Our Major Gifts Officer job description includes the responsibilities, duties, skills, education, qualifications, and experience.
About the Major Gifts Officer role
A Major Gifts Officer is responsible for cultivating relationships with individual donors and securing major gifts from them. This position involves identifying, cultivating, and soliciting prospective donors, and stewarding current donors, as well as developing strategies and tactics to increase donor engagement and maximize giving.
Role Purpose
The purpose of a Major Gifts Officer is to identify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospects in order to raise funds for an organization. This role involves developing strong relationships with current and potential donors, researching and understanding prospects’ interests and motivations, creating donor engagement strategies, and assessing potential gift sizes. Major Gifts Officers must be sales-oriented, highly organized, and have excellent communication skills.
Major Gifts Officer Summary
The Major Gifts Officer is responsible for identifying, cultivating, and soliciting major gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations to support the organization's strategic goals. The Major Gifts Officer works closely with the Chief Development Officer and other members of the Development team to develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy. This includes setting fundraising goals, developing and implementing cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans, and maintaining relationships with donors. The Major Gifts Officer must possess excellent communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills, as well as a thorough knowledge of fundraising principles, processes, and best practices. The successful candidate will also be organized, detailed-oriented, and have the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
Major Gifts Officer Duties
- Develop and maintain relationships with major donors
- Conduct prospect research and identify new major gift prospects
- Prepare proposals and solicitations for major gifts
- Work with the development team to coordinate special events and donor engagement activities
- Assist with data entry and donor records management
Major Gifts Officer Skills
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Ability to develop and maintain relationships with donors
- Knowledge of fundraising strategies and best practices
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Major Gifts Officer Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, or related field
- Three or more years of experience in major gift fundraising
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills
- Ability to work independently and in a team environment
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
- Knowledge of fundraising databases and donor management systems
Personal Traits
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to manage complex relationships
- Ability to strategize and plan
- Ability to think creatively
- Knowledge of fundraising techniques and principles