Director of Major Gifts

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Director of Major Gifts based in the United States.

The Director of Major Gifts will play a central role in expanding and strengthening a major-gift fundraising program for a mission-driven international education and cultural exchange organization. This position combines strategic relationship development with hands-on prospect qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. You will build and manage a growing portfolio of major and leadership gift prospects, with a strong emphasis on proactive outreach and discovery. The role offers the opportunity to engage high-net-worth individuals, alumni, donors, executives, and organizational leaders around meaningful philanthropic priorities. Success will require sound judgment, persistence, strong communication, and disciplined portfolio management. You will work in a collaborative, international environment where fundraising directly supports programs designed to connect people and cultures around the world.

Accountabilities: Build, manage, and grow a portfolio of major and leadership gift donors and prospects, prioritizing discovery, qualification, relationship development, solicitation, and stewardship.

Conduct proactive outreach to alumni, high-net-worth individuals, existing donors, and new prospects, including individuals with limited recent engagement, and develop promising relationships toward meaningful philanthropic commitments.

Create and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies aligned with donor interests, organizational priorities, and campaign objectives.

Secure significant gifts and develop donors toward major-gift support, recognizing that initial meaningful contributions may fall below formal major-gift thresholds.

Leverage timely campaign and matching-gift opportunities to generate engagement while building sustainable, long-term donor relationships.

Prepare tailored donor strategies, briefing materials, correspondence, proposals, and other materials that support effective engagement and solicitation.

Engage senior leadership, executives, program leaders, alumni, board members, and other internal partners at appropriate stages of donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

Use wealth-screening tools, donor data, research, and institutional knowledge to identify, assess, prioritize, and qualify prospects.

Develop strategic travel plans that maximize donor engagement while making responsible use of organizational resources.

Maintain accurate donor records, contact reports, next steps, opportunities, and revenue forecasts within the fundraising CRM.

Coordinate with annual giving and alumni engagement teams to align outreach, prevent conflicting communications, and transition responsive prospects into personalized relationship development.

Help establish and refine qualification, portfolio management, moves management, stewardship, travel, and donor-engagement practices.

Identify planned-giving, family foundation, donor-advised fund, corporate, and other philanthropic opportunities and coordinate with relevant colleagues when appropriate.

Contribute to a collaborative fundraising culture where relationship strategy, shared ownership, and team contributions are recognized in donor engagement and revenue development.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.

Seven to ten years of progressively responsible fundraising experience preferred, including substantial experience in individual giving.

Proven success cultivating, soliciting, and closing significant philanthropic gifts, including five- and six-figure commitments.

Demonstrated ability to initiate and develop donor relationships through proactive outreach, rather than relying exclusively on an established or inherited portfolio.

Strong experience building or significantly expanding donor portfolios and developing new opportunities.

Excellent judgment in prospect qualification, relationship strategy, solicitation timing, and the engagement of organizational leaders and partners.

Outstanding interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with confidence engaging high-net-worth individuals and navigating complex donor relationships.

Strong organizational skills, disciplined follow-through, and the ability to work toward defined activity, pipeline, and revenue objectives.

Experience using fundraising CRM systems; Salesforce experience is strongly preferred.

Ability to use donor data, wealth-screening information, and qualitative insights to prioritize outreach while considering more than financial capacity alone.

Entrepreneurial, practical, and solutions-oriented mindset, with the ability to develop systems, test strategies, and improve fundraising results in an evolving environment.

Ability to collaborate effectively across teams and recognize that multiple colleagues may contribute to a donor relationship or successful gift.

Genuine interest in international education, cultural exchange, and mission-driven work.

Ability to work effectively across cultures and engage respectfully with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Commitment to values including excellence, integrity, respect, inclusion, and problem solving.

Ability to successfully complete required background, reference, education, and employment verification checks.

Benefits

Competitive total rewards package for U.S.-based employees, with benefits potentially increasing total compensation by up to 25%.

Paid time off and parental leave.

Six floating Fridays, subject to eligibility requirements.

403(b) retirement plan with employer contributions.

Medical, dental, vision, life, and travel insurance coverage.

Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts for eligible medical and dependent-care expenses.

Short-term and long-term disability coverage.

Employee Assistance Program.

Gym reimbursement program.

Discounts on international study abroad programs.

Voluntary benefits, including identity theft protection, pet insurance, accident coverage, and critical illness coverage.

Fully remote position within the United States.

Opportunity to work with an international, collaborative team supporting a mission focused on education, cultural exchange, and global connection.

Opportunity to make a direct impact through fundraising that expands access to international educational and exchange experiences.

Strong emphasis on inclusion, diverse perspectives, professional collaboration, and mission-driven work.

How Jobgether works: We use an AI-powered matching process to ensure your application is reviewed quickly, objectively, and fairly against the role's core requirements. Our system identifies the top-fitting candidates, and this shortlist is then shared directly with the hiring company. The final decision and next steps (interviews, assessments) are managed by their internal team. We appreciate your interest and wish you the best!  Why Apply Through Jobgether?    Data Privacy Notice: By submitting your application, you acknowledge that Jobgether will process your personal data to evaluate your candidacy and share relevant information with the hiring employer. This processing is based on legitimate interest and pre-contractual measures under applicable data protection laws (including GDPR). You may exercise your rights (access, rectification, erasure, objection) at any time.     #LI-CL1