WHAT DOES A DIRECTOR OF MAJOR GIFTS DO?
Updated: Mai 27, 2025 - The Director of Major Gifts orchestrates stewardship strategies and donor outreach in sync with the Chief Advancement Officer, maintaining an active leadership donor portfolio. Leads wealth screening, and prospect analysis, and prepares detailed solicitation briefings, actively enhancing fundraising strategies for major capital campaigns. Manages pledge fulfillment, organizes follow-up actions post-solicitation meetings, and crafts compelling proposals for individual and foundation donors.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Director of Major Gifts
1. Director of Major Gifts Duties
- Donor Management: Manage identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship plans for potential major gift donors ($50,000+), often including support of the Annual Fund
- Donor Portfolio Management: Responsible for own portfolio of leadership donors
- Donor Stewardship Strategy: Oversee stewardship strategy, outreach and activities for donors in coordination with Chief Advancement Officer
- Pipeline Management: Maintain donor pipeline management
- Wealth Screening Leadership: Lead a proactive wealth screening process and donor prospect analysis
- Donor Research Preparation: Prepare research files/briefings for solicitation meetings
- Fundraising Strategy Development: Help to develop short- and long-term fundraising goals and strategies for capital campaigns
- Meeting Coordination: Arrange meetings for Head of School, Chief Advancement Officer, and volunteer solicitors with prospective donors and prepare solicitation materials
- Meeting Follow-Up Management: Organize and schedule follow-up items that arise from solicitation meetings
- Pledge Management: Manage pledge fulfillment process ensuring timely reminders to donors
- Board Support: Provide support for the Board’s advancement and campaign committees
- Proposal Writing: Write proposals and reports for individuals and family foundations
- Donor Communication: Prepare solicitation/gift acknowledgment letters for Advancement team and Head of School
- Donor Record Keeping: Capture details of donor interactions in Raiser's Edge
2. Director of Major Gifts Details
- Fundraising Strategy Development: Develop and implement the overarching individual fundraising strategy to advance the goals and resources in order to grow and sustain the mission of Future Chefs
- Donor Pipeline Expansion: Design and manage strategies for growth of an individual prospect pipeline including the research, identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major donors to both annual and capital campaigns
- Goal Setting: Work with the Executive Director to develop reasonable stretch goals for annual amount raised and number of donors
- Major Donor Management: Manage the cultivation, solicitation and stewarding process for a portfolio of major gift donors and support the Executive Director in her individual major donor work, including making individual solicitations
- Donor Meeting Preparation: Prepare the Executive Director for donor meetings and asks
- Events Strategy Advising: Advise on events strategy
- Advisory Council Capacity Building: Help build the capacity of Future Chefs’ Advisory Council to identify and invite new donors
- CRM Utilization Strategy: Provide direction on the effective use of a CRM to support donor cultivation
- Donor Communications Collaboration: Collaborate with the Development and Finance Manager on donor communications and agency-wide marketing efforts
- Fundraising Goal Collaboration: Work collaboratively with Development and Finance Manager to set fundraising stretch goals to support a growing program
- Capital Campaign Support: Assist the Development Team in planning and executing the public phase of a capital campaign
3. Director of Major Gifts Responsibilities
- Portfolio Management: Manage a portfolio of 100-120 major gift prospects by developing, documenting, and implementing appropriate identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
- Collaborative Strategy Execution: Execute prospect strategies, continually tracking touches, and collaborate with the CPO, CEO, board members, and community volunteers as appropriate to establish and strengthen relationships with major donors.
- Personal Solicitation: Develop major gift request strategies that focus on the needs of the organization, tailored to the specific interests and capacity of individual prospects, personally solicit prospects and donors on a regular basis in accordance with fundraising goals and programmatic priorities.
- Prospect Research Partnership: Proactively research and identify major gift prospects, partner with the Director of Development, Institutional Giving & Donor Relations to identify high-potential prospects from other fundraising programs, including individual giving, corporate partnerships, and grants.
- Revenue and Metrics Management: Develop, monitor, and achieve revenue targets and moves-management success metrics.
- Coaching and Development: Provide coaching on best practices in prospect qualification, solicitation strategy, and cultivation techniques to staff and volunteers.
- Database Documentation: Document all activity in the donor database according to defined protocol to drive fundraising and key metrics reports.
- Preparation for Engagement: Prepare briefings for staff and board members on prospects and donors in advance of in-person meetings, solicitations, and events.
- Donor Engagement Materials: Create impact reports and other cultivation and stewardship materials to personally acknowledge and engage donors in the FSD mission.
- Strategic Communications Collaboration: Work closely with the CPO, Director of Development, Institutional Giving & Donor Relations, and Director of Marketing & Communications to create compelling donor events, activities, outreach, and communications for the purpose of enhancing the donor experience and effectively cultivating high-potential prospects.
4. Director of Major Gifts Accountabilities
- Prospect Research: Conducts research to identify major gift prospects.
- Donor Portfolio Management: Builds and manages a portfolio of 150-200 major prospects.
- Collaborative Prospecting: Works in conjunction with the VP of Institutional Advancement, the Executive Director of Development, and other senior development officers to assign key administrators/persons appropriate major donor prospects.
- Timeline Implementation: Ensures a timeline is created and implemented to include cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of assigned prospects.
- Database Management: Utilizes Raiser’s Edge to track actions on each prospect in a timely, accurate, and complete fashion; maintains appropriate records, reports, and analyses.
- Prospect Engagement: Maintains a regular travel schedule to visit identified prospects.
- Solicitation Strategy Development: Develops and executes solicitation strategies for each assigned prospect, ensuring regular and systematic contact.
- Communications Assistance: Assists in creating communiqués in multiple mediums to promote donations of major gifts to the University as well as to keep assigned prospects informed about DSU’s successes.
- Strategic Planned Giving Support: Assists in the strategic planned giving efforts of the University, works closely with senior development leadership to develop a portfolio of planned giving prospects.
5. Director of Major Gifts Functions
- Campaign Support: Assists the unit in creating, organizing, and implementing fundraising campaigns.
- Goal Achievement: Meets or exceeds strategic goals.
- Progress Reporting: Routinely produces reports on progress toward goals.
- Prospect Collaboration: Works closely with the Director of the Annual Fund and other development officers to ensure identified prospects are incorporated into the major gift process.
- Campaign Contribution: Significantly assists the development unit in reaching its overall University campaign goal.
- Planning Assistance: Assists in campaign planning and implementation.
- Event Coordination: Assists with events aimed at cultivating and soliciting donors.
- VIP Coordination: Coordinates schedules and travel plans for VIPs to meet with major donor prospects.
- Communications Assistance: Assists with communicating the University’s successes to key constituents.