Position Summary
Applications should be submitted to Talent Market via this link: talentmarket.org/apply-for-your-dream-job/.
The Major Gifts Officer is a front-line fundraiser responsible for qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of major-gift donors and prospects capable of five- and six-figure commitments. Reporting to the Director of Development, this role leads the full gift cycle for a defined portfolio within the Intellectual Builders donor community and the corporate giving segment, balancing sustained management of active relationships with active qualification and development of new prospects. Core areas of ownership include portfolio and moves management, major-gift solicitation and closing, corporate relationship development, and accurate maintenance of the portfolio’s pipeline data.
IHS is concurrently recruiting a Director of Development; should that search conclude, this position would report to the Director of Development. This is a second frontline major gifts role, joining a Senior Major Gifts Officer on the development team.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Portfolio Management & Donor Engagement
Manages a portfolio of 100–150 major-gift prospects and donors, with primary accountability for qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship across the full gift cycle for five- and six-figure commitments.
Develops and implements individualized cultivation and solicitation plans for each relationship, aligned with donor interests and IHS programmatic priorities.
Builds and manages a personal solicitation calendar, conducting donor visits, presenting funding opportunities, and closing five- and six-figure gifts and multi-year commitments.
Participates in the moves management program and portfolio review cadence maintained across the development team.
Prospect Development
Identifies and qualifies new prospects and initiates relationships from first contact, including a substantial volume of direct, cold outreach to prospects not yet active in the portfolio.
Owns relationship development within the Intellectual Builders donor community and establishes sustained staff ownership of the corporate giving segment as a dedicated internal portfolio.
Cross-Functional Coordination & Executive Engagement
Coordinates with Development Operations on pipeline data, projections, gift processing, and acknowledgments; with Portfolio Management on moves strategy and executive engagement requests; and with the
Foundations team where individual or corporate relationships intersect institutional funders. Partners with Communications & Marketing on donor-facing proposals and cases for support.
Engages executive leadership, program scholars, and Programs staff for high-level donor relationships, intellectual content, site visits, and key commitments in accordance with established engagement criteria, retaining ownership of relationships and decisions below that threshold.
Portfolio Administration & Reporting
Creates and maintains accurate, current records of all portfolio activity in Salesforce, including opportunities, contact reports, cultivation status, and solicitation plans, with independent ownership of the officer’s own records.
Supports pipeline planning and gift forecasting through timely documentation and portfolio review participation.
Required Qualifications
3+ years of front-line fundraising experience across the donor gift cycle, including a documented record of closing five-figure commitments. Candidates at the upper end of the posted salary range will bring 5+ years of experience and a record of six-figure closes.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to build trust and sustain professional relationships with donors and prospects.
Demonstrated ability to qualify prospects and initiate donor relationships from first contact, including sustained cold outreach.
Experience with CRM platforms (Salesforce), including independent creation and maintenance…