Major Gifts Officer

Description

General Statement of Duties:

The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) serves as a senior member of the Focus: HOPE Development team, responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major and planned giving donors in support of the organization’s mission. This role manages a portfolio of major and planned giving prospects, builds and executes the organization's planned giving program, cultivates a volunteer-to-donor pipeline, collaborates on fundraising events, leads Focus: HOPE's annual appeals, and supervises key Development staff. The MGO partners closely with the Chief Philanthropy Officer on organizational fundraising strategy and serves as a deputy leader within the Development function.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Major Gifts

• Manage an active portfolio of 100-125 major gift prospects and donors, developing individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies for each.
• Conduct regular donor visits, high-touch outreach, and strategic stewardship, actively maintaining real-time tracking, forecasting, and pipeline metrics in the donor database (CRM).
• Prepare formal gift proposals, briefing materials, and stewardship communications for major donors and prospects.
• Prepare and run
• Partner with the CPO and CEO on cultivation and solicitation of principal-level gifts ($100,000+).

Planned Giving

• Design and launch a formal planned giving program, including marketing materials, gift-acceptance policies, and donor recognition (legacy society).
• Identify and cultivate planned giving prospects among current donors, board members, and long-term supporters.
• Serve as the organization's point of contact for bequest, trust, and other deferred gift inquiries, coordinating with donors' legal and financial advisors and the Finance Department as appropriate.

Volunteer & Donor Pipeline

• Engage and cultivate volunteers as prospective individual donors, developing a structured pathway from volunteer engagement to giving.
• Partner with Program and Volunteer Management teams to identify high-potential volunteers for the individual giving pipeline.

Annual Appeals & Fundraising Events

• Lead planning and execution of Focus: HOPE's two annual appeals (Spring and End-of-Year), including strategy, segmentation, messaging, and results tracking.
• Develop cultivation and solicitation strategies for the broader annual giving program, including direct mail, online giving, and monthly giving channels.
• Develop donor re-engagement initiatives for lapsed donors and oversee stewardship and recognition activities to support donor retention and increased giving.
• Collaborate in the planning and execution of 2–3 annual fundraising events, working with Marketing & Communications on logistics and donor engagement.

Staff Supervision

• Directly supervise the Development Coordinator and the Development & Marketing Associate, providing performance management, goal-setting, and professional development support.
• Coordinate staff workplans to ensure alignment across Development and Communications priorities.

Strategy & Leadership

• Serve as a senior deputy within the Development function, supporting the CPO on organizational fundraising strategy and stepping in on key initiatives as needed.
• Contribute to annual revenue planning and forecasting for the major and planned giving pipeline.
• Encourage and support staff-wide colleague giving as part of Focus: HOPE's culture of philanthropy.
• Collaborate with the Grants Manager and Corporate Philanthropy Officer on integrated donor campaigns and communications.
• In coordination with the CPO and Marketing Manager, develop the organization’s annual report.
• In coordination with the CPO and Marketing Manager, develop brand standards and guides.
• In coordination with the CPO, direct the development of donor communications and collateral with Marketing staff.
• Provide regular pipeline and program reporting to the CPO, including analysis and reporting on results across all annual giving program elements.
• Work closely with the Finance Department to ensure accurate representation of contributed revenue in monthly financial reports.
• Oversee CRM data integrity and moves management protocols within RENXT, including pipeline tracking for major/principal gift prospects, report generation for board and leadership, and coordination with Development Coordinator on data entry standards.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Education, Training, & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 5+ years of progressive major gifts fundraising experience; planned giving and event management experience strongly preferred.
• Verified track record of closing five- and six-figure gifts.
• Prior supervisory experience.
• Familiarity with planned giving vehicles (bequests, charitable gift annuities, trusts) and gift-acceptance considerations.
• Experience with donor database/CRM systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfort with direct donor engagement at a senior level.
• Commitment to Focus: HOPE's pledge of intelligent and practical action to overcome racism, poverty, and injustice. 

Physical Demands & Working Conditions:

• Work Location: Standard office environment ; regular local travel required throughout Southeast Michigan for donor visits and community events.
• Schedule: Occasional early mornings, evenings, or weekends required to attend fundraising events, donor dinners, and board meetings.
• Physical Requirements: Ability to operate standard office equipment, converse effectively in person and virtually, and transport donor/event collateral up to 20 lbs.

What can we offer you for all your hard work?

Benefits:

• Paid Vacation Time
• Paid Sick Time
• 12 Paid Holidays Per Year
• 401K Match
• Medical /Dental/ Vision
• Life and AD&D (Employer Paid)
• Voluntary Life and AD &D
• AFLAC (Voluntary)
• Short Term Disability (Voluntary)
• Long Term Disability (Employer Paid)
• EAP (Employee Assistance Program)
• FSA Plan (Flex Spending Account)
• Paid Parental Leave

Equal Opportunity Statement:

Focus: HOPE is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.

Accommodation Request Policy:

Qualified applicants with disabilities who require reasonable accommodation to participate in the application, interviewing, or essential job function stages are encouraged to contact [email protected]. All requests are handled confidentially and evaluated on an individualized basis.