Officer, Major Gifts

Job Announcement

Officer, Major Gifts New York, NY, United States

Guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, Helen Keller Intl

partners with communities striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty.

By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition, and clear vision,

we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in 20

countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we ensure every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential.

The Major Gifts team, part of Helen Keller Intl’s Individual Giving team, is at an exciting point of growth as the organization continues to expand and diversify its community of major donors.

The organization is intentionally evolving toward a more vibrant, donor-centered solicitation culture — one that sustains strong stewardship while more proactively inviting donors to make transformative investments in Helen Keller’s mission through unrestricted, loosely restricted, and multi-year support.

This role offers a unique opportunity for someone who has been part of a development team and is ready to take the next step in managing and growing an assigned portfolio of donors and prospects. The Officer will receive strong mentorship and support from experienced colleagues

and organizational leaders while gaining meaningful exposure to strategy, donor engagement, and philanthropic storytelling.

The Officer, Major Gifts manages and grows a portfolio of 120–150 donors and prospects giving, or capable of giving, $5,000–$25,000+ annually — including longstanding supporters and emerging major donor prospects across he United States.

Operating with a moderate degree of autonomy, the role is accountable for portfolio

management and donor engagement, collaboration and philanthropic partnership, and

events and donor experiences.

Working closely with colleagues across Helen Keller Intl — including the CEO, Executive Team, and program staff — the Officer, helps donors connect meaningfully with the organization’s mission and impact and creates philanthropic opportunities aligned with donor interests and organizational priorities.

The Officer, Major Gifts reports to the Director, Major Gifts and does not supervise staff.

The role works closely with the Individual Giving Unit and the Growth & Branding Group,

and collaborates with the CEO, Executive Team, program staff, and colleagues across

the organization to help donors connect meaningfully with Helen Keller Intl’s mission and impact. Externally, the role manages relationships with a portfolio of individual donors.

• Maintain an assigned portfolio of 120–150 donors and prospects giving or capable of giving $5,000–$25,000+ annually, overseeing the full donor lifecycle from identification and cultivation through solicitation, stewardship, and renewal.
• Personally solicit annual, unrestricted, loosely restricted, and multi-year gifts;conduct donor meetings both independently and alongside organizational leaders; and track engagement and activity in Raiser’s Edge and related systems.
• Craft compelling donor communications — emails, proposals, reports, stewardship updates, briefing materials, and thank-you correspondence — and serve as a persuasive storyteller in written and verbal interactions with donors and prospects.
• Learn Helen Keller’s programs deeply and partner with the Center for Marketing and Branding and other teams to match donor interests with funding opportunities and organizational priorities.

• Collaborate with colleagues to design and deliver meaningful donor engagement opportunities, from virtual events and intimate gatherings to larger organizational
• Research attendees, prepare staff and volunteer leaders for donor interactions, and help identify and cultivate hosts for salon-style gatherings and events.

• Contribute to a collaborative, donor-centered culture of philanthropy, working effectively across teams and departments to…