Major Gifts Officer

The Major Gifts Officer serves as a key member of the Indy Humane Development Team and is responsible for cultivating, soliciting, stewarding, and growing relationships with major donors and prospective donors.

This position joins Indy Humane at a defining moment in the organization’s history. As Indy Humane lays the groundwork for a future capital campaign and continued organizational growth, the Major Gifts Officer will help build the donor relationships necessary to support transformational change for animals and the community.

The Major Gifts Officer manages a portfolio of approximately 150 major donors and prospects through all stages of the donor relationship, including identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. This position also manages a select group of mid-level donors with strong potential to become major donors.

Working closely with the Chief Development Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Annual Fund Manager, Development Specialist, and other organizational leaders, the Major Gifts Officer develops individualized engagement strategies that connect donor interests with Indy Humane’s mission, programs, and strategic priorities.

• Manage and grow a portfolio of approximately 150 major donors and prospective donors through identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Develop individualized relationship-management strategies for assigned donors and prospects
• Conduct personalized donor visits, meetings, telephone calls, and other outreach activities that build trust and deepen donor relationships
• Align donor interests with Indy Humane programs, organizational priorities, and funding opportunities
• Maintain consistent donor contact based on portfolio tier, engagement level, giving history, and individualized strategy
• Ensure donors receive timely communication, recognition, stewardship, and follow-up
• Maintain a high level of professionalism, confidentiality, discretion, and sound judgment when working with donors and prospective donors

• Manage a select group of mid-level donors with strong potential to become major donors
• Partner with the Annual Fund Manager and Development Specialist to identify donors who may be appropriate for increased cultivation
• Develop strategies to increase donor engagement, giving levels, and long‑term philanthropic involvement
• Evaluate donor history, capacity, interests, and engagement when determining readiness for major gift cultivation
• Support the movement of qualified donors into the major gifts pipeline

• Develop and implement personalized cultivation and solicitation plans for assigned donors and prospects
• Conduct face‑to‑face donor visits and solicitations independently and in partnership with organizational leadership
• Prepare individualized giving proposals, gift illustrations, presentations, and funding requests
• Translate organizational priorities and program needs into compelling, donor‑centered giving opportunities
• Partner with the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Development Officer on strategic donor visits, solicitations, events, and relationship‑building activities
• Communicate the impact of donor support through meaningful stories, outcomes, and organizational information
• Meet or exceed annual major gift fundraising goals, with an initial target of $1 million in major gifts during the first year

• Build and maintain a healthy and sustainable pipeline of major gift donors and prospects
• Identify and qualify new prospective donors through research, referrals, engagement activities, giving history, and community relationships
• Develop and document moves‑management strategies for each assigned donor and prospect
• Track donor movement through the identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship stages
• Monitor portfolio activity and ensure appropriate next steps are established and completed
• Maintain accurate, timely, and complete donor records within the organization’s CRM
• Record donor contacts, meeting notes, interests, giving history, relationship…