Major Gifts Officer

Institute for Humane Studies

. Qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of 100–150 major-gift prospects and donors .

Posted 10/23/2026full-timeRemote • Virginia • United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $85,000 - $120,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in front-line fundraising, managing major-gift donor relationships, and developing tailored solicitation strategies. Proficient in utilizing Salesforce for tracking donor interactions and maintaining accurate portfolio records.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Front-Line Fundraising ExperienceMajor-Gift SolicitationSalesforce ProficiencyRelationship ManagementCorporate Giving Experience

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Fundraising StrategyDonor CultivationGift ClosingPortfolio ManagementMoves ManagementCold OutreachGift ForecastingProposal DevelopmentContact ReportingEvent Coordination

Soft Skills

Strong Communication SkillsTrust BuildingOrganizational SkillsRelationship SustainingIndependent Management

Tools & Technologies

SalesforceCRM Platforms

Industry Keywords

Major GiftsCorporate GivingInstitutional FundersThink Tank FundraisingPolicy-Oriented Nonprofit

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of 100–150 major-gift prospects and donors
Manage relationships involving five- and six-figure commitments
Develop and implement individualized cultivation and solicitation plans
Build and manage a personal solicitation calendar
Conduct donor visits, present funding opportunities, and close five- and six-figure gifts and multi-year commitments
Participate in the development team’s moves management program and portfolio review cadence
Identify and qualify new prospects through direct cold outreach
Own relationship development within the Intellectual Builders donor community
Establish sustained staff ownership of the corporate giving segment
Coordinate with Development Operations on pipeline data, projections, gift processing, and acknowledgments
Coordinate with Portfolio Management on moves strategy and executive engagement requests
Coordinate with the Foundations team where relationships intersect institutional funders
Partner with Communications & Marketing on donor-facing proposals and cases for support
Engage executive leadership, program scholars, and Programs staff in high-level donor relationships, intellectual content, site visits, and key commitments
Maintain accurate Salesforce records of portfolio activity, opportunities, contact reports, cultivation status, and solicitation plans
Support pipeline planning and gift forecasting through timely documentation and portfolio review participation
Travel for donor and prospect visits, cultivation events, and institutional engagement activities

Requirements

What you’ll need

3+ years of front-line fundraising experience across the donor gift cycle
Documented record of closing five-figure commitments
Candidates at the upper end of the salary range will bring 5+ years of experience and a record of six-figure closes
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Ability to build trust and sustain professional relationships with donors and prospects
Ability to qualify prospects and initiate donor relationships from first contact, including sustained cold outreach
Experience with CRM platforms, specifically Salesforce
Ability to independently create and maintain opportunities, activities, and contact reports
Strong organizational skills
Ability to independently manage a complex, multi-stage national portfolio with consistent follow-through
Experience in corporate or institutional giving, including developing an under-built giving segment
Substantive knowledge of and appreciation for the classical liberal intellectual tradition
Ability to engage donors substantively on policy, economics, and related ideas central to the IHS donor community
Experience fundraising within a think tank, university, or policy-oriented nonprofit

Benefits

Comp & perks

Annual performance-based incentive compensation
Remote work arrangement
Approximately 2–3 weeks per year of travel for organization-wide staff gatherings and on-site collaboration