Major Gifts Officer

Everyman Theatre; Baltimore (MD); Hybrid; USD 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full medical coverage

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off

Complimentary tickets to performances

Job summary

Everyman Theatre in Baltimore is seeking a Major Gifts Officer to advance our individual giving program. You will manage a donor portfolio, craft appeals, and coordinate campaigns in partnership with the Director of Philanthropy, while engaging donors through events and personalized outreach.

The role emphasizes strong writing and relationship-building, with collaboration across philanthropy, data, and development teams. Onsite-first with periodic remote work and a competitive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.
• 3–5 years in development or related field with donor portfolio management and major gifts.
• Strong writing skills; writing samples will be requested.
• Experience with donor databases/CRM; willingness to learn PatronManager.
• Ability to cultivate ongoing relationships with donors and prospects through meetings, calls, and events.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of major and mid-level donors and prospects, collaborating with the Director of Philanthropy.
• Implement cultivation and solicitation plans, including meetings, calls, emails, and proposals.
• Identify and nurture relationships with high-potential donors to increase giving.
• Support donor communications, campaign messaging, and materials development.
• Support events, including the annual gala, with invitations, stewardship, and solicitations.
• Maintain accurate donor records in the CRM and provide data for reporting.

Skills

Writing skills

Relationship management

Cross-functional collaboration

Verbal communication

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

PatronManager

CRM systems

Job description

As an integral member of Everyman Theatre's Philanthropy team, the Major Gifts Officer plays a central role in executing Everyman's individual giving program, implementing strategy set by the Director of Philanthropy across donor portfolio management, campaign execution, and donor communications. This role combines hands‑on donor relationship management — identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship — with the writing and coordination needed to bring campaigns and appeals to life across the full individual giving program. This is an excellent opportunity for a fundraising professional who is both a skilled relationship‑builder and a capable writer, ready to help execute a growing individual giving program.

This position reports to the Director of Philanthropy and works in close partnership with the Data and Systems Manager, Donor Engagement Manager, and the Philanthropy Operations Coordinator, as well as the Board Development Committee.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Major Gifts

• Manage a portfolio of major and mid-level individual donors and prospects, distinct from the smaller donor portfolio managed separately by the Donor Engagement Manager. Work jointly with the Director of Philanthropy on the department's highest-capacity relationships, and independently on the balance of this portfolio.
• Implement donor cultivation and solicitation plans set in partnership with the Director of Philanthropy, including in-person meetings, phone, email, and written communication and proposal development, to move donors toward increased giving.
• Identify, engage, and nurture relationships with prospects and current donors with potential to increase giving at the major gift level.
• Support the Director of Philanthropy in preparing top‑tier prospects for solicitation, including donor research and briefing materials.
• Support the execution of fundraising campaign strategy set by the Director of Philanthropy.
• Support planned giving conversations within the portfolio where appropriate, identifying and flagging legacy giving interest to the Director of Philanthropy as Everyman's planned giving program develops.

Campaign & Donor Communications

• Draft campaign appeals, solicitation letters, and donor communications as needed to execute individual giving strategy set by the Director of Philanthropy.
• Partner with the Director of Philanthropy on campaign messaging and donor segmentation as directed.
• Collaborate with Marketing on design and production execution for campaign materials as needed.
• Collaborate with the Donor Engagement Manager and Data & Systems Manager to ensure campaign materials align with donor benefit and communications calendars.

Donor & Event Engagement

• Serve as a primary contact for portfolio donors at Everyman events, providing thoughtful, personalized engagement prior to and during events.
• Attend performances, including opening nights, and donor-facing events as needed to strengthen donor relationships.
• Prepare briefings and facilitate introductions between portfolio donors and organizational leadership prior to and during events, to deepen relationships and support stewardship.
• Collaborate with the Donor Engagement Manager on event‑adjacent communications and stewardship touchpoints for portfolio donors.
• Support the annual gala by managing invitations, follow‑up, stewardship, and solicitations for portfolio donors and prospects, in coordination with the Donor Engagement Manager, who leads overall event logistics.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of donor interactions and financial contributions in the CRM (PatronManager), using data to inform fundraising strategy.
• Identify potential new fundraising prospects through database review and research, in partnership with the Data & Systems Manager.
• Provide portfolio updates, donor pipeline information, leadership engagement activity, and other relevant data to support Board and Development Committee reporting, as requested by the Director of Philanthropy.
• Collaborate with the Director of Philanthropy and Associate Director of Institutional Giving to ensure a coordinated approach to department‑wide fundraising strategy.

Campaign Readiness

• Support campaign‑readiness activity as Everyman builds toward a future comprehensive or special fundraising campaign, including prospect qualification, donor research, and cultivation of portfolio donors with campaign‑level giving capacity.
• Assist the Director of Philanthropy with materials, briefings, and donor communications related to campaign planning as needed.
• Help ensure portfolio donors are appropriately positioned and stewarded ahead of any future campaign ask, in partnership with the Director of Philanthropy.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• 3–5 years of development or related experience, with demonstrated success managing a donor portfolio and closing major gifts
• Strong, demonstrated writing skills. Writing samples (appeal letters, campaign copy, or donor communications) will be requested
• Experience with donor databases/CRM systems; willingness to learn PatronManager
• Ability to initiate and cultivate ongoing relationships with donors and prospects through meetings, calls, and events
• Ability to set goals strategically and manage multiple campaigns and donor relationships concurrently
• Ability to work cross‑functionally with internal colleagues and represent Everyman's voice to donors
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Passion for Baltimore’s cultural ecosystem and /or theatre creation
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and related productivity tools

ABOUT THE POSITION

• Full-time exempt position. Salary starts at $70,000, commensurate with experience.
• Everyman is an onsite‑first organization. As a live performing arts institution, our work happens in person, and being present in the building is part of how our teams collaborate and connect. That said, we offer flexibility for periodic remote work and trust our team to manage their time in a way that supports both their well‑being and their impact.
• Everyman Theatre provides 100% medical coverage for medical, dental, vision, and life insurance including both full premium and full deductible coverage.
• 401(k) plan with pre‑tax contribution eligibility and employer match after six months of service.
• Paid time off includes 3 weeks of vacation plus holiday, sick, and personal days.
• Complimentary and discounted tickets to performances and discounts to classes for employees and families.