Director of Development, Major Gifts

Job Description

The Director of Development, Major Gifts leads JTCC’s major and principal gifts program ($50,000+), working both autonomously and in close partnership with the CEO to identify, cultivate, solicit, and close gifts that advance JTCC’s mission of developing champions in tennis, academics, and life.

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This role owns the full major gifts portfolio and is expected to close gifts independently, while also strategically engaging and managing the CEO’s own donor relationships, deploying the CEO's time and contacts deliberately, and operating as the subject matter expert who prepares the CEO to have the right conversation, with the right donor, at the right moment.

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The role also owns a secondary but critical function: designing and maintaining the internal system JTCC uses to document and report its impact metrics and KPIs to donors, the Board, and prospective major gift funders.

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Responsibilities

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Major Gifts Leadership (primary)

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• Lead JTCC’s major and principal gifts program, building and managing a portfolio of $50,000+ prospects and donors, and independently cultivating, soliciting, and closing gifts.
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• Strategically engage and manage the CEO’s donor contacts and relationships: determine which prospects and moments merit CEO involvement, and prepare them accordingly.
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• Serve as the subject-matter expert on every major gift relationship, arriving to each CEO interaction with the research, strategy, and materials needed to make the most of the CEO's time — briefing memos, talking points, and tailored proposals.
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• Accompany the CEO on, and independently lead, donor visits, cultivation events, and solicitation meetings; own follow-up and next steps after every interaction, whether or not the CEO is involved.
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• Draft gift proposals, pledge agreements, and acknowledgments; coordinate with Finance to ensure gifts are properly recorded, restricted, and reported.
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• Maintain the pipeline and relationship tracker for major gift prospects, keeping the CEO and Development leadership aligned on stage, next action, and timeline for every active relationship.
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• Partner with the Development team to integrate major gift strategy with JTCC’s broader non-event fundraising goal, coordinating with the foundation, corporate, and mid-level giving channels.
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Impact Metrics & KPI Documentation System (secondary)

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• Own and maintain JTCC’s system of record for impact metrics and KPIs — e.g., nationally/sectionally ranked players, college tennis commitments, Adaptive Tennis participation, Community Champs youth served, and scholarship/financial aid awarded — ensuring data is accurate, current, and consistent across departments.
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• Translate program, SEL, academic, community outreach, community service, mentoring and High Performance data into donor-ready impact narratives and materials (scorecards, Board reports, proposals, stewardship reports) that connect gifts to outcomes.
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• Establish a regular reporting cadence and documentation process so metrics can be pulled quickly and confidently for donor conversations, Board meetings, and grant reporting.
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Qualifications

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• Bachelor’s degree required; passion for JTCC’s mission, familiarity with tennis or youth sport a plus but not required.
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• 5+ years of nonprofit major gifts fundraising experience, including direct experience closing gifts of $50,000 or more.
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• Skilled at using a CEO or principal strategically to cultivate, steward, and close major gifts — deploying their time and relationships thoughtfully, and operating as the subject-matter expert who makes every interaction count.
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• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to translate complex program data into a compelling donor narrative.
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• Comfort working with data and reporting systems; detail-oriented with strong organizational skills.
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• Experience with donor CRM/database systems (e.g., Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce, or similar).
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Work Schedule and Compensation

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This role will be working onsite at our JTCC headquarters in College Park, MD at least 4 days a week, with option to work remotely one day a week. At times, there will be heavy travel for donor visits and cultivation.

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This salary range for this role is $95,000 - $105,000 and eligible for bonus. Final compensation will be determined based on factors include candidate qualifications, experience, education, skills and internal equity.