Remote Director of Major Gifts & Philanthropy

Clay Today; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

American Prairie seeks a Director of Philanthropy to lead a high-impact major gifts program. This senior individual contributor will build and manage a 80–120 donor portfolio, cultivate and secure five- to seven-figure gifts, and work with senior leadership on principal gifts for the Forever Wild campaign.

You will develop multi-year strategies, engage board members and volunteers, and provide donor insights to shape proposals and collateral while tracking progress in Salesforce.

Qualifications

• Enthusiasm for American Prairie's mission, values, goals, and culture, and the ability to represent them with credibility to high-capacity donors.
• At least 5 years of directly related philanthropy experience, with a focus on major and principal gifts.
• A track record of personally securing five- and six-figure gift commitments.
• Campaign experience is strongly preferred.
• Advanced skill in major gift strategy, including multi-year cultivation and solicitation planning, moves management, portfolio prioritization, and philanthropy ethics.
• Working knowledge of planned giving vehicles, and the ability to start planned gift conversations and partner with advisors and specialists.
• Comfort working with board members, senior leadership, and volunteers on cultivation and solicitation, including preparing them for donor meetings and asks.
• Strategic, persuasive communicator in writing and in person, with poise and strong presentation skills.
• Collaborative team member who informally mentors colleagues and shares best practices as an individual contributor.
• Organized, self-directed, and results-focused.
• Proficiency with Salesforce or a comparable CRM.
• Experience using wealth screening and prospect research tools.
• Ability to work non-traditional and long hours.

Responsibilities

• Independently manages a portfolio of 80-120 major and planned gift donors and prospects with moves management.
• Personally solicits major and planned gift commitments, including occasional principal seven-figure asks.
• Designs tailored, multi-year solicitation strategies aligned with donor interests and organizational priorities.
• Leads donor engagement experiences, events, and intimate gatherings to advance cultivation and stewardship goals.
• Recruits and partners with volunteer hosts; coordinates with senior leadership, board members, and program staff as needed.
• Maintains rigorous records in Salesforce, including dossiers, reports, plans, and activity tracking.
• Contributes donor insights to messaging, proposals, and collateral to grow major gift pipelines.

Skills

Major gifts fundraising

Donor relationship management

Moves management

Communication skills

Salesforce experience

Portfolio management

Public speaking

Travel readiness

Tools

Salesforce

Wealth screening tools

Job description

American Prairie seeks a Director of Philanthropy to lead a high-impact major gifts program. This senior individual contributor will build and manage a 80–120 donor portfolio, cultivate and secure five- to seven-figure gifts, and work with senior leadership on principal gifts for the Forever Wild campaign.

You will develop multi-year strategies, engage board members and volunteers, and provide donor insights to shape proposals and collateral while tracking progress in Salesforce.