Major Gifts Officer

Alliance for Justice • Washington, DC

13d • $125,000 - $131,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Alliance for Justice (AFJ) is a national association of more than 135 organizations, representing a broad array of groups committed to progressive values and the creation of an equitable, just, and free society. For more than 45 years we have been leaders in the fight for a more equitable society on behalf of a broad constituency based on the belief that all Americans have the right to secure justice in the courts and to have their voices heard when government makes decisions that affect their lives.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Individual Giving, the Major Gifts Officer serves as the strategic architect of the donor journey. This role is best suited for a seasoned gift officer who works collaboratively, approaches challenges with a problem-solving mindset, and brings a strong can‑do attitude. Prior management experience is helpful. The ideal candidate is adaptable and able to pivot as needed, as the development function requires agile thinking and a flexible workflow.

This position focuses on building and managing a scalable system that converts first-time and current supporters into recurring partners, while identifying high net worth potential prospects for deeper investment. Specifically, this role is responsible for cultivating, stewarding and growing annually the mid-level donor and sustainer programs. Success is measured in part by pipeline velocity, defined as the strategic advancement of donors toward leadership level giving, but performance is not evaluated on efficiency alone. Success also requires the ability to anticipate and respond to current event cycles, identify and leverage timely opportunities, think strategically and creatively, and collaborate effectively across teams to amplify impact.

Equally important is a strong understanding of donor stewardship. The Major Gifts Officer engages donors in ways that are strategic, relevant, and meaningful to them, with the goal of strengthening long‑term relationships, engagement, and sustained support – producing increased revenue growth year over year.

Requirements

• 8-10 years experience in major gift leadership, with a proven track record of success.
• Ability to hit the ground running: work effectively as a team member and independently.
• Tool Expertise: Mastery of EveryAction and DonorSearch to build and manage prospect lists.
• Strategic Prospecting: Experience using wealth screening to inform cultivation and solicitation strategies.
• Persuasive Communicator: Ability to write compelling, "donor-centric" copy that triggers immediate action.
• Analytical Mindset: Comfortable using data to pivot strategies and prove ROI.

Nice To Haves

• Strong communicator who collaborates effectively across departments.
• Self-driven and takes initiative to solve problems with the team.
• Understand that details matter and prioritizes accuracy.
• Values efficiency, but never at the expense of quality.
• Focused on delivering a personal, meaningful experience – because that’s what the donor remembers.
• Approaches challenges with a problem-solving mindset.
• Brings a strong can‑do attitude.
• Adaptable and able to pivot as needed, as the development team requires agile thinking and a flexible workflow.
• Able to recover from setbacks inherent in a fast-paced work environment like fundraising.
• Prior management experience is helpful.

Responsibilities

• Targeted Cultivation: Focuses on donors who have moved beyond entry-level giving to maximize their long-term lifetime value.
• Concierge Stewardship: Provides a high-touch experience for mid-tier donors through personal phone calls, custom impact updates, and exclusive event invitations, raising annual growth of this portfolio by 25%
• Pipeline Movement: Systematically prepares and transitions top-tier donors to the Senior Director of Individual Giving once they reach the organization’s highest capacity thresholds. Raising annual growth of this portfolio by 25%
• Engagement Tracking: Monitors interactions from email open rates to event attendance within EveryAction to prioritize outreach.
• DonorSearch Integration: Leverages DonorSearch to perform real-time wealth screening and philanthropic propensity modeling on the current database.
• Predictive Prospecting: Utilizes wealth markers and behavioral data to identify "hidden" high-capacity donors. Resourceful and creative in identifying leads.
• Qualification Cycles: Conducts "discovery" outreach to determine if a donor has the inclination and capacity for a significant gift upgrade.
• Portfolio Hand-off: Serves as the primary filter for the Major Gifts team, ensuring only "warm," qualified leads are moved into high-touch portfolios.
• Conversion Strategy: Launches automated email journeys in EveryAction that trigger recurring giving asks based on specific donor behavior.
• Churn Mitigation: Proactively manages payment failures and expired cards to protect the organization's predictable cash flow.
• Sustainer Upgrades: Executes data-driven campaigns to encourage monthly donors to increase their commitment or transition to an annual leadership gift.
• Community Building: Manages the identity and "perks" of the monthly sustainers to foster loyalty.
• Direct Response: Leads the creative direction for high-volume appeals (Year-End, Giving Tuesday) across mail, email, and SMS.
• CRM Hygiene: Maintains meticulous data entry in EveryAction to ensure no prospect falls through the cracks.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision benefits
• employee assistance program for physical and mental well-being
• 401K plan with a 5% employer contribution
• life and disability insurance
• Eleven (11) days of vacation each year (Year 1)
• Sixteen (16) days of vacation each year (Year 2-4)
• Twenty-One (21 days) of vacation each year (Year 4+)
• up to sixteen (16) total weeks of leave in connection with the birth of the employee’s child, placement of a child with the employee for adoption, or gaining of a foster child.
• twelve (12) weeks of fully paid parental leave for purposes of bonding with a new baby following a birth or placement of a child for adoption or gaining of a foster child.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed