Associate Director, Major Gifts

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

The Associate Director, Major Gifts is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gift prospects and donors to support the mission and strategic priorities of the organization. This position manages a portfolio of high-capacity individuals, families, and foundations, and plays a critical role in advancing philanthropic revenue through personalized donor engagement, relationship-building, and strategic fundraising initiatives.

The ideal candidate is a highly motivated, goal-oriented fundraising professional who thrives in a mission-driven environment and is comfortable working with high-net-worth donors.

Key Responsibilities

Donor Identification, Cultivation & Solicitation

• Manage a personal portfolio of approximately 100–150 major gift prospects with the capacity to give at the $25,0000+ level
• Develop customized cultivation and solicitation strategies for each donor based on interests, history, and philanthropic capacity.
• Conduct regular donor visits, meetings, calls, and events to build strong, lasting relationships.
• Solicit major and leadership gifts, closing commitments that meet or exceed annual revenue goals.

Portfolio Management & Reporting

• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of donor interactions and movement within the donor pipeline.
• Utilize CRM or donor management systems to track activity, forecast revenue, and report progress.
• Ensure disciplined portfolio management, including qualification of new prospects and strategic stewardship of current donors.

Stewardship & Donor Experience

• Provide ongoing, personalized stewardship to major donors, ensuring they receive appropriate recognition and updates on the impact of their giving.
• Support donor events, site tours, cultivation gatherings, and recognition activities.

Collaboration & Organizational Leadership

• Work closely with the Development Team to coordinate fundraising strategies and share donor intelligence.
• Participate in cross-department planning to align donor messaging with mission, impact, and organizational priorities.

Prospect Research & Pipeline Growth

• Identify new major gift prospects through networking, research, referrals, and community engagement.
• Implement strategies to grow the major gift pipeline over time.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in major gifts, high-level fundraising, or related relationship-management roles.
• Proven track record of securing major gifts or equivalent high-value commitments (business development, sales, partnerships).
• Experience working with high-net-worth individuals preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust, rapport, and meaningful long-term relationships.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, including ability to clearly articulate mission and impact.
• Highly organized with strong planning, time-management, and portfolio-management abilities.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to set goals, work independently, and manage competing priorities.
• Experience with donor databases and comfort with data-driven decision-making.
• High degree of professionalism, discretion, and ethical conduct.