Director, Major & Planned Giving

Los Angeles LGBT Center•Los Angeles, CA

2d•$136,000 - $144,000

About The Position

The Director, Major & Planned Giving leads the Los Angeles LGBT Center's major gifts and planned giving fundraising efforts. The role manages a portfolio of approximately 75 high-net-worth individuals and family foundations, develops and executes donor engagement and solicitation strategies, and oversees a team of two Major Gift Officers and one Planned Giving Officer. Reporting to the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the Director works with senior leadership, board members, and volunteer leaders to advance fundraising goals aligned with the Center's mission and strategic priorities. The Director leads donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship; personally solicits and closes significant gifts; and builds a pipeline of major-gift prospects. The role also provides strategic oversight of planned giving, develops initiatives to increase deferred gifts, and strengthens legacy society stewardship. As a campaign leader, the Director supports campaign strategy and execution, leadership gift fundraising, volunteer engagement, and campaign stewardship. The position supervises and develops fundraising staff, establishes goals and performance measures, and fosters accountability and collaboration. It partners with the Chief Philanthropy Officer, CEO, Board of Directors, and other Center departments on donor relationships, fundraising strategy, planning, and performance. Work is primarily office-based, with frequent donor meetings and events and required local regional travel. The schedule may include occasional evening and weekend fundraising events.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field, such as nonprofit management, business administration, or communications, or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience.
8–10 years of experience in major gifts fundraising.
Experience working with donors on planned giving strategies, independently or with planned giving colleagues.
Proven track record managing high-capacity donor portfolios and securing six-, seven-, and transformational gifts.
Experience leading and managing fundraising teams, including coaching and performance management.
Experience collaborating with senior leadership, board members, and volunteers on fundraising.
Proficiency with donor management and fundraising software systems.
Strong skills in developing fundraising reports, proposals, and presentations.
Competence with office productivity tools, including word processing, spreadsheets, and email.
Ability to manage data and track fundraising metrics effectively.
Knowledge of major and planned giving principles and practices, donor cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, philanthropic trends, and campaign management.
Commitment to the Los Angeles LGBT Center's mission and values.
Understanding of nonprofit fundraising regulations and ethical standards.
No license or certification is required.
Ability to remain stationary and work at a computer or workstation for extended periods; use hands repetitively and demonstrate manual dexterity with office equipment and technology; and read screens, documents, and printed materials.
Effective verbal communication for in-person and virtual donor engagement, ability to attend meetings and events, and ability to handle and transport ordinary work materials as needed.
Ability to travel locally in the region for donor meetings, community events, and philanthropic forums.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or specialized training in nonprofit management, fundraising, philanthropy, or a related field.
Experience leading major fundraising and capital campaigns.
Experience working in LGBTQ+ or social justice-focused nonprofit organizations.
Experience managing larger teams or multiple fundraising programs.
Professional fundraising certification such as CFRE or equivalent.
Advanced proficiency with donor management systems and fundraising analytics tools.
Experience with digital fundraising platforms and social media engagement for donor cultivation.
In-depth knowledge of planned giving vehicles and estate planning.
Understanding of campaign leadership and volunteer engagement strategies.
Knowledge of the regional philanthropic community and major donor networks.

Responsibilities

Lead strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift donors and prospects.
Manage a personal portfolio of approximately 75 high-net-worth individuals and family foundations capable of making six-, seven-, and transformational gifts.
Develop individualized donor engagement strategies to deepen relationships and increase philanthropic support.
Personally solicit and close significant gifts supporting annual, strategic, campaign, capital, and endowment priorities.
Build and maintain a pipeline of major gift prospects and leadership-level donors.
Monitor fundraising results and ensure achievement of revenue goals and performance metrics.
Provide strategic leadership and oversight of the planned giving program.
Develop initiatives to increase bequest intentions and other deferred gift commitments.
Partner with donors and professional advisors to facilitate planned giving opportunities.
Strengthen the legacy society and planned giving stewardship efforts, ensuring donors receive recognition and engagement.
Lead campaign planning, strategy development, execution, leadership gift fundraising, prospect strategy, volunteer engagement, and campaign stewardship.
Collaborate with the Chief Philanthropy Officer, CEO, Board members, and campaign volunteers to secure major campaign commitments.
Align campaign objectives with individual donor interests and philanthropic goals, and maintain systems to track campaign progress and outcomes.
Directly supervise, coach, mentor, and develop two Major Gift Officers and one Planned Giving Officer.
Establish individual and team performance goals, fundraising metrics, and professional development plans; conduct portfolio reviews and strategy meetings.
Support recruitment, onboarding, retention, and performance management of fundraising staff.
Oversee hiring, evaluations, corrective actions, termination recommendations or approvals, scheduling, training, and coaching for direct reports.
Assign donor portfolios and prospect strategies, and review solicitation plans, proposals, stewardship plans, work plans, and performance goals.
Partner with the Chief Philanthropy Officer on fundraising strategy and philanthropic growth, and collaborate with the CEO on key donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
Engage and support Board members in fundraising and donor relationship-building; prepare briefing materials, talking points, donor strategies, and follow-up plans.
Present fundraising strategies, outcomes, and donor opportunities to senior leadership, board committees, and volunteers as needed.
Represent the Center at donor meetings, cultivation events, community gatherings, and philanthropic forums.
Contribute to department-wide strategic planning, goal setting, budgeting, and performance evaluation.
Identify philanthropic trends and opportunities, collaborate across departments, and align fundraising with the Center's values, mission, strategic plan, and impact goals.