Major Gifts Manager

Center for Disaster Philanthropy•Washington, DC

14h•$73,000 - $82,150•Remote

About The Position

CDP began in 2010 with the goal of pioneering the practice of strategic disaster philanthropy. Since then, it has grown in its ambition, envisioning a world where the impact of disasters is minimized through thoughtful, equitable and responsible recovery for all. CDP has a $40 million budget and a team of more than 30 staff members working remotely across the U.S. CDP is a trusted partner, expert and authoritative resource helping hundreds of individuals, foundations and corporations boost the impact of philanthropic giving in response to disasters and humanitarian crises by supporting equitable recovery and addressing the root causes of vulnerabilities worldwide. In 2024, CDP awarded approximately $16 million through 70 grants to grantee partners worldwide, demonstrated thought leadership through webinars, blog posts, featured speaking engagements, and other events, and served 20+ philanthropic partners through consulting efforts. In 2020, CDP was a featured nonprofit for the 14th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute [https://disasterphilanthropy.org/press/center-for-disaster-philanthropy-selected-as-a-featured-nonprofit-for-cnn-heroes-an-all-star-tribute/]. CDP has earned Charity Navigator’s Four-Star Charity [https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/455257937] rating, Candid’s Platinum Transparency seal [https://www.guidestar.org/profile/45-5257937] and is a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity. As an organization grounded in racial and intersectional equity [https://disasterphilanthropy.org/about/race-intersectional-equity-statement/], our team members are deeply committed to strengthening communities most vulnerable to disasters because of systemic inequities. We are guided by our values [https://disasterphilanthropy.org/about/our-values/] of integrity, boldness and innovation, humility, and empathy in all that we do in pursuit of our mission.   Bottom line: We aspire to walk the talk of anti-racism and treat each other and our partners in ways that inspire trust, creativity, learning and care.  Be a part of our fast-growing team that offers countless ways to help communities thrive. Join us! Over the last few years of CDP's 15-year history, growth has been exponential. CDP has consistently raised revenue to advance our mission, strategy, education and innovation programs, and disaster funds. CDP has built our strategic reserves over the past six years, increasing our organizational savings to more than $20 million. In 2024 alone, CDP raised more than $43 million to help mobilize philanthropy to support equitable disaster recovery. This growth, coupled with increased visibility, has created a critical need for efficient, accurate and high-quality donor support and stewardship. Reporting to the director of donor engagement, the major gifts manager plays a vital role in advancing CDP’s mission by cultivating, soliciting and stewarding a portfolio of major donors and prospects. This position focuses on developing personalized, high‑touch relationships with individual and foundation donors capable of making significant contributions starting at the five-figure level. Working closely with development team members and collaborating across CDP departments, the major gifts manager implements strategic cultivation plans, prepares compelling proposals and briefing materials and ensures excellent, consistent donor experiences across all touchpoints. This position is essential to advancing the development team’s goals of: Increasing philanthropic revenue to advance CDP’s mission. Expanding and deepening donor relationships. Growing CDP’s major donor pipeline. Ensuring operational excellence and accurate data management. As a fully remote workforce, CDP prioritizes employee engagement and relationship-building in service of a collaborative culture rooted in equity. To this end, in-person team retreats are scheduled throughout the year in different regions of the U.S. This role will be expected to attend 2-3 retreats per year, which average 3-5 days of travel each. This role may also require travel to donor engagement events, conferences and other convenings. The successful candidate will display the following traits: You are a persuasive relationship-builder, a strategic thinker and an organized project manager who thrives in a donor-facing role. You are a natural collaborator, able to work seamlessly across multiple internal teams (e.g., marketing & communications, fund management) to develop compelling proposals and stewardship tools. You bring a strong understanding of the donor lifecycle, exceptional communication skills and the ability to translate donor motivation into meaningful engagement that inspires generosity.

Requirements

Comfortable making direct asks and demonstrated success cultivating and soliciting six-figure gifts.
Strong specialized understanding of donor motivations, philanthropic trends and moves management best practices.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas in inspiring, donor-centered language.
Experience working with a CRM such as Blackbaud NXT; comfortable managing data, pipelines and reports.
Strong project management skills, including the demonstrated ability to manage multiple high-level, complex and multifaceted relationships, priorities and deadlines in a remote environment.
High emotional intelligence, active listening skills and the ability to connect with donors from diverse backgrounds.
Collaborative spirit to develop strategies that contribute to team success and a commitment to providing exceptional donor experiences.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while staying aligned to team goals and processes.
5-7 years of work experience demonstrated through expertise in progressive fundraising, preferably in major gifts.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with foundation and family philanthropy, ultra-high-net-worth individuals and wealth advisors in a donor environment.
Understanding of the disaster recovery and philanthropic landscape and trends.
Excellent analytical and critical thinking with precise attention to detail and a strong sense of personal responsibility for work.
Strong experience and skills with Blackbaud NXT, including reporting, data management and donor tracking.
Supervisory or management experience.

Responsibilities

Manage a portfolio of major donors and prospects with individualized revenue and engagement goals.
Develop and implement tailored cultivation, solicitation and stewardship plans using a moves‑management approach.
Conduct donor qualification, discovery and solicitation conversations, preparing leadership with briefings and talking points as needed.
Draft compelling proposals, gift requests, and donor-facing materials.
Deliver a high‑quality, personalized donor experience through consistent outreach, impact updates and meaningful engagement opportunities.
Create customized stewardship plans, including impact reports, recognition materials and tailored content that connect donor motivations to CDP’s mission.
Collaborate across teams to ensure donor communications and recognition efforts are cohesive, timely and mission‑aligned.
Use Raiser’s Edge NXT to track interactions, maintain pipeline activity and ensure data accuracy.
Analyze donor trends to inform strategies, forecast revenue and refine engagement approaches.
Collaborate with the director of annual giving to identify donor growth opportunities.
Work closely with development colleagues to identify new prospects, strengthen systems and coordinate cultivation and stewardship activities.