Director of Major Gifts

Vaco; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 99,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco is seeking a Director of Major Gifts for a Los Angeles nonprofit. This donor-facing role involves growing the individual giving program, building a robust donor pipeline, and closing significant gifts through strategic cultivation and engagement.

Ideal candidates will have proven success in five- to six-figure gifts, strong relationship-building skills, and experience with major gifts campaigns within Southern California. The position features on-site work, with frequent donor meetings.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Experience in major gifts, donor cultivation, and moves management.
• Proven success closing five- to six-figure gifts.

Responsibilities

• Manage an active portfolio of 100–125 major donors and prospects.
• Develop and execute strategies to cultivate and solicit major gifts.
• Conduct in-person and virtual donor meetings and site visits.
• Personally solicit and close five- and six-figure gifts.
• Build a strong pipeline of prospective donors and move mid-level donors upward.

Skills

Major gifts

Donor cultivation

Portfolio management

Donor analytics

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Raiser’s Edge

Salesforce

Job description

Director of Major Gifts

Location: Mid-City Los Angeles, CA

Schedule: 4 days onsite with regular donor meetings throughout Southern California

Pay: $65-$72/hr, depending on experience

Type: Temp-to-Hire

A well-established nonprofit organization is seeking an experienced Director of Major Gifts to help grow its individual giving and major gifts program. This is a highly donor-facing opportunity for an experienced development professional who enjoys building relationships, developing a strong donor pipeline, and directly soliciting and closing significant gifts.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage an active portfolio of approximately 100-125 major donors and prospects, including donors capable of making gifts of $10,000-$100,000+
• Develop and execute strategies to cultivate and solicit major gift prospects
• Conduct regular in-person and virtual donor meetings, site visits, and engagement opportunities
• Personally solicit and close five- and six-figure gifts
• Identify, research, and qualify new major donor prospects throughout Southern California
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of prospective donors
• Help transition mid-level donors and community supporters into major giving opportunities
• Prepare donor proposals, presentations, gift agreements, and meeting materials
• Partner closely with development leadership on major donor strategies and high-level solicitations
• Maintain donor activity, pipeline information, forecasting, and reporting within the CRM
• Utilize donor analytics, wealth screening, referrals, and community networks to identify new opportunities
• Help strengthen moves management processes and track fundraising activity and revenue projections

Qualifications

• Strong experience in major gifts, individual giving, and nonprofit development
• Proven success cultivating and closing five- and six-figure gifts
• Experience managing a substantial portfolio of major donors and prospects
• Comfortable regularly meeting with donors and developing long-term relationships
• Strong understanding of prospect identification, donor qualification, and moves management
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce, or similar fundraising CRM platforms
• Comfortable working with donor analytics, reporting, and wealth screening tools
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Polished, personable, and confident interacting with donors, executives, board members, and community leaders
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Knowledge of the Los Angeles/Southern California philanthropic community strongly preferred
• Positive, hands-on attitude and comfortable working in a growing development environment