Major Gifts Officer - Mesa, AZ

Major Gifts Officer Job Summary

The Major Gift Officer (MGO) serves as a frontline fundraising professional responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major donor relationships in support of A New Leaf’s mission and strategic priorities. This role focuses on building authentic, long‑term partnerships with donors and community stakeholders through personalized engagement, donor discovery, and relationship‑centered fundraising practices. The MGO manages a portfolio of major gift donors and prospects, leads strategic stewardship efforts, supports the organization’s culture of philanthropy, and collaborates closely with leadership, program staff, and volunteer partners to expand philanthropic support throughout Maricopa and Pinal counties.

• Manage and cultivate a portfolio of approximately 125–150 qualified donors and prospects with a focus on major gift opportunities of $5,000 or greater.
• Build and maintain authentic donor relationships through personalized stewardship, ongoing engagement, and meaningful donor experiences.
• Conduct regular face‑to‑face donor meetings, community visits, program tours, and relationship‑building activities throughout the service area.
• Develop and implement individualized donor engagement, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies aligned with organizational priorities.
• Prepare and present strategic funding requests, proposals, and donor communications in partnership with organizational leadership and program teams.
• Collaborate with executive leadership, Board members, and volunteer leaders to support donor engagement activities and joint solicitations.
• Promote and model a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization by fostering collaboration and donor‑centered practices across departments.
• Translate programmatic services, community impact, and organizational initiatives into compelling donor‑focused narratives and funding opportunities.
• Support and help guide Women’s Giving Circle initiatives, member engagement activities, and community‑based philanthropy efforts.
• Identify and help cultivate planned giving and legacy giving opportunities, including prospective Heartwood Circle donors.
• Maintain accurate donor records, stewardship activity, and portfolio documentation within the organization’s donor management system.
• Monitor fundraising activity, donor engagement metrics, and portfolio performance to support established fundraising goals and key performance indicators.
• Participate in community events, donor functions, networking opportunities, and mission‑focused gatherings as needed.
• Maintain confidentiality, professionalism, and ethical stewardship practices when handling donor information and organizational relationships.
• Perform other reasonably related duties as assigned.

• Education:
  
  Bachelor's degree in Business, Communications, Nonprofit Management, Marketing, Public Relations, or a related field required.
• Experience:
  
  Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive fundraising or development experience required.
• Minimum of four (4) years of frontline major gift fundraising experience required.
• Demonstrated success securing and stewarding major gifts of $5,000 or greater required.
• Experience managing donor portfolios, donor cultivation strategies, and stewardship activities preferred.
• Experience working with volunteer leadership, executive leadership, and boards preferred.
• Experience utilizing donor relationship management systems, including Raiser’s Edge/NXT or similar CRM platforms preferred.
• Knowledge of planned giving and legacy giving strategies preferred.

• Hybrid work environment consisting of office‑based work, donor visits, community meetings, fundraising events, and travel throughout Maricopa and Pinal counties.
• Frequent local travel required for donor engagement, networking, and community‑based activities.
• Some evening and weekend hours required to support fundraising events, donor meetings, and organizational activities.
• Ability to sit, stand, walk, and drive for extended periods throughout the workday.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry materials, event supplies, or presentation…