Major Gifts Officer

ADVENTIST DEVELOPMENT & RELIEF AGEN•Silver Spring, MD

About The Position

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency is a global humanitarian organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that demonstrates God’s love and compassion. ADRA works with people in poverty and distress to create just and positive change through empowering partnerships and responsible action. ADRA International is a religiously qualified Equal Opportunity Employer under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. As such we have the right to prefer a member of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church in the hiring process. In the event that a qualified SDA candidate is not found, we will give the opportunity to candidates who must understand, respect and honor the mission, purpose, and identity of ADRA International _____________________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY The Major Gifts Officer plays a pivotal role in advancing ADRA’s global humanitarian mission by cultivating meaningful relationships with high-capacity donors who are passionate about creating long-term impact through philanthropy. This role is responsible for maintaining and increasing funding from high-net‐worth individuals through effective identification, cultivation, and solicitation. They will focus on identifying and deepening relationships with individuals. The Officer will work closely with senior development leadership and the President to develop and implement strategies for building individual major gift donor relationships to meet the short and long-term goals of the department. The Major Gifts Officer will maintain a firm understanding of donor interests, passions, and values. _____________________________________________________________________________________ OUTCOMES Consistent growth in major gift revenue through strategic cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-capacity individual donors. A well-managed and actively cultivated portfolio of qualified major gift prospects capable of giving $10,000 or more. Increased donor retention, upgrade rates, and multi-year commitments within the assigned portfolio. Strategic use of moves management and CRM systems to track donor engagement, forecast revenue, and document relationship activity. High-quality, personalized proposals and donor communications aligned with donor interests, passions, and philanthropic goals. Meaningful and consistent donor engagement through in-person meetings, events, mission trips, and stewardship touchpoints. Reliable achievement or exceedance of annually established fundraising goals. Strengthened donor confidence and trust in ADRA through responsive communication, transparency, and impact reporting. Expanded pipeline of new qualified major gift prospects through research, networking, and referral development. Enhanced collaboration across Marketing and Development, and Programs teams to align funding opportunities with donor interests and organizational priorities. Improved forecasting accuracy and portfolio accountability through consistent reporting and data integrity within development systems. _____________________________________________________________________________________ PRE-REQUISITES

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and relevant experience in nonprofit fundraising, marketing, business, or communications.
Nonprofit fundraising experience, major gift experience preferred.
Proven track record of meeting or exceeding goals, preferably managing a major gifts portfolio.
Demonstrated ability to think strategically and creatively.
Demonstrated ability to persuade others.
Ability to manage high-level confidential information with integrity and sensitivity
Proficient in multi-tasking, meeting deadlines, and working with minimal supervision.
Strong writing, oral, and presentation communication skills.
Intermediate to advanced computer skills.
Experience with constituent relationship management systems.
Attention to detail and strong project management skills.
Ability to work as part of a team.
Professional attitude and appearance.

Responsibilities

Act as the primary relationship manager for a portfolio of donors who have the capacity to give gifts of $10,000 or greater.
Identify and research a portfolio of potential individual donors targeted for upgrade or renewal.
Assist in the identification of potential leadership volunteers.
Design and implement effective tailored cultivation, solicitation and stewardship plans for donor prospects in assigned portfolio, utilizing a moves management approach (from the identification/qualification phase to cultivation, solicitation and stewardship phases, while reporting and tracking progress).
Write proposals, introductory and follow-up letters, and prepare background information and materials for cultivation and solicitation activities as needed.
Present regular updates and other information on the portfolio of donors.
Partner with Senior Development leadership and/or volunteers in making solicitations.
Leverage ADRA’s President for cultivation, stewardship and solicitation, as appropriate.
Plan and implement major donor-related cultivation events and activities, including Mission Trips, gatherings of major donors with ADRA’s President, and other organization-wide events.
Participate in the development of policies and procedures relating to the major gifts program and marketing materials for the major gift effort.
Meet or exceed annually established goals.
Other duties as assigned.