Major Gift Officer

Major Gift Officer

At A21, we are fueled by radical hope - the kind that refuses to accept that slavery is someone else's problem. We believe that freedom is possible, and we work every day to make that belief a reality. We are a global nonprofit organization on a mission to abolish slavery everywhere, forever. For more than 18 years, we've assisted people from human trafficking and walked with them through the journey of restoration.

We stand on the front lines, not just to fight for justice - but to build a world where every person is free.

The Major Gift Officer has the opportunity to meaningfully engage donors and prospective donors in A21's mission to abolish slavery everywhere, forever. The successful candidate will be a highly relational and proactive fundraiser who is confident identifying, cultivating, and directly soliciting major donors and strategic partners. This role is responsible for managing a portfolio of major donors, cultivating authentic relationships, and securing significant philanthropic investments that contribute to A21's long-term growth and sustainability.

Working closely with the Director of Fundraising and Advancement team, the Major Gift Officer develops personalized strategies that inspire transformational giving and create meaningful opportunities for donors to engage with A21's mission. The Major Gift Officer will connect people to impact, communicate A21's vision, and invite others to make financial investments in the mission while contributing significantly toward A21's annual growth target.

• Manage a portfolio of major donors and prospective donors through intentional qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Develop and execute individualized engagement and giving strategies that deepen donor relationships and increase philanthropic investment.
• Build authentic, trust-based relationships with donors through regular in-person and virtual meetings, personalized communication, impact updates, and meaningful stewardship.
• Identify opportunities to increase donor engagement, giving, and long-term commitment to A21.
• Personally solicit major gifts and secure significant philanthropic investments in partnership with the Director of Fundraising and organizational leadership.
• Identify opportunities for donors to expand A21's network by making introductions to prospective donors and strategic partners.
• Contribute to annual and long-term fundraising goals through major gift acquisition, portfolio growth, donor retention, and increased giving. Prospect & Pipeline Development
• Maintain a strong pipeline of qualified major gift prospects and intentionally move prospects through the donor journey from identification and qualification through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Proactively identify and develop new major donor relationships through networking, referrals, research, events, and existing donor networks.
• Research and assess prospective donors to understand capacity, interests, relationships, and potential alignment with A21.
• Prepare compelling proposals, presentations, funding requests, and stewardship materials tailored to individual donor interests and A21's strategic priorities. Partner with the Director of Fundraising and Advancement team to identify high-capacity prospects, strategic opportunities, and approaches to portfolio growth. Identify opportunities to leverage existing donor and partner networks to expand A21's reach and fundraising pipeline.
• Collaborate with Regional Advancement & Engagement Leads and cross-functional teams to create compelling donor experiences that communicate A21's mission, strategy, and impact.
• Connect donors to A21's mission and impact through vision trips, events, program experiences, briefings, and other strategic engagement opportunities.
• Cultivate relationships with individuals, organizations, foundations, where there is potential for meaningful philanthropic partnership.
• Help create meaningful pathways for donors and partners to engage beyond financial giving, strengthening their connection to A21's mission and work.
• Participate in major donor events, networking opportunities, vision trips, donor meetings, and other strategic engagement activities.
• Maintain high emotional intelligence and sound professional judgment, with the ability to build warm, authentic donor relationships while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
• Maintain accurate and timely donor records, activity, moves management, and next steps within A21's CRM.
• Monitor portfolio performance, donor engagement, giving trends, and prospect movement to inform cultivation and solicitation strategies.
• Regularly evaluate portfolio health and identify opportunities, risks, and gaps requiring strategic action.
• Provide regular updates to the Director of Fundraising on portfolio activity, pipeline development, fundraising progress, and significant donor developments.
• Collaborate across Advancement, Marketing, Programs, Finance, and Operations…