Manager of Personal Giving

Leader Dogs for the Blind; Rochester Hills (MI); Remote; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Leader Dogs for the Blind seeks a Manager of Personal Giving to remotely cultivate major gifts from Texas-based donors, with residence required in the Dallas Metroplex region. You will identify, solicit, and steward major donors, building strategic, personalized plans to align donor interests with the organization’s mission.

You will manage a portfolio of up to 150 prospects, employing moves management, wealth screening, and targeted outreach.

Qualifications

• Proven fundraising experience with major gifts
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills
• Ability to manage a portfolio and moves-management process

Responsibilities

• Manage a Texas-focused portfolio of up to 150 major gift prospects.
• Develop tailored solicitation strategies and proposals.
• Collaborate with staff to create donor-centered stewardship plans.
• Track activity and measure outcomes against goals.
• Coordinate events, meetings, and donor communications.
• Provide timely, personalized stewardship updates.

Skills

Donor relations

Moves management

Prospect research

Wealth screening

Job description

Who We Are

Leader Dogs for the Blind, an international organization based in Rochester Hills, Michigan, has been empowering

Leader Dogs for the Blind, an international organization based in Rochester Hills, Michigan, has been empowering individuals who are blind or have low vision for over 87 years. We provide comprehensive guide dog services and orientation and mobility training, equipping individuals with lifelong skills for independent daily travel. Our life-changing work is provided free of charge, and we are 100% philanthropically funded. Our mission is driven by 191 dedicated team members and more than 1,300 volunteers who advocate alongside our clients to create a more equitable world.

The Role

The Manager of Personal Giving is a remote role, with required residence in the Dallas Metroplex region, responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, negotiating, and stewarding Texas-based prospects and donors with the capacity to make major gifts. The successful candidate thrives in relationship-driven roles and excels at adapting messaging, building meaningful connections, and strategically aligning donor interests and philanthropic goals deepening connection to the organization. The Manager of Personal Giving will focus on cultivating and stewarding relationships with major donors in Texas through targeted outreach and engagement.

Portfolio & Relationship Management

• Strategically manages a personal portfolio of up to 150 major giving prospects in Texas.
• Executes a moves management process to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospective major donors.
• Utilizes prospect research and wealth screening to create a strategic plan for donors in the portfolio, including planned quarterly actions (calls, meetings, mailings, events, etc.) and solicitation goals.
• Builds relationships with existing major donors and encourages giving through various vehicles (cash, Donor Advised Funds, IRAs, stocks, etc.).
• Maintains an active schedule of solicitations, cultivation visits, events, and stewardship activities resulting in increased donations supporting the organization.

Major Gift Strategy & Solicitation

• Assists donors in evaluating gift opportunities, making recommendations that align with a donor’s giving priorities and the organization’s strategic priorities and funding needs.
• Develops individualized solicitation strategies based on a donor’s interests, philanthropic priorities, capacity and relationship with the organization.
• Creates proposals and stewardship update reports and ensures donors receive documents in a timely manner.
• Develops customized funding opportunities and gift proposals in collaboration with organizational leaders and program staff.
• Solicits and negotiates major gifts and corporate partnerships, utilizing a variety of giving vehicles and philanthropic strategies.
• Creates and shares presentations with groups and individuals to communicate the organization’s mission, impact, and opportunities for philanthropic investment.
• Tracks solicitation activity, goals, and outcomes adjusting strategies to maximize philanthropic support.

Stewardship, Collaboration & Development Operations

• Facilitates introductions and ongoing relationships between potential and current major gift donors with members of the staff and volunteers.
• Engages in best practices (creating written solicitation strategies, documenting actions promptly and accurately using the organization’s development database, and participating in regular prospect reviews).
• Provides timely, personalized stewardship communications and impact updates that demonstrate the outcomes and impact of donor investments.
• Shares relevant donor insights, portfolio updates, and next steps with colleagues to support coordinated donor engagement.
• Stays current on trends, best practices, and emerging opportunities in major gifts, philanthropy, and charitable giving.
• Collaborates with Major Gifts team members during weekly meetings and other departments as required.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Who You Are

• You are a highly motivated, strategically minded fundraising professional passionate about furthering the mission of Leader Dogs for the Blind.
• Building relationships and forging deep connections with an array of individuals is your superpower.
• You are an excellent listener who can quickly identify interests, priorities and philanthropic goals.
• You leverage your strong communication skills to be a caretaker of client stories while sharing them in a compelling and authentic way.
• Wearing multiple hats and managing competing priorities brings you to life.
• You seamlessly move between independent, head-down research and demanding, people-centered engagements, including events, weekends, overnight travel and air travel.
• You enjoy collaborating with staff, leadership, volunteers, donors, partners and other stakeholders to move mission-focused work forward.
• You light up at the idea of providing people with low or no vision their independence.

Application deadline is November 6, 2026. The position will remain open until filled.