
Major Gifts Officer
At United Way of King County, we are working side by side with communities to build an equitable future for everyone. We believe that having staff, volunteers, and supporters that represent diverse backgrounds will allow us to better accomplish our mission. We continue to work diligently to ensure that the field of philanthropy is welcoming to diverse communities. We strive to have a diverse staff and particularly encourage Black, Indigenous and people of color to apply and be part of our team.
Our culture fosters collaboration, teamwork, open communication, leadership, integrity, and accountability.
Job Summary:
As part of the Individual Giving team, the Major Gifts Officer is responsible for cultivating and growing relationships with current and prospective major gift donors and soliciting gifts of $10,000 or more. This position works strategically with staff and high-level volunteers to orchestrate introductions to new donors to United Way and its work and facilitate peer-to-peer asks. Passion for United Way's mission and an emphasis on authentic relationship building are critical to the success of the Major Gifts Officer.
Compensation:
- The annual salary for this position ranges from $89,543 to $94,256.
- Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
- PTO (including holidays)
- 403(b) retirement savings plan
- Subsidized Transit Pass (Orca Card)
Essential Duties:
- Develops, cultivates, and maintains major gift ($10,000+) donor and volunteer relationships within the assigned portfolio (portfolio size of 120-150 donors).
- Develops fundraising goals for portfolio; implements strategies to meet those goals.
- Meets yearly Engagement calls Ambassador call goals, and other metrics commensurate with portfolio size and makeup.
- Manages major gift pipeline qualification cycle through phone calls and discovery meetings to assess giving capacity, philanthropic interests, and alignment with the organization's mission, and develops further cultivation strategies to move prospects toward solicitation.
- Contributes to team processes improvements and innovation.
- Works closely with United Way Individual Giving, Corporate and Institutional Giving staff to maximize all relationships to further cultivate major donors and prospects.
- Captures significant relationship activities, financial projections, and donor information in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
- Works closely with gift processing team and accounting staff to ensure accuracy of donor pledges, payments, and designations to other agencies.
- Encourages and supports donors in exploring their privilege and values to further United Way’s goal of addressing systematic racism.
- Works closely the Office of the President & CEO to further cultivate major donors and prospects where appropriate.
- Builds relationships, supports and recruits high-level volunteer ambassadors to engage others and solicit gifts on behalf of United Way to meet fundraising goals, such as managing engagement and giving for Board Members, attending events, and organizing high-level donor-hosted cellar dinners.
- Effectively oversees relationships with United Way Board members to ensure meaningful engagement and philanthropic contributions.
- Serves as the organizational liaison for the Board Chair to ensure effective leadership and engagement (as assigned).
- Manages the Board Campaign alongside the Vice Chair to achieve 100% participation (as assigned).
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Demonstrated understanding of social and racial justice and equity, with a proven commitment to apply racial and economic justice lenses in both personal and workplace contexts.
- Lived experience and/or demonstrated professional skills working within a diverse work environment.
- Demonstrated success in fundraising.
- Proven strong analytical skills to analyze donor information, plan, and set goals and objectives.
- Proven excellent verbal and written communication skills, and presentation skills.
- Demonstrated relationship building and collaboration skills to effectively relate to a diverse audience.
- Proven effective critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Donor focused with the ability to establish, cultivate, and steward strong relationships to build and maintain lifelong partnerships and trust with United Way.
- Demonstrated effective planning and implementing skills, demonstrated ability to prioritize activities and be comfortable dealing with ambiguity.
- Proven excellent project management skills.
- Demonstrated thorough knowledge of fundraising techniques, consultative selling approach, major gift cultivation/solicitation.
- Commitment to keeping up with fundraising trends and best practices and continual learning
- Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office and donor data base knowledge.
- Ability to exercise good judgment with sensitive, confidential information.
Education and/or Experience:
Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, specializing in Business, Marketing, Sales, Communication, or a related field. At least five years of experience in fundraising and two or more years in dedicated major gifts fundraising. Proven solicitation experience of gifts $10,000 and higher; experience closing multi-year gifts preferred. Demonstrated volunteer management experience at high levels of an organization preferred.
Additional Information:
United Way of King County is an exceptional workplace that can provide you with:
- Opportunities to work with smart, passionate, and enthusiastic team members and volunteers.
- Ongoing collaboration with diverse staff and other constituents
- A desirable culture of high-performance expectations and accountability
- Exciting and challenging work
- Opportunities to help solve the community's toughest problems.
- Competitive pay is commensurate with demonstrated successful performance and experience.
- Many other benefits that we are happy to discuss with you.
Application Procedures:
Please click here to apply online via the following link. You will be asked to upload your resume and provide a cover letter as well as complete the United Way of King County application.
Candidates who apply early will receive priority consideration.
***Applicants MUST apply at the United Way of King County Career Center to be considered for this position. Click here to access the Career Center to apply.***
Required degree level
- Bachelor
Years of experience
- 5 - 10 years of experience
Salary range
- $89,543 - $94,256 per year