Director of Major Gifts

Summary

Join Mercy For Animals as their new Director of Major Gifts! This remote position focuses on securing major gifts ($25,000+), cultivating donor relationships, and advancing the organization's mission to end industrial animal agriculture. You will manage a portfolio of donors, develop tailored engagement strategies, and meet fundraising goals. The ideal candidate possesses a bachelor's degree, five years of relevant experience, and excellent communication skills. Mercy For Animals offers a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and a collaborative work environment. Apply today and help transform the food system!

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of five years’ experience as a major-gift or philanthropy officer
• Proven ability to build and maintain strong donor relationships
• Strong ability to understand and articulate complex organizational priorities in a compelling manner to donors
• Ability to work independently and exercise sound judgment in decision-making related to donor cultivation and solicitation strategies
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills
• Experience drafting personalized fundraising proposals and donor correspondence
• Comfort and confidence in using technology to support donor engagement, including donor management CRM, Google Suite, video outreach, SMS, and email
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities effectively
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and meet deadlines
• Willingness and ability to travel three to five times per year and work some evenings and weekends
• Commitment to the mission and values of Mercy For Animals
• Dedication to continued personal, organizational, and movement-wide growth in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice principles

Responsibilities

• Independently manage a major-gift portfolio, using moves management processes tailored to individual prospects to deepen philanthropic relationships
• Handle multiple relationships with assigned prospects at various cultivation stages and determine an appropriate tailored strategy for each prospect
• Use qualification efforts to identify and assess potential new donors, providing regular feedback on prospect assignments
• Develop, draft, and execute personalized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for portfolio donors, such as establishing annual strategies and monthly benchmarks and conducting periodic reviews
• Coordinate, schedule, and facilitate in-person and virtual donor meetings, involving appropriate programmatic or senior leadership in the cultivation and solicitation process when beneficial
• Meet or exceed goals for donor outreach and solicitation
• Effectively communicate complex organizational priorities and strategies in a compelling manner that aligns with donors’ philanthropic interests
• Draft personalized communications for assigned prospects, including emails, letters, and stewardship reports
• Conduct in-person and virtual visits with donors and prospects, presenting funding opportunities and impact reports
• Maintain meticulous records of donor interactions, engagement strategies, and prospect progress within the donor management CRM, ensuring timely and thorough updates
• Collaborate internally to schedule, prepare, and deliver funding proposals, impact reports, and stewardship materials to support donor engagement efforts
• Assist in tracking legacy gift commitments, employing appropriate donor engagement strategies
• Serve as a key member of the development team, contributing to overall fundraising strategy and execution
• Support Mercy For Animals’ legacy giving program by applying a working understanding of planned giving principles, as well as financial- and estate-planning techniques
• Participate in joint projects within the department, including fundraising appeals, donor relations initiatives, and database enhancements
• Adhere to all organizational policies and procedures
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the team leader

Preferred Qualifications

CFRE certification

Benefits

• Annual salary of $91,530–$101,700, depending on qualifications
• Remote work
• No- or low-cost health, vision, and dental insurance
• Generous paid time off and sick leave
• 401(k) retirement plan, with a dollar-to-dollar employer match of up to 3% of your annual earnings