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Chief Development Officer Membership Manager

Chief Development Officer

WSKG is seeking an experienced fundraising professional with a passion for Public Media to join our team as our new Chief Development Officer (CDO). Live and work in the beautiful Southern Tier and Finger Lakes area of NY State! Nestled between the Catskill Mountains and the Allegany Forest, the Southern Tier of New York offers the perfect blend of natural beauty, small-town charm, and big-time opportunity.

WSKG TV and Radio has been a part of the community for over 50 years and enjoys support from the residents of the 21-County area that we serve. Our organization is in a phase of growth and strategic transformation. Bring your skills to WSKG at this pivotal time and make a difference

Primary Function

Reporting to the President/CEO, the Chief Development Officer is responsible for planning, directing, and implementing a successful fundraising program to achieve fundraising and underwriting goals.

The CDO must have superb management skills to successfully lead results-oriented staff in growing donors and revenue to support the needs of the organization. The position oversees the Major Gifts, Leadership Society, Gift Planning and Annual Membership programs, and provides oversight to stewardship and database activities ensuring programs are well executed. The CDO provides oversight to the Underwriting program and its staff, ensuring effective strategy and achievement of goals. Working closely with the Senior Leadership Team, the CDO's effective collaboration and partnership supports and encourages the achievement of organizational goals.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership (10%)

Provide development, underwriting, and donor strategy for the President & CEO and other senior management and staff.
Provide effective and inspiring leadership that produces dollars, volunteers and advocates.
Provide leadership support and management of development efforts for the Development Committee and Board of Trustees.
Evaluate the strategies currently used to solicit gifts and underwriting sponsorships with the goal of increasing revenue as well as efficiency and effectiveness.
Participate as an active member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) in partnership with CEO and colleagues.
Represent WSKG at community events, meetings, conferences and other relevant forums across the region.
Treats all internal and external stakeholders with respect regardless of differences in backgrounds, lifestyles, viewpoints and needs in areas such as race, gender, ethnicity, creed, sexual orientation and others.
In partnership with SLT, develop fundraising priorities to share with external constituents to secure funding.
Provide expert technical assistance and guidance to all program staff interested in securing private funding from individuals, corporations and foundations.
Develop and implement processes that promote clear communication and the healthy flow of information with staff and board and ensure that everyone in the organization understands their role in development.

Program Management and Oversight (55%)

Create, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive, multi-year plan to increase underwriting sponsorships, donors and dollars in support of WSKG. The plan will include audience segmentation, timing, messages, and goals. Develop, implement, and evaluate specific strategies to improve performance where appropriate.
Monitor progress toward the annual and multi-year goals. Provide a rigorous, systematic review and analysis of all development and underwriting activities to find ways to do things more effectively and efficiently. Develop appropriate formats for regular, routine reporting on performance to share with a broad array of internal and external stakeholders. Provide accurate and timely reporting and analysis to volunteers, supervisor, and colleagues for use in management decision making.
Serve as the leader of the team, with day-to-day oversight for the entire development and underwriting program and its staff. Provide advice, support, and guidance to staff. Evaluate staff performance annually. Hire and train staff as appropriate by being versed in all aspects of the development and underwriting program and the work of volunteer management, personal solicitation, and broad-based campaigns.
Provide the framework for and oversight of goal setting and benchmarking; recognition of volunteers and donors; events; volunteer recruitment; training and support; along with related activities of identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship for donors and underwriting sponsors.
In coordination with the Director of Marketing & Community Engagement, maintain a comprehensive communications schedule and calendar on behalf of development, including donor communications, donor centered publications, and communication and publications around special events, online giving, and donor recognition.
Develop strategy and implement solicitation and messaging for all development and underwriting programs, including solicitation and stewardship, ensuring timely and effective written and oral communication to meet all program deadlines.
Provide leadership, feasibility goal setting, and direction, implementation and evaluation of all broad-based solicitation, including pledge drives, direct mail, email, and personal solicitations and related stewardship functions.
In partnership with the Senior Leadership Team, design, manage, and guide campaign efforts as appropriate.
Oversee gift entry and acknowledgement and ensure accurate administration of donor data.
Oversee fundraising special events, with an emphasis on donor cultivation and recognition events.
Develop and manage the annual giving budget based on programmatic goals and objectives as reviewed and approved annually.

Volunteer Management (20%)

Serves as the primary staff liaison to the Development Committee of the board. Ensures the committee reaches their full potential in support of the fundraising effort. This includes establishing goals for the committee in conjunction with the chair; identification, recruitment, training, and support of volunteers; and analysis and evaluation of various efforts. Update databases to monitor, discern, and track the appropriate activities. Personally contact members of the committee to ask for their support.
Advocate for annual membership to the Board of Trustees. Partner with staff and the Development Committee to ensure all members are asked for gifts and that the 100% participation goal is met.

Major Gift Portfolio Management (15%)

Responsible for a portfolio of approximately 15 donor households, and with active participation of the President & CEO and other senior management staff and board members/volunteers, cultivate and manage long-term relationships with individuals for the purpose of securing gifts to support the programs and mission of WSKG across the region.
Coach staff and board on their roles to identify and cultivate prospective donors within their networks and to steward existing donors. Provide advice, coaching and support on the execution of appropriate potential donor engagement strategies.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities):

Bachelor's degree or relevant experience.
Eight or more years in development; thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of development and fundraising with an understanding of individual giving programs and detailed understanding of annual fundraising programs, such as direct mail, email, pledge drives, membership and personal solicitation programs. Previous experience in public media is preferred.
Conversant in relevant and contemporary technologies and how they can be used in support of development, including management of major and planned gifts, direct mail and electronic solicitation programs to measure and manage results.
Proven record of leadership, management and supervisory skills. Possess a supportive and accessible management style, a strong commitment to personal and professional development, with a proven track record in motivating, training and managing a staff with diverse skills and experience.
Superior communication skills with the ability to connect to a variety of audiences, clarity, crispness, and persuasiveness in written and oral communications. Proven ability to guide a successful broad-based messaging platform including a mix of print, electronic, radio, television and social media in support of the program.
Willingness to work evenings and weekends and travel.
Experience in personally soliciting gifts.
Extensive experience working with volunteers; demonstrated ability to work successfully and effectively with a wide range of constituents and manage complex relationships; proven collaboration and teamwork skills.
Ability to work effectively in a team environment-excellent interpersonal skills, outstanding personal initiative.
Knowledge of modern data management practices and techniques including data-based computerized information systems, data modeling, and models of analysis that lead to effective decision making on behalf of the program. Strong Excel skills, including use of formulas, pivot tables, and v-lookups, are required; familiarity with Allegiance is preferred.

About Us:

WSKG Public Media is a non-profit, community-supported public media organization in Vestal, NY. WSKG covers 21 counties in New York’s Southern Tier, central New York and northeast Pennsylvania. It operates two radio stations and a television station, broadcasting a mix of local and national programming, educational programs, news and public affairs shows, documentaries, and arts and cultural programs. The news department has won numerous awards from the Associated Press, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated and New York State Broadcasters Association.

Our Mission:

Guided by your aspirations, WSKG serves to inspire with the highest quality educational programming, explore the arts, culture and heritage of the region and beyond, engage in thoughtful consideration of news and issues of importance, and entertain with the very best in multimedia programming.

Learn more at WSKG.org.

Our Location:

Live and work in the beautiful Southern Tier and Finger Lakes area of NY State!

Nestled between the Catskill Mountains and the Allegany Forest, the Southern Tier of New York offers the perfect blend of natural beauty, small-town charm, and big-time opportunity. With its rolling hills, winding rivers, and lush green valleys, this is a place where scenic views aren’t just for weekends—they’re your everyday backdrop.

Live where adventure meets accessibility. The Southern Tier puts you within easy reach of major hubs like New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia, while offering a peaceful, affordable lifestyle far from the daily grind.

Outdoor lovers will find their paradise here. Hike forested trails, paddle down the Susquehanna River, reel in your next trophy fish, or pitch a tent under the stars. This is a community that values connection—to nature, to neighbors, and to new ideas.

Interested?

WSKG has partnered with Aspen Leadership Group in the search for a Chief Development Officer. You may view the position prospectus or submit an application via this link: https://opportunities.aspenleadershipgroup.com/opportunities/5867.

Deadline to apply: until filled

WSKG is an equal opportunity employer.

Job Type: Full-time, Exempt

Pay: $90,000 - $110,000 per year

Day to Day activities reporting to: President & CEO

Benefits:

401(k)

401(k) matching

Dental insurance

Employee assistance program

Flexible spending account

Health insurance

Health savings account

Life insurance

Paid time off

Vision insurance

WSKG is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We welcome your interest in joining our team.

Membership Manager

Primary Function

The Membership Manager position is responsible for creating a donor-centered environment that inspires donors to support WSKG to their fullest potential. This position’s role is vital in ensuring a successful membership program is implemented that maintains healthy growth in giving society members at all levels. This position works closely with the entire development team to ensure that donor data is entered accurately and the execution of broad-based solicitation efforts and stewardship efforts are executed effectively in order to reach donor and revenue goals for the department.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Gift and Biographical Entry (35%)

Manage gift entry procedure and process, review, and commit daily gift batches, including online gifts, direct deposits, recurring gifts, employee gifts, and gifts in-kind, in a timely and accurate fashion, adhering to the guiding principle of a 48-hour turnaround for gift receipt/acknowledgment process.
Determine and enter proper coding, including campaigns, funds, appeals, etc., for each gift to be processed.
Generate gift acknowledgements and receipts.
Perform annual, quarterly, and monthly data clean up as scheduled in department work plans, and as requested.
Review and edit gift records periodically for discrepancies.
Update biographical information in constituent records with a goal of having as complete and accurate constituent records as possible.
Maintain the confidentiality of donor records.

Broad-Based Solicitation Program Management (30%)

Implement the broad-based solicitations plan to increase donors and dollars. Schedule and manage all broad-based appeals, overseeing each step of the process to ensure that mailings and emails are on time and meet exacting standards as the primary contact to designers, graphic purchasing, and mail house. Ensure inventory, postage, and all materials are on schedule.
Provide a rigorous, systematic review and analysis of all WSKG donor recognition programs and initiatives to find ways to do things more effectively and efficiently. Develop appropriate elements and formats for regular, routine reporting on the annual fund performance for a broad array of internal and external constituencies. Provide effective reporting and analysis to volunteers, supervisor, and colleagues for use in management decision making.

On-Air Fundraising (15%)

In close coordination with Chief Development Officer, Chief Content Officer and Director of Programming and Traffic, lead and manage on-air fundraising campaigns for radio and television including strategy, script-writing, message development, premiums and incentives, logistics, reporting and analysis, interdepartmental communication and coordination, recruitment, training, scheduling and management of talent.

Coordinate with in-house production staff to pre-record promotional and in-drive spots for use on-air.

Financial Reconciliation (10%)

Work with NETA on a weekly, and monthly, basis to balance database records to bank deposits, including but not limited to mid-month reports and month-end balancing, ensuring accurate data entry for financial reporting.
Ensure underwriting invoices are recorded accurately for billing purposes. Monitor and evaluate to ensure system reconciliation.

Personal Stewardship and Solicitations (10%)

Serve as the point person for general membership inquiries, providing quality service to members. Document notes from conversations and update records in the database to assure proper recording and tracking of results.