Position: Major Gifts Manager
Reporting to: Executive Director
Location: Must be based in U.S. Preference for East Coast. Virtual workplace.
Salary: $46.15 - $53.53 hourly
Position Type: Part-time, non-exempt position working 25 hours per week. This position is not eligible for benefits except for those mandated by local, state, and federal laws.
Start Date: November 2026
Summary
We are seeking a dynamic, strategic, and relationship-driven Major Gifts Manager to lead our individual fund raising efforts and help us reach our annual growth goals. As a key member of the team, you will be directly responsible for securing annual funding (as agreed upon with the Executive Director) through the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individual donors. This role requires an entrepreneurial and builder mindset-someone who can steward and grow current donors while conducting discovery visits and confidently pitching key funding campaigns with prospective donors.
Reports to the Executive Director and supervises the Development Coordinator. Involves and engages program consultants and staff, collaborating closely on donor strategies, interactions, issues or concerns. Understands and complies with all gift-related policies and procedures and ensures ethical compliance, as defined by the Association for
Fundraising Professionals.
Planet Women is a fiscally sponsored project of Mission Edge San Diego.
- Portfolio Management: Develops and implements individualized cultivation, solicitation and recognition strategies for the individual giving portfolio. Builds and actively manages the portfolio of more than 90 current and prospective individual and foundation donors capable of giving $10,000 to $100,000+ annually.
- Donor Cultivation & Solicitation: Design personalized outreach plans, conduct face-to-face meetings or virtual visits, and solicits gifts to meet Planet Women's mission.
- Team Collaboration: Supervise the Development Coordinator by overseeing their work in database management, gift processing, and administrative support to ensure a cohesive development function and collaborate closely with our Development and Communications.
- Pipeline Development: Leverage connections, community events, and existing mid-level donor data to uncover new prospective major donors.
- Stewardship & Retention: Create meaningful, creative touchpoints to ensure donors see the direct environmental and social impact of their investments.
- Systems Support: Work with Development Coordinator to ensure precise data entry of donor touchpoints in our CRM and collaborate with leadership to track fundraising metrics.
- Experience: At least 3 to 5 years of experience as a major gift fundraiser, with a track record of successfully managing a discovery portfolio, experience building and maintaining long-term relationships with individual major donors and in asking for and closing major gifts of $25,000 or more.
- Experience managing and tracking multiple prospects and donors.
- Experience, coursework or other training in current trends in charitable giving, particularly in the areas of high-end annual giving, donor advised funds, and major gifts.
- Supervisory experience is preferred.
- Mission Alignment: A deep, demonstrable passion for environmental conservation, and gender equity initiatives.
- Small-Team Agility: Proven ability to work independently, manage multiple moving pieces, and thrive in an environment where priorities can pivot quickly.
- Communication: Exceptional storytelling skills with the ability to write compelling appeals and speak passionately about our mission to diverse audiences.
- Remote Productivity: Highly self-motivated with a proven ability to work independently, stay organized, communicative, and effective while working and collaborating in a fully virtual environment.
- Technical Skills: Proficiency with donor databases/CRMs and basic office software (Microsoft Office) and collaborative tools (e.g., Zoom, Asana, MS Teams) is required.
The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.
