Director of Major and Planned Gifts

Catholic Guardian SERVICES Development DIVISION Job Description for

Director of Major and Planned Gifts (Open)

About us:

We are seeking a talented and driven Director of Major and Planned Gifts to join our Development Team as we grow philanthropic support for Catholic Guardian Services. This role focuses on cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding high-level donors and prospects who have the potential to make significant philanthropic contributions, including transformational seven- and eight-figure gifts. The Director of Major and Planned Gifts will play a critical role in advancing the organization’s mission by developing personalized donor strategies and building long-term relationships with individual donors and family foundations. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced fundraiser to help deepen donor engagement and increase financial support for our life-changing programs.

Catholic Guardian Services helps build stronger families and healthier communities by providing holistic human services for children and families in need regardless of race, religion, creed, or life circumstances. We believe there is a direct connection between a person’s success, health, and happiness, and the strength of their family unit. Powerful external factors such as unmet healthcare needs, chronic poverty, inadequate housing, and drug epidemics, can create overwhelming challenges for families - particularly those who are vulnerable, underserved, and impoverished. Crises can and will affect everyone in a family and could, by extension, affect others in the community. Our approach is to collaborate with at-risk parents, children, and caregivers to resolve issues collaboratively and to pre-emptively avoid crises before they happen. Today and every day, we serve more than 3,000 individuals and 1,400 families.

About the position:

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer (CDO), the Director of Major and Planned Gifts will manage a portfolio of high-level donors and prospects, designing and executing strategies to cultivate, solicit, and steward relationships with individuals capable of making transformational contributions. This individual will be responsible for developing personalized donor engagement plans, crafting compelling proposals, and ensuring donors are deeply connected to the impact of their giving. This role requires a proactive, relationship-focused professional who thrives in a collaborative environment and is committed to advancing the organization’s mission.

About you:

You are a skilled fundraiser with a proven ability to engage high-level donors and inspire significant gifts. You bring creativity and strategic thinking to donor engagement and relationship building. You are comfortable managing a portfolio of donors, tailoring personalized outreach, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to achieve ambitious fundraising goals. Highly organized and driven, you excel in a fast-paced environment and are motivated by creating meaningful impact through philanthropy.

As a vital contributor to a lean, results-oriented team, you’re eager to take ownership of cultivating meaningful donor relationships, securing major gifts, and advancing planned giving initiatives that drive long-term impact.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Portfolio Management:

• Manage a portfolio of 100–150 high-level donors and prospects capable of making significant philanthropic contributions ($5,000 ).
• Proactively qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors through thoughtful, strategic engagement at every stage of the relationship.
• Demonstrate persistence and care in outreach—whether scheduling a first call, securing a visit, or deepening a long-term partnership—through consistent, personalized communication that moves relationships forward.

Cultivation and Solicitation:

• Solicit donations through personalized asks, ensuring alignment with donor interests and the organization’s mission.
• Identify opportunities for donors to increase their giving, including multi-year commitments, stretch gifts, blended gifts, legacy gifts, donor-advised funds, and stock contributions.
• Collaborate with the Chief Development Officer and program staff to design and deliver high-quality donor touchpoints, proposals, and presentations.
• Plan and execute small donor cultivation events, such as receptions and mission-driven gatherings, to identify and engage new major gift prospects.

Stewardship and Donor Engagement:

• Provide exceptional stewardship to donors by ensuring timely acknowledgment of gifts and consistent updates on the impact of their contributions.
• Collaborate with internal teams to produce customized stewardship materials, including impact reports, personal thank-you messages, and updates on planned giving opportunities.
• Organize and participate in donor engagement activities, including small cultivation events, legacy society recognition opportunities, and personalized mission-driven experiences.

Prospect Identification and Moves Management:

• Continuously identify new prospects for the major gifts pipeline through research, networking, and referrals, including individuals with the capacity for planned gifts, donor-advised funds, and other high-impact giving vehicles.
• Utilize donor data and analytics tools to identify growth opportunities and improve portfolio performance.
• Work closely with the Chief Development Officer to qualify and transition donors with potential for transformational gifts into the appropriate portfolio for deeper engagement.
• Collaborate with program and finance teams to ensure accurate reporting and alignment of donor proposals with organizational priorities.

Campaign Engagement:

• Support the planning and execution of a multi-year comprehensive campaign aligned with organizational priorities.
• Identify and engage campaign-aligned prospects within your portfolio, with a focus on securing lead, major, and planned gifts.
• Help drive campaign progress through disciplined qualification, cultivation, and solicitation of donors capable of transformational giving.

Ideal candidate:

Essential:

• Strong commitment to the mission of Catholic Guardian Services and advancing our mission.
• Proven experience in cultivating and soliciting gifts of $10,000 or more from individual donors or family foundations.
• Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple relationships and priorities.
• Proactive and self-motivated, with a proven track record of exceeding fundraising goals.
• Demonstrated experience or strong interest in securing planned gifts, particularly legacy commitments through wills, trusts, and beneficiary designations.
• Familiarity with donor-advised funds and the ability to identify and engage donors who give through DAFs as part of a broader philanthropic strategy.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development, including training in philanthropy, major gifts, and planned giving trends.
• Flexibility to adapt to shifting priorities and initiatives, aligning donor engagement efforts with the organization's evolving needs and goals.

Desirable:

• Experience working with donor databases and CRM platforms such as Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge/NXT, or DonorPerfect.
• Familiarity with moves management and donor research tools such as iWave, DonorSearch, or Windfall.
• Knowledge of philanthropic trends and donor motivations in human services
• Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) certification or willingness to pursue certification.

Technical Skills Needed:

• Relationship-Building: Proven ability to establish and sustain strong, meaningful connections with donors, aligning their interests with the organization’s mission to foster transformational giving.
• Planned Giving Knowledge: In-depth understanding of planned giving mechanisms, such as bequests, donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, stock donations, and other legacy giving vehicles, as well as familiarity with current trends in planned giving.
• Copywriting and Proposal Development: Expertise in creating compelling solicitation letters, donor reports, and tailored presentations that inspire donor confidence and commitment.
• Donor Management Systems: Proficient in using CRMs (e.g., Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge/NXT) to manage donor pipelines, track engagement, and analyze giving trends.
• Strategic Donor Engagement: Experience coordinating meaningful, mission-aligned gatherings—such as intimate briefings, program site visits, and donor recognition opportunities—that deepen relationships and inspire long-term commitment.
• Digital Engagement: Proficiency in using digital tools to enhance donor communication and relationship-building, including Zoom, email marketing platforms, and donor portals.
• Reporting and Analysis: Ability to prepare regular reports on portfolio activity, donor engagement, and revenue outcomes to inform strategy and measure success.

Catholic Guardian Services has retained Mission Advantage Recruiting to conduct this search.

To apply, please inquire with:

Steven Edwards

(740) 337-4264

sedwards@missionadv.org