Director of Major Gifts and Leadership Giving

About Us:

Issue One is a leading cross-partisan democracy reform organization working to strengthen American democracy for the sake of freedom, fairness, and opportunity. We believe the biggest challenges facing our country cannot be solved until we address the political dysfunction that prevents the government from working effectively for the American people.

Through policy advocacy, coalition building, and strategic engagement with leaders across the political spectrum, Issue One advances solutions that strengthen democratic institutions, promote accountability, safeguard elections, and ensure government serves the public interest, not special interests.

The Director of Major Gifts & Leadership Giving is a senior frontline fundraising role responsible for helping design and execute Issue One’s 501(c)(3) major gifts strategy, managing a portfolio of high-capacity donor relationships, and driving revenue growth through strategic cultivation and solicitation. This role partners closely with the VP of Philanthropy, CEO, and Board leadership to engage individuals capable of making significant multi-year investments in the organization.

The Director also serves as a strategic fundraising partner, helping identify, cultivate, and advance high-capacity donor opportunities through executive and board networks.

The Director of Major Gifts & Leadership Giving reports to the VP of Philanthropy and serves as the primary relationship manager for Issue One's major donor portfolio. The VP of Philanthropy maintains a portfolio of principal and transformational gift prospects, while the Director leads cultivation and stewardship efforts for donors with significant growth potential and supports engagement strategies for the organization’s highest-capacity prospects.

• Develop and execute strategies to grow revenue from leadership donors (individuals who give $50,000+ annually), including identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding high-capacity prospects.
• Lead and grow revenue from a portfolio of approximately 50-75 major and leadership donor prospects and donors, with emphasis on increasing the number of supporters making gifts of $50,000+ annually.
• Develop and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for each portfolio donor.
• Conduct donor research, wealth screening, and strategic segmentation to identify and qualify new major gift prospects.
• Lead and participate in high-touch donor engagement opportunities—including one-on-one meetings, small-group settings, and cultivation events—to deepen relationships and advance significant philanthropic investments.
• Draft compelling proposals, reports, and updates tailored to individual donor interests and organizational priorities.
• Track and manage the donor pipeline through strategic moves management, ensuring accurate and timely documentation of donor interactions, next steps, relationship strategies, and revenue projections in Salesforce.
• Monitor portfolio performance and fundraising results, regularly analyzing donor activity, pipeline health, and progress toward revenue goals to inform strategy and decision-making.
• Meet or exceed annual major-gifts and leadership-gifts revenue goals.

• Build and manage a strategic pipeline of high-capacity prospects sourced through the networks of the CEO, Board of Directors, Executive Team, and other organizational stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain a coordinated engagement plan for the CEO, Board members, and Executive Team that identifies priority donor relationships, establishes clear next steps, and drives accountability for cultivation and solicitation activities.
• Develop and execute engagement strategies designed to move high-potential prospects from introduction to solicitation and long-term partnership.
• Partner closely with the VP of Philanthropy and CEO to identify, prioritize, and advance major donor opportunities through their personal and professional networks.
• Serve as a key accountability partner to organizational leadership by tracking engagement activity, recommending next…