Major Gifts Officer

POSITION OVERVIEW: Reporting to the Senior Director of Individual Giving, the Major Gifts Officer is responsible for the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of gifts from donors and prospects with the capacity to give $10,000 or more.
The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) is a highly energetic and external-facing professional with a track record of establishing and growing strong donor relationships.
The Major Gifts Officer will also be responsible for ensuring the retention of existing donors and maximizing fundraising opportunities, including legacy giving or planned gifts.
The position will be supported by Gravyty, Larkin Streets AI-enabled major gifts fundraising platform.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Donor Management Manage a portfolio of 150-250 major donors and prospects.
Proactively identify new prospects to add to the portfolio, executing data-driven prospect research and thorough briefs and meeting agendas Cultivate, solicit, and steward individuals through virtual meetings, face-to-face visits, and strategic fundraising events Support Legacy Giving efforts by making targeted planned giving asks of major donors Work collaboratively with the Chief Development Officer, Senior Director of Individual Giving, and Board Stewards to collectively grow and strengthen Larkin Streets major gift efforts Work with the development, programs, and finance departments to gather appropriate project information, including budgets and program updates Manage and record strategies and moves with donors and prospects using the Salesforce database; prepare regular reports using database figures and statistics Will perform other major donor activities as required Collaboration Work collaboratively and strategically with the fundraising, marketing, program, and partnerships staff and teams, and agency leadership to increase revenue and resources for organizational priorities, including other duties as assigned Nurture justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) practices with donors, youth, families, volunteers, and staff Support and leverage agency special events to cultivate donors in the pipeline and introduce new prospects to the organization Create, update and improve written documents and materials to drive the major gifts program and facilitate solicitations, including donor decks and presentations, written updates, website copy, and other documents as needed by other major gift solicitors Develop personalized materials that align with donor goals and objectives, working with the program team to access information and develop cases for support Bachelor’s Degree or higher BACKGROUND & EXPERIENCE Must be a highly energetic professional with a track record of building donor relationships.
A minimum of three years of successful experience in major gift fundraising or equivalent development experience.
Ability to work with other agency and Development staff to effectively represent Larkin Street’s programs to donors.
Proven initiative and ability to work independently under minimal supervision and in a team environment.
Proficiency in using Microsoft Office software; Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
Experience with fundraising databases; Salesforce preferred.
Preference for experience using Asana, iWave, Gravyty, or similar project management or fundraising platforms.
Proof of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination.
Characteristics Passion for the agency’s mission to end youth homelessness Cultural humility working with youth and individuals experiencing homelessness Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism best practices.
Outstanding relationship-building skills with the ability to engage with people from diverse backgrounds.
Ability to inspire trust and galvanize support for Larkin Street’s mission with a balance of diplomacy and tenacity that is required to pursue top prospects.
Self-driven ambition and an innate understanding of how to manage through influence.
Highly organized, flexible, and comfortable in a fast-paced environment with excellent attention to detail and follow-through.
Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality at all times.