Major Gifts Officer

United Community; Alexandria (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

United Community seeks a Major Gifts Officer to lead major and legacy giving efforts in Northern Virginia. You will manage a donor portfolio, cultivate relationships, and personally solicit gifts while guiding strategy with the CEO and board.

You’ll use WealthEngine and research resources to identify prospects, collaborate across programs, and ensure thoughtful stewardship from discovery to multi-year commitments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent plus relevant fundraising experience.
• 3-5 years in major gifts or donor relations.
• Proven record of five- and/or six-figure gifts.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to build donor relationships and stewardship.
• Strong organizational skills and strategic thinking.
• Experience with donor management systems like DonorPerfect or Salesforce.
• Willingness for evening/weekend donor meetings.

Responsibilities

• Oversee an assigned portfolio of major donors capable of four-, five-, and six-figure contributions.
• Assess and qualify prospective supporters based on philanthropic capacity, interests, engagement, and alignment with United Community.
• Create customized relationship plans for prospects and existing donors, with defined strategies for engagement, solicitation, follow-up, and stewardship.
• Personally request major gifts through meetings, calls, proposals, events, and other one-to-one engagement.
• Establish meaningful next actions for donors and move relationships forward through the fundraising pipeline.
• Document donor communications, meetings, requests, commitments, and follow-up promptly and accurately.
• Build a strong pipeline of prospective major donors through research, networking, referrals, and partnerships.
• Use WealthEngine and other resources to identify potential supporters.
• Develop approaches for multi-year commitments and blended giving strategies.
• Establish and maintain donor engagement, stewardship, and impact communications.

Skills

Major gifts

Fundraising

Donor relations

Relationship management

Prospect research

Wealth screening

Donor management systems

Salesforce

DonorPerfect

LinkedIn

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

DonorPerfect

Salesforce

WealthEngine

Microsoft Office

LinkedIn

Job description

Major Gifts Officer United Community is seeking an accomplished relationship-builder and fundraising professional to lead the organization’s major and legacy giving efforts. The Major Gifts Officer will cultivate meaningful partnerships with individuals who are positioned and motivated to make substantial charitable investments in United Community’s work.This role is responsible for developing and advancing a portfolio of major gift donors and prospective supporters. The Major Gifts Officer will guide relationships from initial discovery and qualification through engagement, gift solicitation, continued stewardship, and future giving opportunities.Success in this role requires a highly personalized approach to fundraising. The Major Gifts Officer will learn what motivates each donor, connect those interests to United Community’s mission and priorities, and create thoughtful strategies that encourage deeper and sustained philanthropic involvement.The Major Gifts Officer will also expand the organization’s prospect base by identifying potential supporters and conducting research and wealth screening using WealthEngine and other resources.Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), this position provides leadership for major gifts and planned giving and directly supervises the Individual Gifts Officer. The Major Gifts Officer partners closely with the Senior Director of Development & Communications, Board of Directors, program teams, and organizational leadership to integrate major giving with United Community’s overall fundraising, communications, volunteer engagement, and donor relations strategies.

Essential Responsibilities

Major Donor Development

• Oversee an assigned portfolio of individuals with the ability to make substantial four-, five-, and six-figure charitable contributions.
• Assess and qualify prospective supporters based on philanthropic capacity, interests, engagement, and alignment with United Community.
• Create customized relationship plans for prospects and existing donors, with defined strategies for engagement, solicitation, follow-up, and stewardship.
• Personally request major gifts through individual meetings, telephone outreach, written proposals, special events, and other one-to-one engagement.
• Establish meaningful next actions for donors and prospects and move relationships forward through the fundraising pipeline.
• Evaluate portfolio activity regularly and modify strategies based on giving patterns, donor interests, engagement, and philanthropic potential.
• Document donor communications, meetings, requests, commitments, relationship strategies, and follow-up activities promptly and accurately.

Prospect Development and Fundraising Strategy

• Build a strong pipeline of prospective major donors through research, networking, referrals, community relationships, events, volunteers, and organizational partnerships.
• Use WealthEngine and other prospect research and wealth-screening resources to identify and evaluate potential supporters.
• Work with the CEO and Board of Directors to uncover and pursue major gift opportunities throughout Northern Virginia and the surrounding region.
• Develop approaches that encourage donors to consider multi-year commitments.
• Explore blended giving strategies that incorporate both immediate contributions and future charitable commitments.

Donor Engagement and Stewardship

• Establish genuine, lasting relationships with supporters by understanding their philanthropic goals and connecting those interests to United Community’s programs, services, and strategic priorities.
• Design individualized stewardship plans that keep donors informed, appreciated, and meaningfully connected to the organization.
• Provide appropriate and timely recognition of donor contributions.
• Collaborate with program staff to obtain impact information, outcomes, success stories, and other material that demonstrates how philanthropic support advances the mission.
• Create meaningful opportunities for supporters to see United Community’s impact firsthand through site and program visits, conversations with leadership, special briefings, community activities, and other engagement opportunities.
• Maintain consistent personal contact with donors and prospects through in-person meetings, phone conversations, and other individualized outreach.

Planned and Legacy Giving

• In partnership with the CEO and Senior Director of Development & Communications, shape and execute the organization’s strategy for planned and legacy gifts.
• Develop relationships with individuals who may wish to incorporate United Community into their estate or long-term charitable plans.
• Incorporate planned giving conversations into broader major donor relationship strategies when appropriate.
• Build and manage a pipeline of legacy giving prospects and opportunities, including donors who may combine present-day contributions with future commitments.
• Help establish and manage a legacy donor recognition initiative and provide appropriate stewardship and communication for participating donors.
• Coordinate, when appropriate, with donors and their attorneys, financial professionals, estate planners, or other advisors regarding complex or non-cash charitable contributions.
• Protect confidential donor information and maintain appropriate documentation regarding planned and legacy commitments.

Executive and Board Partnership

• Serve as a key fundraising partner to the CEO for high-level donor engagement, cultivation, gift requests, and stewardship.
• Equip the CEO and Board members for donor conversations by preparing background materials, suggested approaches, talking points, and recommended follow-up actions.
• Determine when relationships held by the CEO or Board members could appropriately help introduce, strengthen, or advance prospective donor relationships.
• Engage Board members as fundraising ambassadors, connectors, and partners in major and legacy giving.
• Develop productive relationships with Board members that support United Community’s fundraising goals.

Development Team Leadership and Collaboration

• Supervise the Individual Gifts Officer and provide ongoing coaching, strategic direction, and fundraising guidance.
• Partner with the Senior Director of Development & Communications to coordinate major donor activities with organizational campaigns, events, communications, appeals, outreach, and stewardship.
• Work collaboratively across the Development team to maintain coordinated donor engagement and consistent messaging.
• Partner with colleagues throughout United Community to identify compelling opportunities for donor involvement and philanthropic investment.

Events and Community Presence

• Participate in and support fundraising, cultivation, and stewardship events that strengthen relationships with donors and prospects.
• Represent United Community at networking functions, community activities, and other external events that can increase awareness and develop relationships.
• Create connections among prospective donors, community leaders, volunteers, partners, and United Community’s mission.
• Coordinate donor and community engagement activities with the Development & Communications team.
• Maintain an active schedule of donor outreach that includes regular personal meetings and telephone engagement.

Donor Records, Pipeline and Performance Tracking

• Maintain complete, accurate, timely, and confidential donor information within DonorPerfect, Salesforce, or United Community’s designated constituent relationship management system.
• Record donor conversations, solicitation activity, planned gift information, commitments, relationship strategies, and required follow-up.
• Monitor major gift and planned giving pipelines, fundraising objectives, performance measures, and projected revenue.
• Review portfolio progress routinely and recommend changes when engagement or fundraising strategies need to be adjusted.
• Coordinate with other Development staff to promote consistent donor records and documentation practices.
• Demonstrate exceptional attention to detail in managing donor information and follow-through.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• At least 3-5 years of professional experience in major gifts, fundraising, development, donor relations, relationship management, or a comparable area.
• Demonstrated record of personally cultivating, soliciting, and successfully securing five- and/or six-figure charitable gifts.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to establish credibility and build meaningful relationships with donors and prospective supporters.
• Strong donor-centered approach to fundraising and stewardship.
• Excellent organizational abilities, strategic thinking, attention to detail, and follow-through.
• Ability to manage multiple donor relationships, competing priorities, deadlines, and follow-up activities simultaneously.
• Proficiency with donor management systems, prospect research resources, Microsoft Office applications, and professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn.
• Willingness and ability to maintain regular personal donor outreach, including in-person meetings and telephone conversations.
• Availability to work occasional evening and weekend hours for donor meetings, fundraising events, cultivation opportunities, and community activities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with Northern Virginia’s nonprofit and philanthropic community and/or an established network of relationships in the region.
• Experience working with donor management platforms such as DonorPerfect or Salesforce.
• Experience with WealthEngine or comparable wealth-screening and prospect research resources.
• Knowledge of charitable and planned giving approaches, including bequests, beneficiary designations, retirement assets, appreciated securities, charitable trusts, and donor-advised funds.
• Experience coordinating charitable contributions with attorneys, financial advisors, estate planning professionals, or other advisors.
• Background in human services, family services, community development, education, or a similar nonprofit setting.