Major Gifts Officer
Listed on 2026-09-14
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Non-Profit & Social Impact
Fundraising / Charity, Community Health, Volunteer / Humanitarian, Non-Profit / Outreach
ABOUT US
Riverkeeper is New York’s premier water quality advocate. Established in 1966, Riverkeeper protects and restores the Hudson River from source to sea and safeguards drinking water supplies through advocacy rooted in community partnerships, science, and law.
With an annual operating budget of $5 million, Riverkeeper is a mid-sized not-for-profit operating in the Hudson Valley. For more information, visit www.riverkeeper.org.
Major Gifts Officer DEPARTMENT:
Development
REPORTS TO:
Chief Philanthropy Officer SALARY: $115,000-$125,000 per year
SCHEDULE:
Full-time; with flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends
LOCATION:
Mostly remote in New York, NY and Hudson Valley; requiring at least 1 day in the Ossining, NY, office weekly. POSITION SUMMARY
The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) will be a frontline fundraiser, primarily responsible for the cultivation, stewardship and solicitation of Riverkeeper’s $5,000+ major donors. The MGO will develop and implement strategies for identifying, researching, and cultivating donor prospects through one-on-one meetings, small group events, and Riverkeeper’s annual gala. They will build authentic, long-term relationships to connect a donor's philanthropic passions with organizational priorities.
This role will work directly with Riverkeeper’s Chief Philanthropy Officer, President, and members of the Board as needed.
(This is not an exhaustive list of all job duties, responsibilities, and requirements.)
Portfolio Management: Manage an active portfolio of 100 to 150 top-tier donors and prospects using the "moves management" cycle (qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship), with a focus on net new major donors, gift renewals, and increases. Develop short- and long-term strategies for individual prospects, which may also include their corporate employers and/or family foundations/donor-advised funds.
Prospect Management: With an emphasis on New York City, create a robust pipeline of new and potential major donors, using information from internal gift reports, the donor database, prospect research, and recommendations from executive and volunteer leadership
Direct Solicitation: Prepare compelling funding proposals, investment decks, and gift agreements, and conduct direct asks for major and planned gifts.
Donor Stewardship: Maintain personalized communication, ensuring donors feel recognized, valued, and informed about the impact of their contributions. Write solicitation and acknowledgement letters, proposals, donor recognition pieces and other materials to convey the impact of gifts and ensure that donors are kept current on key developments in Riverkeeper’s evolving campaigns and priorities.
Leadership
Collaboration:
Partner with executive leadership and program experts to align donor interests with specific Riverkeeper initiatives.
Data & Tracking: Document all prospect interactions, contact reports, and pipeline tracking in Salesforce. Work with the Chief Philanthropy Officer to develop, manage, and monitor revenue goals and expense budgets for major giving.
Key Meetings: Assist the Chief Philanthropy Officer with oversight of the Partnerships & Philanthropy Committee, a group of board members and key volunteer leaders responsible for helping secure new strategic partnerships for the organization.
Fundraising Events: Plan, coordinate, and support donor cultivation and other fundraising events; in partnership with development staff, help execute logistics and coordinate post-event follow-up.
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