Major Gifts Officer

Major Gifts Officer

The Major Gifts Officer is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individuals capable of making gifts of $5,000 or more. This position manages relationships with existing major-gift prospects while identifying and qualifying new prospective donors.

The Major Gifts Officer manages a portfolio of approximately 125–175 major-gift prospects and donors, developing personalized strategies that deepen relationships and inspire transformational philanthropy. The role is responsible for building meaningful donor relationships, maintaining comprehensive engagement strategies for assigned donors, increasing donor retention and average gift size, and consistently advancing donors through the donor pipeline.

Success in this role is measured by meaningful donor engagement, revenue growth, donor retention, successful solicitation of major gifts, and consistent achievement of established fundraising and activity goals. The Major Gifts Officer serves as an ambassador for the organization and works collaboratively across departments to connect donors with the SPCA of Wake County's mission and impact.

This role requires exceptional relationship-building skills, strategic thinking, donor-centered communication, emotional intelligence, initiative, accountability, discretion, adaptability, attention to detail, and a results-oriented approach. The successful Major Gifts Officer will develop a strong understanding of organizational priorities and become a trusted philanthropic advisor who helps donors connect their interests with meaningful opportunities to support the organization.

Our Core Values: Hell, Yeah! Be Kind Do What You Say Forward Focused Loose & Wiggly Drop the Mic

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Major Gift Fundraising

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 125–175 major-gift prospects and donors.
• Develop and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans.
• Enter timely and accurate notes into the organization's database following each donor interaction.
• Meet established annual fundraising, solicitation, donor-engagement, and activity goals.

• Ensure gifts receive timely acknowledgment and appropriate recognition.

Prospect Development

• Identify new major-gift prospects through analytics, research and other development activities.
• Qualify prospective donors for caseload management through discovery visits, telephone calls, virtual conversations, and other meaningful engagement.
• Collaborate with the Development Officer responsible for data and gift processing to maintain accurate prospect and donor records within the donor database.
• Work with the Development Officer responsible for stewardship to review new major-gift prospects identified through routine Development workflows.

Planned Giving

• Engage donors in charitable gift-planning conversations when appropriate.
• Support the administration and fulfillment of estate gifts.
• Coordinate with other Development staff on new estate gift designation follow-up.
• Collaborate with Development leadership and appropriate team members to ensure planned gifts are acknowledged, administered, documented, and stewarded appropriately.

Collaboration & Organizational Representation

• Work closely with Department leadership to understand priorities and develop gift strategies.
• Represent the organization professionally at donor meetings, fundraising events, community functions, tours, and other organizational activities.
• Maintain discretion, confidentiality, professionalism, and sound judgment when handling donor information and organizational matters.
• Perform additional duties as assigned to support Development and organizational priorities.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Three or more years of successful nonprofit fundraising experience, including direct solicitation of gifts of $5,000 or more.
• Demonstrated success securing gifts or closing significant financial commitments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and project-management abilities.
• Ability to independently manage multiple and competing priorities.
• Ability to develop and manage individual donor strategies and follow-through.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to establish trusted relationships with donors, prospects, community members, and organizational stakeholders.
• Demonstrated professionalism, discretion, sound judgment, and commitment to confidentiality.
• Valid driver's license and ability to meet SPCA of Wake County driving eligibility requirements.
• Ability and willingness to travel throughout the organization's service area for donor visits, meetings, events, and stewardship activities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with moves management and donor-pipeline strategy.
• Experience using Salesforce or a comparable donor database
• Experience with planned giving, estate gifts, or charitable gift planning.
• Experience supporting a capital campaign or other significant fundraising initiative.
• Experience developing donor proposals and personalized donor communications.

Work Environment

This role operates primarily within a collaborative nonprofit development environment and involves frequent interaction with donors, prospects, staff, volunteers, organizational leaders, community partners, and other stakeholders.

Responsibilities are performed in office settings, donor homes and workplaces, community locations, event venues, SPCA facilities, and other approved locations throughout the organization's service area. The position requires regular onsite presence as well as significant local travel to cultivate, solicit, and steward donor relationships. The position requires professionalism, discretion, responsiveness, and flexibility while managing confidential donor information, competing priorities, time-sensitive opportunities, donor meetings, and fundraising activities. Responsibilities may occasionally involve working around and interacting with animals, including cats, dogs, and small pets.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to remain stationary and work at a computer for extended periods.
• Ability to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, virtually, and through electronic communication methods.
• Ability to travel throughout the organization's service area for donor visits, meetings, events, tours, and other Development activities.
• Ability to safely operate a motor vehicle and travel locally on a regular basis.
• Anticipated local travel may represent approximately 25%–50% of the workweek as the donor portfolio matures and relationship activity increases.
• Ability to attend occasional evening and weekend events.
• Ability to move, carry, and transport materials weighing up to 25 pounds for donor meetings, presentations, events, and other Development activities.
• Ability to participate in onsite meetings, donor interactions, organizational tours, community activities, and fundraising events.
• Ability to consistently perform the essential responsibilities of the position at SPCA facilities and other approved locations throughout the service area.

Benefits:

• Medical and Dental: Employer pays 90% of employee coverage (full-time)
• Insurance includes wellness, dental, vision, life, mental health care, prescriptions, emergency & urgent care, chiropractic care, and physical therapy
• Telemedicine options, 24/7 access to virtual health & wellness care and virtual behavioral health care

PAID TIME OFF –

• All part-time and full-time staff receive paid time off.
• Paid Holidays - 9 paid holidays per year (full-time)
• Vacation Time - 10 paid vacation days per year (full-time) with scheduled increases at milestone anniversaries of hire date
• Sick Time - 6.5 paid sick days per year (full-time)

FINANCIAL –

• Healthcare: Flexible Spending Account
• 401k Plan
• Coastal Federal Credit Union Membership
• 20% discount on pet adoptions and in SPCA Wake retail store

OTHER –

• Bereavement time off
• Federal & State Leave of Absence options

Disclaimer

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Responsibilities may change based on organizational needs.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Only the most qualified candidates will be contacted for interviews. No phone calls or emails, please — we'll have our people call your people