Major Gift Officer

The-Trustees-of-Reservation; Ipswich (MA); Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 144,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sick time

Vacation time

Holiday time

Health insurance

Disability insurance

Paid family leave

401k with match

Employee assistance program

Museum/affinity benefits

Property discounts

Day of Wonder

Day of Service

Job summary

The Trustees of Reservations is seeking a Major Gift Officer to build and manage donor relationships across Massachusetts, focusing on gifts of $25,000 and above. You will cultivate, solicit, and steward donors to advance our statewide campaign priorities.

You will travel regionally, collaborate with Development and Marketing teams, and manage a portfolio to secure multi-year, flexible philanthropic commitments that support The Trustees’ mission.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8-10+ years of fundraising experience with major gifts and donor engagement.
• Experience building and managing donor portfolios with proven gift closures.
• Strong written and verbal communication for donor cultivation and proposals.

Responsibilities

• Manage a regional portfolio of ~150 major gift donors and prospects.
• Advance the $325M+ campaign through solicitation and stewardship.
• Develop tailored donor strategies to move prospects through the pipeline.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor portfolio

Major gifts

Relationship mgmt

Strategic planning

Salesforce CRM

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Who We Are:

Founded in 1891 by a group of visionary volunteers, The Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees) is Massachusetts’ premier conservation and preservation organization. TheTrustees’preserves, for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value in Massachusetts.Our properties are open to all, and we thrive by involving as many people as possible in all that we do. We aim to protect special places for future generations toenjoy inperpetuity, and have helped protect more than50,000 acres, including 27,000+ acres on more than 120 reservations that are open to the public. As a non-profit conservation organization, we are funded and supported entirely by our visitors, supporters, volunteers, andour85,000Member households.We encourage you to learn more about The Trustees on our website, www.thetrustees.org.

Posting Information:

Salary Rate:$122,500-$143,500(Senior Major Gift Officer), $96,250-$123,750 (Major Gift Officer)

Please note that new employees are placed in the range between $122,500 and $140,000 (10+years' experience) and at $96,250-$110,000 (less than 10years' experience)to allow for an equitable starting salary process and continual salary growth during an employee’s time at The Trustees.

Hours per week:40

Job Classification:Full-time,exempt

Job Type:Hybrid

Location:Massachusetts

Each Major Gift Officer will be responsible for a designated geographic region, with assignments subject to change based on organizational needs. Ideally, the Major Gift Officer will be based within or near their assigned region, with an expectation of regular local travel for donor meetings, events, and other relationship-building activities.

Current regional assignments include:

• Western Hills & Berkshires/Central & Valley

• North Shore

• MetroWest/Charles River Valley

• Boston/South Shore & Islands

WhatYou’llDo:

Your Impact:

The Trusteesisin a transformational chapter throughFor Everyone, Forever, our bold strategic plan to save, steward, and share Massachusetts’ special places for generations to come. As a Major Gift Officer, you will be on the front lines of building the donor relationships that make this vision — and our historic$325M+comprehensive campaign — possible.

You will connect individuals and families to the places, programs, and mission they care about most while helping them see how their philanthropy can createbroaderimpact across Massachusetts. Your work will support campaign priorities, grow the major gift pipeline, increase flexible and impact-centered support, and help build a stronger culture of philanthropy rooted in storytelling, stewardship, and long-term donor engagement.

The Role:

As a Major Gift Officer, you will manage a personal portfolio of approximately 150 donors and prospects, with a focus on gifts of $25,000 and above. You willidentify, qualify, cultivate,solicit, and steward individual donors with creativity, preparation, and care, developing tailored strategies for each relationship and working toward a goal ofsecuringmore than$1M in gifts annually.

This role requires strong relationship management, disciplined portfolio movement, and the ability to connect donor interests to organizational and campaign priorities. Many Trustees donors have deep personal connections to specific properties, programs, regions, or communities. You will honor those connections while helping donors understand the broader impact of their giving and the opportunity to support The Trustees’ statewide mission through campaign, unrestricted, legacy, and other flexible philanthropic commitments.

Working closely with theSenior Director ofPhilanthropyand colleagues across Development, you will help create a donor experience that is thoughtful, coordinated, mission-centered, and grounded in the tangible impact of The Trustees’ work.

Specifically,you’ll:

• Manage aregionally-basedportfolio of approximately 150 major gift donors and prospects, emphasizing gifts of $25,000 or greater and building toward $1M inphilanthropiccommitmentsper year.

• AdvanceThe Trustees’$325M+comprehensive campaign byidentifying, cultivating,soliciting, and stewarding donors whose interests align with campaign priorities,strategic initiatives, and long-term organizational needs.

• Develop individualized donor strategies thatactivelymove prospects through the campaign pipeline, including qualification, cultivation, solicitation, proposal development, gift closure, and stewardship.

• Prepare donors for campaign solicitations by connecting their interests in specific properties, programs, communities, or regions to broaderTrusteespriorities and statewide impact.

• Identifynewopportunitiesand aimto securecampaign commitments, unrestricted support, legacy gifts, and other flexiblephilanthropic investments that advanceFor Everyone,Forever.

• Partner with theSenior Director ofPhilanthropyto set campaign-related portfolio priorities, review solicitation timing, assess donor readiness, and ensure consistent progress toward campaign and annual fundraising goals.

• Prepare compelling campaign proposals, donor briefings, stewardship updates, and impact narratives in partnership with Development colleagues, Marketing and Communications, and program/property staff.

• Participate actively in campaign pipeline review, portfolio review, andmovesmanagement conversations, bringing forward donor insights, strategy questions, next-step recommendations, and solicitation opportunities.

• Use Salesforceactively andconsistently to track donor activity, next steps, proposals, campaign opportunities, gift conversations, solicitation timelines, and pipeline progress.

• Maintain and deepen relationships with existing donors through personalized outreach, including meetings, property visits, project updates, campaign briefings, event invitations, written communications, and stewardship touchpoints.

• Conduct prospect research and collaborate with Development Operationsand research colleagues, when available, toidentifynew campaign prospects and prepare for donor meetings.

• Serve as a Development partner to regional property committees and volunteer groups,identifyingcampaign prospects and deepening donor engagement through meaningful involvement.

• Partner with Events, Membership, Annual Giving, Planned Giving, and Development Operations to ensure a coordinated and donor-centered experience that supports both campaign and annual fundraising goals.

• Support fundraising galas, campaign events, property gatherings, and donor engagement opportunities by helpingidentifyprospects, build and steward host committees, and conducttimelyfollow-up.

• Work collaboratively across the Development team and the broader organization to advance campaign priorities and fundraising goals with creativity, preparation, and a strong commitment to The Trustees’ mission.

• Travel to donor meetings, property events, campaign events, and cultivation opportunities across the Commonwealth; some evening and weekend availabilityrequired.

This is afull-time, non-exemptposition (40hours/week)reporting directly toSenior Director ofPhilanthropy

WhatYou’llNeed:

Skills and Experience:

Required:

• 8-10+yearsof fundraising experience withdemonstratedsuccess in major gifts, annual fund, and/or plannedgivingsolicitations

• Proven front-line fundraiser with experience building and managing a donor portfolio anda track recordof securing five- and six-figure gifts

• Articulate,strategic,solution-orientedand entrepreneurial with a strong ability to listen, write, and speak effectively

• Highly motivated self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced environment and takes pride in exceptional preparation for every donor interaction

• Strong collaboration skills with the ability to work seamlessly across teams and communicate effectively at multiple levels of an organization

• Excellent strategic thinking and analytical skills

• Proficiencywith Salesforce or a comparable CRM system

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Preferred:

• Experience in conservation, land stewardship, environmental, or cultural preservation organizations

• Familiarity with planned giving and legacy gift solicitation

• An understanding of philanthropic communities in specific regions of Massachusetts

• Strong creative event planning skills and experience building host committees or donor engagement programming

Eligibility Criteria:

• Current authorization to work in the United States – a candidate must have such authorization by his or her first day of employment.

• A satisfactory criminal background (CORI) check.

Don’t quite have all the skills and experience listed above? We still want to hear from you!Research shows that historically marginalized groups are less likely to apply if they do not meet every single requirement. We are committed to building a diverse team and encourage you to apply even if you are missing some of the skills and experience above.

Questions?Contact our People team [e-mail]

Your Benefits:

• Sick time:120hoursper year

• Vacation time:20daysper year(prorated)

• Holidaytime:12 set holidays, 3 floating

• Health insurance:You are eligible toparticipatein the Trustees health insurance benefit via Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS). BCBS also offersadditionalbenefits, such as fitness reimbursement and rewards for healthy habits.

• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance

• Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave

• Life Insurance

• 401k with 5% match after 1 year of employment

• Employee Assistance Program:Free access to a confidential service that helps employees and their communities with personal and work-related issues, such as mental health support, counseling, and financial advice.

• Reciprocity:Employees have access to free and discounted admission and membership to more than 50 nearby museums and cultural institutions.

• Discounts:Enjoy free entry to all Trustees properties, discount event tickets, and discounted merchandise at our storesand onstays at our inns.

• Day of Wonder:Spend one workday per year to exploring a Trustees property

• Day of Service:Spend one workday per year to helping with a project at a Trustees property

Equal Opportunity and Diversity:

The Trustees is a proud equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any protected status including, but not limited to, age, race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual preferences, nation of origin, religion, or disability status and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with varying abilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants. We aspire to reflect and effectively serve the residents and communities of Massachusetts, who are at the core of our mission.

The Trustees’ commitment to advancing the organization’s vision for this work may be found here: Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion and Equity.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible work environment.To request reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact us [e-mail]