Senior Major Gifts Officer

Share Our Strength • Boston, Massachusetts, United States • 3d ago

Since 1984, Share Our Strength® has led the fight against hunger and poverty by inspiring and organizing individuals and businesses to share their strengths. Today, through the No Kid Hungry campaign, Share Our Strength is ending childhood hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need. No child should go hungry in America – we’re on our way to making that a reality and we want you to join us. We’re bold, creative, always open to new ideas, and 100% dedicated to our mission. If that sounds like you, we’d like you to consider becoming part of our team.

The Senior Major Gifts Officer - New England - will join Share Our Strength during an exciting time of exponential growth. In this role, you will work closely with individuals, families, and family foundations across the New England region to raise more than $1M annually in support of our critical mission to end childhood hunger in America. Your primary focus will be securing major gifts ($10,000+) and principal gifts ($100,000+), directly contributing to the New England market’s revenue goals.

The Senior Major Gifts Officer will manage a dynamic portfolio of current and prospective donors—primarily based in Boston—developing tailored strategies for engagement, leading in-person and virtual donor conversations, and delivering compelling written updates. You will also collaborate with the Events team on cultivation and fundraising events. Additionally, you will play a critical role in driving the success of the Boston No Kid Hungry Dinner, the market’s annual signature fundraising event.

To help you achieve your goals, you will have access to extensive resources including a donor operations team focused on data and gift processing, research tools, compelling communications materials and resources led by a best-in-class brand and communications team, a culinary events operations team, finance and human resources colleagues, and the support of our executive leadership team. The executive team is highly motivated and willing to be used as a development and cultivation resource. You will work collaboratively with your peers in other regional locations to share information and develop best practices.

This position is based in Boston, MA, and candidates must reside in the greater Boston metropolitan area. The Senior Major Gifts Officer will report directly to the Senior Director of Development – East. The position offers a salary range of $87k to $90k. Exact compensation within the stated salary range may vary based on skills, experience, and internal equity.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Personally raise $1M+ annually toward the New England market revenue goal through major gifts ($10,000+), principal gifts ($100,000+), and by leading fundraising efforts for the annual Boston No Kid Hungry Dinner.
Renew and upgrade 80% of assigned donors annually, while identifying and qualifying a minimum of 15-20 new donors and prospects to build a strong pipeline.
Partner closely with the Senior Director of Development to achieve revenue targets and develop long-term growth strategies for the New England market.
Manage a portfolio of up to 100 major donors and prospects, including individuals, families, and family foundations primarily in Boston, as well as surrounding areas in New England.
Collaborate with volunteer leaders to deepen their engagement with the mission, enhance their philanthropic contributions, and activate their networks to support fundraising efforts.
Develop and execute creative cultivation and stewardship strategies, including donor meetings, programmatic events and site visits, cultivation events, culinary events, virtual events, and personalized written communications.
Plan and manage all aspects of cultivation and stewardship events, including logistics, prospect/donor strategy, and follow-up.
Strategically engage executive leaders, senior development staff, board members, volunteer leaders, donors, and program staff in donor cultivation and solicitation efforts and through moves management; provide briefings, talking points, and other materials to support these interactions.
Draft compelling proposals, impact reports, and materials for donors and prospects, and personalized correspondence to support solicitation and stewardship efforts.
Collaborate with colleagues on principal gifts ($100,000+) and transformational gifts ($1M+), prioritizing multi-year commitments for campaigns and initiatives.
Maintain accurate records of donor interactions and strategy through Share Our Strength’s CRM system (Raiser’s Edge NXT), ensuring timely and thorough documentation.
Stay informed on organizational programs and hunger/nutrition trends to: identify funding opportunities, share timely and relevant updates with donors, and connect donors with programmatic work.
Serve as a representative of Share Our Strength at organizational and external events—including cultivation events, programmatic events and gatherings, partner events, galas/dinners, and donor meetings—bringing strong public speaking and relationship-building skills.
Support Share Our Strength’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring these values are reflected in all fundraising activities and donor engagement.
Work evenings and weekends, as needed, to support events and donor engagement activities.
Demonstrate capabilities for managing staff as the role may evolve over time, with potential for future supervisory responsibilities.
Assist with additional projects and tasks as assigned.
Travel occasionally to Share Our Strength’s Washington, D.C. headquarters and to other regions where needed to support events and donor meetings.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor’s degree preferred and a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in a nonprofit, policy, or campaign setting required.
Proven experience fundraising in the New England region, particularly in Boston, with a strong understanding of the local philanthropic landscape.
Event management and execution experience are strongly preferred.
Demonstrated success in managing a donor portfolio, with a track record of increasing revenue through effective cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
Exceptional interpersonal and relationship management skills, with the ability to engage individuals from diverse backgrounds, navigate complex dynamics, and exercise sound judgment and emotional intelligence.
Highly organized with strong time management skills; capable of managing multiple complex projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking, writing, editing, proofreading, and the ability to convey complex information in a clear and compelling way. Experience ghostwriting for executives or volunteers is a plus.
Experience supporting and managing up to senior leaders, volunteer leaders/board members, and high-level volunteers.
Experience cultivating and stewarding donors from historically marginalized communities—particularly philanthropists of color—is a plus.
Self-starter with a high level of reliability, initiative, and follow-through. Comfortable working independently and meeting concurrent deadlines with minimal supervision.
Ability to thrive both independently in an entrepreneurial setting and collaboratively as part of a remote/virtual team.
Strong alignment with and passion for Share Our Strength’s mission to end childhood hunger.
A sense of humor, grace under pressure, and a strong work ethic.
Willingness and ability to travel as needed.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with fundraising databases (especially Raiser’s Edge) preferred, or a demonstrated ability to learn new systems quickly.

WORKING CONDITIONS

This is a remote position based in the New England City metropolitan area, with the flexibility to work from a home office. The role requires regular local travel for donor meetings and events, as well as occasional travel to Washington, D.C., and other regions as needed. Evening and weekend hours will occasionally be required to support events and donor engagements. Candidates must be able to lift up to 30 pounds.

COMPREHENSIVE BENEFITS PLAN:

We offer a comprehensive benefits plan which currently includes, but is not limited to, health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, retirement, wellness benefits, and paid time off (vacation leave, sick leave, personal leave, holiday, parental leave, bereavement leave, military leave, and jury duty leave).

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT:

Share Our Strength is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, military status, age, or any other classification protected by law.