Director, Major Gifts
About The Position
JOB OVERVIEW The Director, Major Gifts is responsible for executing and advancing Fresh Energy’s major donor program, with a focus on identifying, securing, and increasing individual philanthropic support to advance the organization’s mission and strategic priorities. This role identifies, cultivates, solicits and stewards a portfolio of major donors, while building meaningful, long-term relationships that deepen engagement and grow revenue. The Director collaborates closely with the Lead Director of Individual Giving, CEO, board members, and colleagues across the organization to align donor engagement with Fresh Energy’s programmatic goals. The position plays a key role in ensuring that individual giving remains relationship-driven, well-managed, and positioned for sustained growth over time with a special focus on major gifts.
Requirements
- Demonstrated ability to strategically design, oversee, and ensure implementation of projects or programs, including setting and meeting organizational targets.
- Skilled at proactive, strategic collaboration with strong emotional intelligence
- Strong written and oral external & internal communication.
- Excellent attention to detail and self-directed approach to achieving outcomes.
- Strong organizational skills, sound judgment, high emotional intelligence, and follow-through, while operating within shared systems, priorities, and goals.
- Experience managing high-level donor relationships with demonstrated success closing and renewing 5-6 figure gifts.
- Superior interpersonal skills and ability to communicate professionally with a culturally diverse group of volunteers, co-workers, and donors.
- Five or more years of relevant professional experience.
- Experience setting and meeting annual targets.
- Bachelor’s degree in relevant field.
Nice To Haves
- Prior management or leadership experience and/or experience working in clean energy, environmental, or related nonprofit fields preferred.
Responsibilities
- Achieve organization and department-specific goals for securing new major gifts.
- Manage a healthy major gifts pipeline with clear next steps for each prospect.
- Identify and qualify new major gift prospects, in partnership with the Development team and organizational leadership.
- Manage a personal portfolio of major gift prospects with the purpose of cultivating, soliciting, and closing five- and six-figure gifts.
- Conduct face-to-face cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship meetings with major donors and prospects.
- Collaborate effectively with the CEO, board members, and colleagues on donor strategy and engagement.
- Maintain a consistent cadence of donor meetings, follow-ups, and stewardship activities that support progress toward Board approved annual fundraising goals
- Develop thoughtful solicitation strategies supporting the annual fund, planned giving, and any future campaigns.
- Collaborate with the Development team to screen prospects and prepare donor profiles.
- Work with the Lead Director of Individual Giving to engage key staff and board members in donor meetings and fundraising asks.
- Maintain accurate, timely donor records and contact reports in Fresh Energy’s fundraising database (EveryAction/Bonterra).
- Keep donor records, contact reports, and moves management plans accurate and up to date.
- Demonstrate reliability, sound judgment, data and privacy due diligence, and follow-through in all donor-facing work.
- Utilize moves management strategies to assess prospects with identified capacity and readiness to advance giving levels.
- Support the assignment and transition of donor portfolios across development staff, contributing to coordinated relationship management.
- Participate in regular pipeline reviews and planning conversations.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
