Major Gifts Officer

Skirball-Cultural-Center; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 68,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles is seeking a Major Gifts Officer to manage a portfolio of donors and prospects, driving cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship to advance annual fundraising goals and capital campaign priorities for the 2029 reopening.

You will work with the Director of Development, CEO, and board members to identify new major gift prospects, deepen relationships, and ensure timely proposals and gift agreements; build pipelines, track activity, and coordinate with

Qualifications

• 5+ years of major gifts fundraising experience, ideally within a cultural, arts, or capital campaign environment.
• Proven track record of soliciting and closing five- and six-figure gifts.
• Strong relationship-building skills and comfort engaging high-net-worth individuals, board members, and volunteer leadership.
• Excellent written communication skills, including proposal and gift agreement drafting.
• Experience with moves management and portfolio strategy in a donor database (Altru or similar).
• Familiarity with Los Angeles philanthropic and Jewish communal landscape a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of 100 major donors and prospects, with individual giving capacity generally at the $10,000+ level.
• Develop and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for each portfolio member.
• Conduct prospect identification and qualification to grow the major gifts pipeline for the capital campaign.
• Prepare briefing materials, giving proposals, and gift agreements for donor meetings and asks.
• Partner with leadership on high-level donor cultivation, including joint donor visits and campaign solicitations.
• Track all portfolio activity, moves, and gift commitments in the donor database.
• Collaborate with Events, Programs, and Communications teams to engage and recognize major donors.
• Support planned giving conversations and identify legacy gift opportunities within the portfolio.
• Contribute to campaign progress reporting and pipeline forecasting for development leadership.

Skills

Fundraising

Relationship-building

Moves management

Proposal writing

Donor database (Altru)

Tools

Altru or similar CRM

Job description

Position Summary

The Major Gifts Officer manages a portfolio of individual major donors and prospects, driving cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies that advance Skirball's annual fundraising goals and capital campaign priorities. This role is central to Skirball's campaign-year growth, working closely with the Director of Development, CEO, and volunteer leadership to identify new major gift prospects and deepen relationships with existing supporters as Skirball moves toward its 2029 core exhibition opening.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of 100 major donors and prospects, with individual giving capacity generally at the $10,000 and above level.
• Develop and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for each portfolio member, using moves management best practices.
• Conduct prospect identification and qualification, working with the development team to grow the major gifts pipeline in support of the capital campaign.
• Prepare briefing materials, giving proposals, and gift agreements for donor meetings and asks.
• Partner with the Associate Director of Development, CEO, and board members on high-level donor cultivation, including joint donor visits and campaign solicitations.
• Track all portfolio activity, moves, and gift commitments accurately in Skirball's donor database.
• Collaborate with Events, Programs, and Communications teams to ensure major donors are appropriately engaged and recognized across Skirball touchpoints.
• Support planned giving conversations and identify legacy gift opportunities within the portfolio where appropriate.
• Contribute to campaign progress reporting and pipeline forecasting for development leadership.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of major gifts fundraising experience, ideally within a cultural, arts, or capital campaign environment.
• Demonstrated track record of soliciting and closing five- and six-figure individual gifts.
• Strong relationship-building skills and comfort engaging high-net-worth individuals, board members, and volunteer leadership.
• Excellent written communication skills, including proposal and gift agreement drafting.
• Experience with moves management and portfolio strategy in a donor database (Altru or similar).
• Familiarity with Los Angeles philanthropic and Jewish communal landscape a plus.
• Ability to manage confidential and sensitive donor information with discretion.
• Passion for Skirball's mission and capital campaign vision.

About Skirball Cultural Center

Skirball Cultural Center is a museum and public gathering place in Los Angeles that explores the connections between Jewish heritage and the American democratic ideals of freedom and equality. Skirball is in the midst of a multi-year capital campaign supporting a reimagined core exhibition, with an opening planned for 2029, and is building out its development infrastructure to meet the moment.

Salary: $80,000+ depending on experience