Job Title: Major Gifts Officer
Reports to: Director of Development
FLSA Status:Exempt
Salary Range: Range commensurate upon experience $110,000 - $120,000

Job Overview
The Major Gifts Officer plays a key role in advancing the Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s philanthropic priorities by securing significant financial support from individual donors. Reporting to the Director of Development, this position is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gift donors in support of the Conservancy’s conservation, education, research, and wildlife programs.

The Major Gifts Officer manages a portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects and implements strategic cultivation and solicitation plans designed to deepen donor engagement and increase philanthropic investment. This role collaborates closely with the CEO, Board of Directors, Development leadership, and program staff to align donor interests with organizational priorities.

Success in this role is measured by the ability to build meaningful donor relationships, achieve fundraising revenue goals, and grow philanthropic support through thoughtful engagement and strategic moves management.

RESPONSIBILITIES 
Major Gift Fundraising Strategy:
•Develop and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for major gift prospects and donors.
•Manage a portfolio of approximately 75-100 major gift prospects and donors capable of giving $25,000 or more annually.
•Identify, qualify, and cultivate new prospects to expand the Conservancy’s major donor pipeline.
•Partner with the Director of Development and senior leadership to align major gift fundraising strategies with organizational priorities, campaign initiatives, and annual fundraising goals.
Portfolio Management and Moves Management:
•Implement a disciplined moves management system to guide prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
•Develop individualized engagement strategies for donors that reflect their philanthropic interests and capacity.
•Maintain detailed records of donor interactions, strategies, and progress within the Altru donor database.
•Track donor engagement metrics including meetings, cultivation activities, proposals submitted, and gifts secured.
Revenue Generation and Performance Metrics:
•Achieve annual fundraising revenue goals and donor engagement targets established by the Development Department.
•Conduct a minimum number of donor visits and meaningful interactions annually to advance donor relationships and solicit gifts.
•Prepare and present major gift proposals aligned with donor interests and organizational priorities.
•Track and report fundraising activity including donor meetings, proposals, commitments, and revenue secured.
Donor Relationship Management and Stewardship:
•Build long-term philanthropic relationships with donors through thoughtful and personalized engagement.
•Ensure timely stewardship of major donors through regular communication, impact reporting, and recognition of philanthropic support.
•Work closely with the Development team to coordinate stewardship activities, donor recognition opportunities, and personalized donor communications.
•Maintain ongoing communication with donors to provide program updates, organizational priorities, and opportunities for engagement.
Donor Engagement and Cultivation Events:
•Partner with senior leadership and development staff to plan and implement donor cultivation events and engagement opportunities.
•Coordinate meaningful donor experiences including site visits, campus tours, program briefings, and small gatherings designed to strengthen relationships with donors and prospects.
•Establish clear objectives for donor engagement events and evaluate outcomes to inform future cultivation strategies.
Collaboration and Organizational Engagement:
•Work collaboratively with Development leadership, program staff, and finance staff to ensure donor proposals align with organizational priorities and programmatic needs.
•Provide feedback from donors and prospects to inform fundraising strategy and institutional priorities.
•Participate in development team meetings and contribute to strategic fundraising initiatives.
Ethical Standards and Confidentiality:
•Maintain strict confidentiality regarding donor information and philanthropic contributions.
•Adhere to the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Code of Ethics and the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning (PPP) standards.

 Education and Experience
•Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university or associates degree with 2 years additional applicable experience.
•Minimum five years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, major gifts, or related development roles.
•CFRE (Certified Fund-Raising Executive) credential preferred.
•Demonstrated success cultivating and securing major gifts from individual donors.
•Experience managing a donor portfolio and working within a moves management framework.

Skills and Abilities
•Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to engage donors in meaningful philanthropic conversations.
•Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
•Strategic thinking and ability to align donor interests with organizational priorities.
•Strong organizational and project management skills.
•Experience using donor databases or CRM systems (Altru preferred).
•Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a dynamic fundraising environment.
•High level of professionalism, discretion, and attention to detail.

Certificates, Licenses, Registration
•Valid driver’s license and good driving record.

The above statements describe the general qualifications required to perform the job and the general nature and level of work performed - not a complete list of duties; management may assign additional responsibilities.

Physical Demands and Work Environments
This job description recognizes that reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role. The job entails:
•Regularly required to sit, stand and walk.
•Lift/move objects weighing up to 25 pounds.
•May spend time in the field, and experience exposure to Florida outdoor weather conditions.
•Use of hands for various tasks.
•Visual abilities include close and color vision, along with peripheral and depth perception.
•Noise level in the work environment is typically moderate.

Equal Opportunity Employer
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is an equal-opportunity employer and provides reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. 

Date Posted: 3/27/2026