Director, Major Gifts

Girl Scouts of Northern California•San Jose, CA

About The Position

Girl Scouts of Northern California is seeking an experienced, relationship-driven Director of Major Gifts to cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors and prospects. The role strengthens and expands individual philanthropic support through personalized relationship management, proactive prospecting, and strategic fundraising. The Director manages a portfolio of approximately 50–75 donors and prospects, focusing on identifying new philanthropic supporters, building relationships beyond the existing network, and increasing investment from current donors. Reporting to the Senior Director of Community Engagement & Individual Philanthropy, the Director is responsible for securing major gifts, maintaining an active prospect pipeline, and contributing to individual fundraising goals. The position has an annual major gifts goal of $1 million and includes personally soliciting gifts of $10,000 or more, including five- and six-figure contributions. It is externally focused and involves regular donor meetings, independent outreach, and developing new philanthropic relationships. The Director develops individualized donor strategies and proposals, identifies and qualifies prospects using research and analytics, and builds long-term donor relationships through cultivation and stewardship. The role also manages portfolio records and performance reporting, forecasts revenue, monitors key performance indicators, and collaborates with the Senior Director, Fund Development colleagues, and Program Teams. The position requires occasional evening and weekend availability and in-person meetings and organizational activities throughout the council's service area.

Requirements

Five or more years of nonprofit fundraising experience, including demonstrated success in major gifts fundraising.
Proven ability to cultivate, solicit, and steward individual donors, including securing five- and six-figure gifts.
Demonstrated experience identifying and developing new donor relationships beyond an existing portfolio.
Strong understanding of major gifts fundraising, moves management, prospect research, and donor-centered solicitation strategies.
Experience managing a donor portfolio, developing individualized solicitation strategies, and meeting fundraising goals.
Experience using donor databases and CRM systems to manage portfolios, track donor activity, and support fundraising reporting.
Familiarity with prospect research, wealth screening, and predictive giving analytics tools, and the ability to use donor data to identify and prioritize major gift opportunities.
Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to build authentic relationships with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple relationships and priorities independently.
Comfort initiating donor relationships, conducting in-person meetings, and making direct solicitations.
Ability to develop thoughtful fundraising strategies and translate them into actionable plans.
Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Commitment to the mission and values of Girl Scouts of Northern California.
Ability to attend in-person donor meetings and organizational activities throughout the council's service area, including occasional evenings and weekends.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
Knowledge of the Northern California philanthropic landscape and experience developing relationships within the region.
Experience working with youth-serving, community-based, or volunteer-driven nonprofit organizations.
Experience securing multi-year gifts or supporting planned giving conversations.
Knowledge of Girl Scout programs and mission.
Experience using donor analytics and research tools to expand a major gifts pipeline.
Experience with Raiser's Edge NXT.

Responsibilities

Manage and grow a portfolio of approximately 50–75 major donors and qualified prospects, including cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
Develop and execute individualized donor strategies, cultivation plans, solicitation timelines, and stewardship activities.
Work toward an annual major gifts fundraising goal of $1 million through renewals, upgrades, new gifts, and multi-year commitments.
Personally solicit major gifts of $10,000 or more, including five- and six-figure contributions, through meetings, proposals, and tailored funding opportunities.
Identify opportunities to increase giving from existing supporters and transition donors with significant capacity into the major gifts portfolio.
Develop compelling proposals and funding opportunities that align donor interests with organizational priorities.
Maintain an active schedule of in-person and virtual donor meetings, cultivation visits, and solicitation conversations.
Identify, research, qualify, and cultivate prospective major donors, including individuals outside the organization's existing network.
Use prospect research tools, wealth screening, predictive giving analytics, and professional networks to identify potential donors.
Initiate new donor relationships through personalized outreach, referrals, networking, and community connections.
Build and maintain a pipeline of prospective major donors, with strategies to move prospects from identification through solicitation.
Assess prospect potential, prioritize outreach, and adjust cultivation strategies based on donor interests, capacity, and relationship development.
Build long-term donor relationships through personalized communications, meetings, and mission-focused experiences.
Develop stewardship strategies that demonstrate the impact of major gifts and encourage continued philanthropic investment.
Collaborate with program staff to create opportunities for donors to experience the impact of Girl Scouting.
Identify opportunities for multi-year commitments, increased annual support, and planned gifts in partnership with the Senior Director.
Support donor cultivation and appreciation activities, including small gatherings and program visits.
Track donors and prospects through identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, maintaining accurate records in Raiser's Edge NXT.
Establish and monitor portfolio goals and key performance indicators, including meetings, qualified prospects, solicitations, gifts secured, retention, and upgrades.
Prepare pipeline reports, revenue forecasts, and portfolio updates to evaluate progress toward fundraising goals.
Analyze donor giving history, wealth screening information, and giving propensity data to identify prospects and prioritize opportunities.
Evaluate portfolio performance and adjust strategies to strengthen relationships, advance solicitations, and improve fundraising outcomes.
Collaborate with the Senior Director on annual fundraising priorities, portfolio progress, and alignment with departmental goals.
Collaborate with Fund Development and Program Teams on donor proposals, impact updates, and cultivation opportunities.
Stay informed about philanthropic trends, major gifts fundraising best practices, and opportunities to strengthen individual giving.