Development Officer Major Gifts

United Way of the Bluegrass Inc•Lexington, KY

13d•Hybrid

About The Position

At United Way of the Bluegrass, we bring people, resources, and partnerships together to create meaningful change across Central Kentucky. We are looking for a relationship-driven fundraiser who can help deepen the connection between people who want to make a difference and the communities their generosity supports. The Major Gifts & Donor Engagement Officer is a frontline fundraiser responsible for building relationships with current and prospective major donors and turning those relationships into meaningful philanthropic investment. You will manage your own portfolio, develop individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies, meet directly with donors, make asks, and steward relationships for long-term engagement. You will work closely with the Vice President of Resource Development and have opportunities to partner with the President & CEO, Board members, and other organizational leaders on significant donor relationships. This is a strong opportunity for someone who enjoys connecting with people, is comfortable asking for financial support, and wants to grow as a major-gifts professional.

Requirements

You do not need to come from one specific career path. We are looking for someone who knows how to build trust, manage important relationships, and confidently ask people to invest in something meaningful.
At least three years of successful experience in fundraising, major gifts, development, sales, business development, relationship management, or a comparable field.
Experience cultivating and managing high-value relationships and securing financial commitments.
Strong interpersonal, presentation, writing, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
Excellent organization and the ability to independently manage multiple relationships and priorities.
Comfort working with CRM systems; Andar experience is a plus.
Knowledge of Central Kentucky’s philanthropic, civic, or business community is helpful, but not required.
A bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent professional experience.
This role requires regular travel throughout UWBG’s service area and occasional evening and weekend participation in donor and community events.

Nice To Haves

Andar experience is a plus.
Knowledge of Central Kentucky’s philanthropic, civic, or business community is helpful, but not required.

Responsibilities

Manage a portfolio of current and prospective major donors, with clear strategies and next steps for each relationship.
Build authentic year-round relationships through donor meetings, program visits, impact updates, events, volunteer opportunities, and personalized engagement.
Personally cultivate, solicit, and secure major gifts, including opportunities for increased and multi-year commitments.
Develop donor-specific proposals and giving opportunities that connect individual interests with UWBG’s community impact.
Partner with the Vice President of Resource Development on major-gift strategy and significant solicitations.
Identify and qualify new prospects in partnership with our CRM and development research function.
Create meaningful stewardship strategies that strengthen donor retention and encourage increased investment.
Maintain accurate donor, pipeline, solicitation, and next-action information in the CRM.
Collaborate across Resource Development, Community Impact, Communications, and organizational leadership to advance donor relationships.