Director of Major Gifts in Abbeyville, Colorado at Jobgether

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Director of Major Gifts based in the United States.

The Director of Major Gifts will play a central role in expanding and strengthening a major-gift fundraising program for a mission-driven international education and cultural exchange organization. This position combines strategic relationship development with hands-on prospect qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. You will build and manage a growing portfolio of major and leadership gift prospects, with a strong emphasis on proactive outreach and discovery. The role offers the opportunity to engage high-net-worth individuals, alumni, donors, executives, and organizational leaders around meaningful philanthropic priorities. Success will require sound judgment, persistence, strong communication, and disciplined portfolio management. You will work in a collaborative, international environment where fundraising directly supports programs designed to connect people and cultures around the world.

• Build, manage, and grow a portfolio of major and leadership gift donors and prospects, prioritizing discovery, qualification, relationship development, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Conduct proactive outreach to alumni, high-net-worth individuals, existing donors, and new prospects, including individuals with limited recent engagement, and develop promising relationships toward meaningful philanthropic commitments.
• Create and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies aligned with donor interests, organizational priorities, and campaign objectives.
• Secure significant gifts and develop donors toward major-gift support, recognizing that initial meaningful contributions may fall below formal major-gift thresholds.
• Leverage timely campaign and matching-gift opportunities to generate engagement while building sustainable, long-term donor relationships.
• Prepare tailored donor strategies, briefing materials, correspondence, proposals, and other materials that support effective engagement and solicitation.
• Engage senior leadership, executives, program leaders, alumni, board members, and other internal partners at appropriate stages of donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Use wealth-screening tools, donor data, research, and institutional knowledge to identify, assess, prioritize, and qualify prospects.
• Develop strategic travel plans that maximize donor engagement while making responsible use of organizational resources.
• Maintain accurate donor records, contact reports, next steps, opportunities, and revenue forecasts within the fundraising CRM.
• Coordinate with annual giving and alumni engagement teams to align outreach, prevent conflicting communications, and transition responsive prospects into personalized relationship development.
• Help establish and refine qualification, portfolio management, moves management, stewardship, travel, and donor-engagement practices.
• Identify planned-giving, family foundation, donor-advised fund, corporate, and other philanthropic opportunities and coordinate with relevant colleagues when appropriate.
• Contribute to a collaborative fundraising culture where relationship strategy, shared ownership, and team contributions are recognized in donor engagement and revenue development.

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Seven to ten years of progressively responsible fundraising experience preferred, including substantial experience in individual giving.
• Proven success cultivating, soliciting, and closing significant philanthropic gifts, including five- and six-figure commitments.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate and develop donor relationships through proactive outreach, rather than relying exclusively on an established or inherited portfolio.
• Strong experience building or significantly expanding donor portfolios and developing new opportunities.
• Excellent judgment in prospect qualification, relationship strategy, solicitation timing, and the engagement of organizational leaders and partners.
• Outstanding interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with confidence engaging high-net-worth individuals and navigating complex donor relationships.
• Strong organizational skills, disciplined follow-through, and the ability to work toward defined activity, pipeline, and revenue objectives.
• Experience using fundraising CRM systems; Salesforce experience is strongly preferred.
• Ability to use donor data, wealth-screening information, and qualitative insights to prioritize outreach while considering more than financial capacity alone.
• Entrepreneurial, practical, and solutions-oriented mindset, with the ability to develop systems, test strategies, and improve fundraising results in an evolving environment.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across teams and recognize that multiple colleagues may contribute to a donor relationship or successful gift.
• Genuine interest in international education, cultural exchange, and mission-driven work.
• Ability to work effectively across cultures and engage respectfully with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• Commitment to values including excellence, integrity, respect, inclusion, and problem solving.
• Ability to successfully complete required background, reference, education, and employment verification checks.

• Competitive total rewards package for U.S.-based employees, with benefits potentially increasing total compensation by up to 25%.
• Paid time off and parental leave.
• Six floating Fridays, subject to eligibility requirements.
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer contributions.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and travel insurance coverage.
• Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts for eligible medical and dependent-care expenses.
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Gym reimbursement program.
• Discounts on international study abroad programs.
• Voluntary benefits, including identity theft protection, pet insurance, accident coverage, and critical illness coverage.
• Fully remote position within the United States.
• Opportunity to work with an international, collaborative team supporting a mission focused on education, cultural exchange, and global connection.
• Opportunity to make a direct impact through fundraising that expands access to international educational and exchange experiences.
• Strong emphasis on inclusion, diverse perspectives, professional collaboration, and mission-driven work.