Associate Director, Major Gifts

Job Type

Full-time

Description

Salary Range: $90,000 - $105,000 annually

This position is primarily in the office, located at 3201 S. Tamarac Dr., Denver, 80231

Resumes will be accepted through March 31, 2026.

Position Summary:

Jewish Family Service of Colorado (JFS) seeks an Associate Director, Major Gifts, who will cultivate relationships with high-net-worth donors to secure gifts in the $5,000 - $25,000 range while managing a portfolio through identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, involving personalized strategies, proposal writing, event outreach, CRM management, and collaboration with development staff to drive significant fundraising for JFS. The creation of this new role at JFS marks a significant milestone, reflecting our community's readiness for expanded investment and continued growth.

The Associate Director, Major Gifts, will conduct personal visits and other meaningful interactions to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and close annual and special gifts as well as to provide stewardship to their donors. The Associate Director, Major Gifts, is responsible for ensuring maximum results by recommending the strategies needed to successfully solicit their portfolio for annual and event gifts. The Associate Director, Major Gifts will create and successfully execute strategies to expand the major gifts pipeline, deepen philanthropic relationships with those in a position to be most generous, and maximize philanthropic achievement.

Essential Functions:

• Maintain a personal portfolio of major gift prospects (defined as those giving a gift of $5,000 - $25,000 as well as those donors and prospects that have the capacity to give at the major level or higher.
• Serve as the primary relationship manager for this portfolio of prospects, developing and implementing a written donor strategy and relationship record (using Raisers Edge) of all interactions.
• Communicate with the portfolio through face-to-face cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship meetings, and written strategies; ensure that each major donor and prospect has a clear strategy and timeline for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Support or conduct face-to-face visits, solicitations, and other high-level interactions with major gift donors and prospects either independently or along with another colleague, as individual strategies may require. Conduct 12-15 prospect visits per month
• Develop solicitation strategies for donors / prospects in support of the organization's annual fund, planned giving, event sponsorship, and growth campaigns; ensure strategies are compatible and maximize opportunities with other existing campaigns and appeals.
• Work with the Gift Administration Specialist/Advancement Assistant/Director of Development to screen and prepare profiles of current and prospective donors; establish and refine benchmarks for department research processes as needed.
• Analyzes prospect research with a keen understanding of moves management to steward donors towards major gifts.
• Utilize Raiser's Edge to track and manage donor/prospect portfolio and monitor individual results toward fundraising goal; adhere to timely reporting of results to ensure accuracy of the fundraising pipeline and year-end projection forecasts.
• Identify new sources of support from individual major gift prospects and renew existing annual gifts as needed at the $5,000+ level.
• Identify potential candidates for planned giving cultivation and solicitation, as well as additional major gift prospects.
• Work both independently and as a team member to manage relationship building, cultivation, and solicitation within an assigned portfolio of individual major gift donors and prospects with the capacity to make annual and multi-year leadership and major gifts. Assess giving potential, recommend target ask amounts, develop personalized strategies, and secure gifts from each respective prospect.

Requirements

Education/Experience:

• Minimum of 5-7 years of fundraising experience, with a focus on major gifts, individual giving, or capital campaigns, preferably in a non-profit or policy setting
• Preferred bachelor's/master's degree in marketing, communications, business, related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Technologically adept with strong proficiency in Microsoft 365 and the ability and willingness to quickly learn new systems and technology, including CRM databases, like Raiser's Edge, and project management software.

Other:

• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement successful fundraising strategies.
• Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple complex projects under pressure.
• Superior writing and editing skills, with the ability to translate dense policy work (e.g., Commission recommendations) into persuasive donor communications.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage with a diverse range of stakeholders, including wealth managers, family offices, donors, and internal teams.
• Ability to work under…