff share a commitment to executing a new strategic plan that will strengthen the organization's financial foundations, cultivate a vibrant internal culture, and foster smart growth to secure the Academy’s future.

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are motivated to contribute to our mission. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. The specific onsite/hybrid schedule for this position is listed below.