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Position Summary

Primary Duty

The Senior Major Gifts Officer (internally titled Senior Development Advisor) 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 Managing Director of Development & Communications, 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.

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 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, cases for support, and materials, and with Programs and program scholars on intellectual content, site visits, and donor engagement.
• Engages executive leadership and scholars for high-level donor relationships 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.
• Supports pipeline planning and gift forecasting through timely documentation and portfolio review participation.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This role has no supervisory responsibilities.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of front-line major gift fundraising experience, including a documented record of closing five- and six-figure commitments.
• Demonstrated experience qualifying prospects and initiating donor relationships through direct, cold outreach.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to engage donors across diverse professional and ideological backgrounds.
• Experience with CRM platforms (Salesforce), including independent creation and maintenance of one's own opportunities, activities, and contact reports.
• Strong organizational skills and demonstrated ability to manage a complex, multi-stage national portfolio with consistent follow-through.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in corporate or institutional giving.
• Experience fundraising within a think tank, university, or policy-oriented nonprofit.
• Familiarity with moves management methodology and portfolio review practices.
• Knowledge of and appreciation for the classical liberal tradition.

Working Conditions

Travel

IHS operates remotely; this role requires approximately 2-3 weeks per year of travel for organization-wide staff gatherings and on-site collaboration.

In addition, this role includes donor-related travel of approximately 30–40% to support donor and prospect visits, cultivation events, and institutional engagement activities.

Schedule / Hours

Full-time, Monday – Friday, 9:00a.m. – 5:00p.m. ET.

Physical Requirements / Work Environment

This role is primarily a sedentary, office/remote role. Essential physical functions include prolonged periods working at a computer, frequent use of a keyboard and screen, and the ability to communicate and exchange information verbally and in writing. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

During in-person programs and events, this role also requires standing and walking for extended periods and occasionally lifting, carrying, or moving materials of up to 20 pounds (e.g., event supplies and setup).