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Major Gifts Officer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Washington County SPCA

Major Gifts Officer

Raleigh, NC · On-site

$70K - $80K/yr

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 ...

IndyHumane

Major Gifts Officer

Indianapolis, IN

$68K - $89K/yr

The Major Gifts Officer serves as a key member of the IndyHumane Development Team and is responsible for cultivating, soliciting, stewarding, and growing relationships with major donors and ...

Wycliffe

Major Gifts Officer

Charleston, WV

$66K - $86K/yr

Job Title Major Gifts Officer Location United States of America Position Type Paid - Regular The Major Gifts Officer is responsible for building and managing meaningful relationships with donors to ...

Hubbard House, Inc

Major Gifts Officer

Jacksonville, FL · On-site

$66K - $86K/yr

The Major Gifts Officer will manage a portfolio of approximately 75-125 individual donors and prospects, building and advancing relationships through identification, qualification, cultivation ...

SPCA of Wake County

Major Gifts Officer

Raleigh, NC · On-site

$70K/yr

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 ...

Lee University

MAJOR GIFTS OFFICER

Cleveland, TN · On-site

$55K - $72K/yr

The Major Gifts Officer is a newly created position at Lee University primarily responsible for fundraising for university priorities from current and prospective major gift donors. The Major Gifts ...

Washington County SPCA

Major Gifts Officer

Raleigh, NC · On-site +1

$70K - $90K/yr

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 ...

Hubbard House

Major Gifts Officer

Jacksonville, FL · On-site

$85K/yr

The Major Gifts Officer will manage a portfolio of approximately 75-125 individual donors and prospects, building and advancing relationships through identification, qualification, cultivation ...

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Major Gifts Officer information

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$46K

$83.5K

$115K

How much do major gifts officer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 19, 2026, the average yearly pay for major gifts officer in the United States is $83,546.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $72,000.00 and $93,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a major gifts officer?

A major gifts officer works with prospective donors to obtain funds for an organization. As a major gifts officer, you work with other team members to plan fundraising goals. You also arrange meetings with donor prospects, so travel is a part of the job. You may act as a media contact as well, and write press releases and communicate with the public through social media. Your duties revolve around raising funds in large sums from wealthy donors, as opposed to traditional fundraising methods. Outstanding interpersonal skills are imperative, as you are essentially trying to sell your organization to the donor prospect. You need a bachelor’s or master’s degree in communication, public relations, or a related field. Experience is essential, so look for an entry-level fundraising position before transitioning to more advanced roles in this career.

What is a major gifts officer?

A Major Gifts Officer is a fundraising professional responsible for securing large donations for a nonprofit organization, typically from individuals, foundations, or corporations. They develop and manage relationships with major donors, create tailored fundraising strategies, and ensure that donors are engaged and informed about the impact of their contributions. Major Gifts Officers often work closely with senior leadership to identify fundraising goals and coordinate donor stewardship activities. Their work is essential to supporting the financial sustainability and mission of their organizations.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a major gifts officer?

To thrive as a Major Gifts Officer, you need strong fundraising experience, relationship management skills, and a bachelor's degree (often in communications, business, or a related field). Familiarity with donor management databases, prospect research tools, and CRM systems is typically required. Excellent interpersonal skills, strategic thinking, and persuasive communication set top candidates apart in this role. These abilities are crucial for cultivating and stewarding high-value donor relationships that drive an organization's philanthropic success.

How does a major gifts officer typically collaborate with other fundraising team members?

A Major Gifts Officer works closely with colleagues such as annual giving staff, prospect researchers, and advancement leadership to coordinate donor cultivation and stewardship strategies. Regular team meetings and joint planning sessions ensure that fundraising efforts are aligned and that donor engagement is seamless across various campaigns. This collaborative environment helps the Major Gifts Officer identify potential major donors from existing supporters and ensures consistent communication with donors. Effective teamwork also allows for sharing insights, leveraging different expertise, and maximizing fundraising success.

What is the difference between Major Gifts Officer vs Fundraising Coordinator?

AspectMajor Gifts OfficerFundraising Coordinator
Required CredentialsBachelor's degree, experience in donor relationsBachelor's degree, basic fundraising knowledge
Work EnvironmentDevelopment offices, donor meetingsEvent planning, outreach activities
Employer & Industry UsageNonprofits, educational institutionsNonprofits, charities
Search & Comparison IntentHigh-value donor engagementSupporting fundraising efforts

The Major Gifts Officer focuses on cultivating relationships with high-net-worth donors to secure large donations, while the Fundraising Coordinator manages broader fundraising activities and events. Both roles are essential in nonprofit development but differ in scope and target donor engagement.

What does a Major Gifts Officer make?

A Major Gifts Officer typically earns a salary ranging from $60,000 to $120,000 annually, depending on experience, organization size, and location. They often receive additional compensation through bonuses or commissions based on fundraising success and may require skills in relationship management and fundraising tools.
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Major Gifts Officer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Major Gifts Officer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $83,546 per year, or $40.2 per hour.

Major Gifts Officer

Washington County SPCA

Raleigh, NC • On-site

$70K - $80K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 16 days ago

Job description

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:
1- Hell, Yeah!
2- Be Kind
3- Do What You Say
4- Forward Focused
5- Loose & Wiggly
6- 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.

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