Principal Gifts Officer

United Way Of Southwestern Pa; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

United Way of Greater Atlanta seeks a seasoned Principal Gifts Officer to engage top donors with holistic giving strategies, blending annual, multi-year, and planned gifts into donor-centered plans.

You will manage a 50–80 donor portfolio, coordinating with teams to ensure clear engagement and scalable campaign impact. Strong fundraising leadership and CRM discipline are essential.

Qualifications

• Ten plus years of progressive fundraising experience with major gifts.
• Experience with high-net-worth individuals, family foundations, and donor-advised funds.
• Expertise in planned, principal, capital, and blended gifts.
• Strong proposal writing and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop donor-centered strategies to grow mission, restricted and planned gift revenue.
• Manage a portfolio of 50–80 high-capacity donors with documented plans, next steps, and milestones.
• Solicit and close major, principal, planned, or blended gifts.
• Collaborate with staff and volunteers to secure warm introductions and coordinated asks.
• Maintain CRM documentation, tracking, and pipeline reporting to measure progress.

Skills

HNW fundraising

Moves management

Portfolio management

Donor strategy

Proposal writing

CRM management

Executive communication

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Undergraduate degree

Advanced degree

CFRE certification

Tools

CRM software

Microsoft Office

Excel

Job description

The Principal Gifts Officer, is a senior frontline fundraiser responsible for engaging United Way of Greater Atlanta’s highest-level individual, family foundation, and donor-advised fund prospects with a holistic giving strategy. This role will build and manage a focused portfolio of top-tier mission, planned and restricted giving prospects, developing blended giving strategies that connect annual, multi-year, campaign, restricted, and planned giving opportunities into one donor-centered philanthropic plan. The officer will help translate donor values into transformational commitments that advance UWGA’s mission priorities, strengthen unrestricted and flexible revenue, and build long-term campaign momentum.• Strategy and Implementation: Design and execute individualized strategies for high-capacity donors and prospects with emphasis on planned and restricted commitments, multi-year pledges, blended asks, and long-term donor engagement.• Portfolio Management: Manage a focused portfolio of approximately 50–80 high-capacity donors and prospects, balanced by readiness, stage, relationship strength, and donor interest. Ensure every assigned donor has a documented strategy, next step, likely ask, relationship owner, and timing.• Collaboration and Volunteer Activation: Partner closely with Development colleagues, Community Engagement, Research/Data, Finance, Gift Operations, Marketing, executive leadership, board members, multi-year campaign cabinet members, and other volunteers to build warm pathways, coordinate peer-assisted asks, and ensure clear rules of engagement for shared donor relationships.• Donor Strategy Expertise: Bring advanced experience in principal and planned gifts, restricted and unrestricted funding, campaign fundraising, donor-advised funds, family foundations, multi-year commitments, blended gift design, proposal strategy, donor stewardship, and complex relationship management.• Engagement and Reporting: Maintain disciplined donor engagement, timely CRM documentation, portfolio movement, stewardship tracking, and progress reporting tied to annual revenue and planned gift value, multi-year campaign commitments, blended-gift opportunities, pipeline value, donor retention, and campaign readiness.Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesThe Principal Gifts Officer will be responsible for the following goals, duties, and responsibilities:Develop and execute donor-centered strategies that grow mission, restricted and planned gift revenue, secure multi-year campaign commitments, and advance blended giving opportunities across assigned high-capacity donors and prospects.Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, close, document, and steward top-tier individuals, family foundations, donor-advised fund holders, and other philanthropic prospects with capacity for transformational giving.Create strategic cultivation plans for every assigned donor, including the opportunity, next move, relationship owner, volunteer or executive engagement needed, likely ask amount, gift structure, and timing.Build blended ask strategies that may include multi-year commitments, restricted or initiative-based gifts, planned gifts, and other philanthropic vehicles that align donor intent with UWGA priorities.Partner with board members, multi-year campaign cabinet members, executive leadership, and other volunteers to secure warm introductions, peer-assisted cultivation, and high-level solicitation support.Translate UWGA’s mission priorities, campaign investment strategy, and economic mobility case for support into compelling proposals, briefings, stewardship materials, and donor communications.Maintain and BUILD a disciplined portfolio of approximately 50–80 active prospects with balanced stages, clear ownership, documented next steps, and measurable movement toward solicitation or commitment.Qualify at least 20 new high-capacity multi-year campaign, or blended-gift prospects annually, or another target established by Development leadership.Submit approximately 25–30 major, principal, planned, or blended gift solicitations annually, or another target established by Development leadership.Coordinate with Research/Data partners to refresh capacity, relationship mapping, campaign fit, and portfolio health on a regular cadence.Coordinate with Finance, Gift Operations, CRM/data partners, and stewardship colleagues to ensure complex pledges, blended gifts, donor intent, reporting obligations, and payment structures are accurately documented and managed.Track substantive visits, proposals, volunteer-assisted asks, stewardship actions, donor preferences, next steps, and outcomes in UWGA’s CRM in accordance with internal policies.QualificationsUndergraduate degree required.Experience and knowledge of planned gift fundraising best practices and giving fundamentals.Extensive experience with high-net-worth individuals, principal gift prospects, family foundations, donor-advised fund holders, campaign donors, and complex donor strategy.Ten plus years of progressive fundraising experience, including demonstrated ability to identify, cultivate, solicit, close, document, and steward major, principal, campaign, unrestricted, and blended gifts.Advanced interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.Organization skills for a fast-paced work environment.Microsoft Office knowledge including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.Experience with CRM/database management, moves management, portfolio review, donor strategy documentation, and pipeline reporting.Preferred QualificationsAdvanced DegreeAFP CFRE certificationExperience implementing and managing capital, comprehensive, endowment, planned giving, or major campaign initiatives and membership programs.Demonstrated experience developing blended giving strategies that combine annual, campaign, multi-year, restricted, planned, or donor-advised fund giving.Demonstrated fundraising innovation, especially as it relates to portfolio management.Successful solicitation of six- and seven-figure gifts from individuals, families, foundations, or donor-advised funds.CompetenciesA successful individual in this role will have:Ability to manage multiple projects, meet external needs while preserving internal relationships and meeting strict deadlines and requirements.Entrepreneurial, high energy and positive demeanor. Must be a self-starter and able to work effectively independent of direct supervision.Highly Advanced fundraising skills, proposal development and writing ability and knowledge.Exceptional ability to manage top-tier donor portfolios, move prospects from qualification through commitment, and build strategies that strengthen both immediate revenue and long-term philanthropic capacity.Strong ability to translate campaign priorities, Mission Fund needs, and donor interests into persuasive proposals, briefings, and stewardship narratives.Comfort working with senior executives, board members, multi-year campaign cabinet members, wealth advisors, and other trusted connectors to advance complex donor relationships.Disciplined use of CRM, donor strategy tools, and portfolio review practices to ensure transparency, continuity, and accountability across shared donor relationships.Ability to think strategically and implement strategic policies and practices.Ability to work collaboratively to achieve common goals, fostering cooperation, transparency, and communication.Openness to new ideas and their implementation. Ability to react and adapt to changing situations appropriately.Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality and organization.Highly attentive to detail and exceptional grammar required.Dedicated to shared and measurable goals and metrics.