Major Gifts Officer
Position description
WaterAid America is looking for a relationship-driven and results-oriented Major Gifts Officer to build meaningful relationships with donors and generate philanthropic revenue that advances WaterAid’s mission.
As a frontline fundraiser, the Major Gifts Officer will manage a portfolio of current and prospective donors, developing relationships and securing high five-figure and low six-figure gifts. We are looking for someone who enjoys listening, storytelling, building authentic donor relationships, making thoughtful and confident asks, and persisting to achieve results.
As part of a collaborative team of two, this role also contributes beyond an individual portfolio when needed, supporting the operational and administrative work required to deliver a strong donor experience and collaborating with colleagues across WaterAid America and the global WaterAid federation.
All WaterAid staff are expected to demonstrate honest and ethical practices and champion WaterAid's values of respect, collaboration, accountability, innovation, courage, and integrity.
Responsibilities
Reporting to the Director of Major Gifts, the Major Gifts Officer is responsible for generating philanthropic revenue from qualified donors and prospects with strong lifetime value potential. The Officer will manage donors beginning at the $5,000 level and identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, renew and steward supporters throughout the donor lifecycle.
Manage and grow a major-gifts portfolio approximately 55%
- Manage a portfolio of current, prospective and lapsed donors beginning at the $5,000 level.
- Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, renew, upgrade and steward donors across the full donor lifecycle.
- Develop personalized donor strategies using disciplined moves management.
- Conduct donor meetings and make direct gift requests.
- Secure gifts across the major-gift range, including high five-figure and low six-figure commitments.
- Prepare pitches, proposals, reports and donor correspondence for unrestricted, restricted, multi-year and other giving opportunities.
- Develop cultivation and stewardship strategies for current and lapsed supporters.
- Identify donors with potential for elevated or leadership-level giving.
- Meet agreed portfolio revenue, retention, upgrade, qualification and activity goals.
- Represent WaterAid at donor meetings, cultivation events and other engagement opportunities.
Strengthen fundraising operations and donor engagement approximately 25%
- Maintain accurate and timely donor records, opportunities, contact reports, stages, next actions and forecasts in Salesforce.
- Use CRM data to support segmentation, moves management, portfolio analysis and donor progression.
- Support cultivation, solicitation, renewal and stewardship planning and communications.
- Prepare donor briefings, proposals, grant applications, reports and other donor materials.
- Coordinate programmatic, financial and impact information needed for tailored donor opportunities.
- Manage assigned projects and deliverables through completion.
- Identify process improvements that strengthen fundraising efficiency and the donor experience.
Build pipeline and help actualize revenue strategy approximately 20%
- Partner with philanthropy leadership, Individual Giving and prospect research to identify and qualify emerging major-gift prospects.
- Review the database for donors with major-gift, family-foundation, donor-advised fund and planned-giving potential.
- Help move donors from Individual Giving into Major Gifts and established donors toward elevated investment.
- Participate in portfolio reviews, moves-management discussions and revenue forecasting.
- Identify stalled relationships, pipeline gaps and emerging opportunities and recommend next steps.
- Collaborate with Communications, Programs, Finance and other colleagues to advance donor relationships and revenue priorities.
- Bring insights from donor conversations and portfolio activity into broader philanthropy planning.
Qualifications
Essential
- Bachelor’s degree and/or a minimum of five years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, preferably with a focus on international issues.
- Demonstrated success managing a portfolio and identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding major donors.
- Demonstrated success closing high five-figure gifts and experience closing or substantially contributing to low six-figure gifts.
- Experience managing the full donor lifecycle and using moves management to increase engagement and giving.
- Strong oral and written communication and analytical skills.
- Strong Salesforce or comparable fundraising CRM experience.
- Strong administrative and project-management skills.
- Experience thoughtfully using AI to improve research, communications, analysis and ways of working while maintaining sound judgment and human oversight.
- Experience developing donor communications, proposals, grant applications, reports and stewardship materials.
- Excellent attention to detail and willingness to contribute across the philanthropy revenue stream.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines and work independently with limited supervision.
- Sound judgment, curiosity, humility and a flexible, collaborative approach.
- Ability to travel domestically, including occasional evening and weekend commitments.
Desired
- Experience in international development, global health or another mission-driven organization.
- Experience working in a small or growing fundraising team.
- Experience with donor-advised funds, family foundations, planned giving or other complex gifts.
- Experience partnering with executives, board members and program colleagues in donor engagement.
- Familiarity with highly personalized and segmented donor communications.
Benefits
WaterAid offers a generous benefits package to full-time employees, including:
- Medical insurance options ranging from 70–100% employer-paid for employees and dependents; 100% employer-paid dental and vision insurance; and pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts.
- Participation in WaterAid’s 403(b) plan, with contributions matched up to 5% of gross annual salary after one year of service.
- 12–13 public holidays, a floating holiday, 120+ hours of PTO upon hire, three paid volunteer days, Summer Fridays and additional office closures.
- Employee Assistance Program support, including Health Advocate, One Medical, Talkspace and other services.
Application instructions
Please be sure to indicate you saw this position on Globaljobs.org