National Council for Mental Wellbeing Senior Major Gifts Officer

Position Summary

The Senior Major Gifts Officer will serve as the National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s front-line fundraiser, exclusively focused on cultivating and securing investments from high-net-worth individuals. This leader will own a significant portfolio of prospects and be responsible for moving donors through the full development pipeline: from research and outreach to solicitation, onboarding, and stewardship.

This role is critical to the National Council’s growth and will partner closely with the Director of Development and CEO to raise general operating support and program-specific funding. The ideal candidate is a proven closer with a track record of securing individual gifts in a front-line fundraising role.

• Identify and qualify new donor prospects, generally with $25k–$1M annual giving capacity
• Build and manage a robust pipeline of 100+ individual prospects and investors. Investors will be both individual and institutional funders.
  • Develop relationships with an individual donor archetype of donors with private sector experience (i.e., entrepreneurs, C‑Suite leaders, healthcare executives)
  • Develop partnerships with institutional foundations, especially those prioritizing federal advocacy, improving healthcare delivery, advancing health equity, protecting youth and students, and integrating artificial intelligence into care delivery
• Lead top-of-funnel outreach, including personal email, warm introductions, events, conferences, and 1:1 meeting scheduling

• Personally lead investor meetings, cultivate relationships, and secure gifts from individuals focused on improving mental health outcomes in the United States
• Strategize to customize pitches, framing, and messaging based on the needs of the National Council’s program teams and the interests of potential investors
• Design and deliver compelling pitches using the National Council’s core collateral and investor‑facing messaging
• Strategize with the Director of Development, CEO, board members, and senior program leaders before high‑stakes donor meetings — including briefing principals, shaping meeting strategy, coordinating follow-up, and quarterbacking complex institutional asks
• Maintain ownership of follow-ups, gift tracking, and stewardship activities

• Drive fundraising strategy for high‑capacity donors and institutional funders, including tailored cultivation journeys, identification of emerging funding opportunities, and refinement of investor‑facing messaging and positioning
• Write grant applications and grant reports, when required
• Represent the National Council at events and conferences — both within the mental health field and in settings where target donor prospects naturally gather
• Travel to meet donors in person — especially in geographies with significant numbers of UHNIs (e.g., New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Bay Area, Boston, Seattle,
  
  D.C, etc). Willingness to travel up to 30% of the time is required
• Align donor engagement with the organization’s emphasis on unrestricted, multi‑year giving

• Own relationships with program‑specific teams to surface compelling stories and impactful updates about our organization’s work serving members, conducting research, advocating for policy change, conducting Mental Health First Aid trainings, and more
• Own donor database accuracy, forecasts, and reporting for the “book” of investors you are responsible for
• Act as a jack/jill of all trades, willing to pitch in — including on one‑to‑many emails, webinars, events, and other tactics that are used to engage our donor community
• Coordinate and support fundraising participation from board members, senior advisors, and external fundraising consultants — including helping activate networks, prepare outreach, and manage relationship strategy

• 7+ years of experience in fundraising, business development, philanthropy, partnerships, or related external‑facing roles
• 4+ years managing donor or investor relationships with responsibility for cultivation and solicitation strategy
• Track record of securing five-, six-, and seven‑figure donations from…