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Director of Gift Planning
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey, CA, USA
USD 107,500-137k / year
Posted on Aug 15, 2025
At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that celebrates and values diversity. We firmly believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices, working together, increases our capacity to serve our visitors and fulfill our mission. We welcome people from all walks of life into our team and strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply.
Job Summary:
Lead the Monterey Bay Aquarium's comprehensive planned giving program, generating impactful bequests, income gifts and outright endowment gifts; solicit, cultivate and steward high-net-worth individuals and their advisors, in partnership with senior management, is a key focus; serve as liaison to estate planners, attorneys, advisors and fiduciaries; supervise planned giving staff; perform other duties as required.
Core Activities:
- Planned Giving leadership and program development
- Provide input to annual and long-term strategy for planned giving and endowment programs in partnership with Development leadership.
- Develop multi-year growth and operational plans for planned giving and endowment including pipeline development, AI use, prospect segmentation and cultivation/stewardship calendar and events; evaluate results annually.
- Donor and Advisor Engagement
- Identify and rate prospects for planned gifts and endowment, maintaining a robust pipeline sourced from other fundraising teams and predictive tools from outside services.
- Oversee robust portfolio, soliciting high-impact gifts.
- Cultivate and steward a growing portfolio of prospects and donors and their advisors.
- Oversee the Betty White Ocean Legacy Circle and the Endowment Society, ensuring that relationships with these donors is well managed and that events, communications, and personalized experiences are exceptional.
- Technical and Administrative Oversight
- Oversee the administration of planned gifts, including bequests, trusts, gift annuities, retirement assets and other assets; prepare regular progress reports for board and staff.
- Recommend and initiate AI investments for greater speed and efficiency in administration of bequests, trusts, retirement assets, DAFs, and other vehicles.
- Evaluate accuracy of records and related legal documents to ensure compliance for all planned and endowment gifts in partnership with finance, legal, and gift administration teams; stay current with changing laws, regulations, etc.
- Marketing, Communications and Institutional Partnerships
- Oversee the creation and distribution of marketing materials, working with development and marketing teams plus outside consultants, ensuring the messaging is accurate and compelling; oversee web marketing (external).
- Manage the relationship with the planned giving consultants who provide content for the web and direct response programs.
- Represent the Aquarium at public events, seminars, and meetings to promote legacy giving opportunities.
- Teamwork and Leadership
- Supervise the planned giving staff with an emphasis on mentoring and training in best practices of leadership giving and planned giving.
Preferred Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities (KSAs):
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
- Advanced degree or professional certification preferred (e.g., MA, JD, CAP)
- Working knowledge of planned giving vehicles, estate planning, tax law and philanthropic strategy, and experience in partnering with donors in their selection of best vehicles for particular situations
- Ability to successfully work with high-net-worth individuals and their advisors
- Ability to integrate legacy giving across the development department and organization with expertise, training, and partnership to colleagues and volunteers
- Ability to ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and best practice standards of the field
- Ability to work within and maintain Monterey Bay Aquarium's Core Values
- Demonstrated commitment to Monterey Bay Aquarium's Leadership Competences
Physical Requirements to Perform Essential Job Functions:
- Typical office equipment
- Constant sitting, standing, walking, bending
- Occsasional unassisted lifting up to 50 lbs.
- Typical office environment, main aquarium and exhibits, occasional offsite events
Annual Compensation Range:
$107,500 - $137,000 USD annually. Starting rate will vary based on previous experience and relevant skills/knowledge set.