DescriptionMajor Gifts Officer- this is a full-time, hybrid, exempt position located at our Vicente campus in San Francisco.
Position SummaryEdgewood's Advancement Team is a strong, high-performing team that is well respected across the greater organization. Joining this team means joining a group with real momentum, real credibility, and real ambitions to grow at the exact moment Edgewood is ready to scale.
The Major Gifts Officer is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individuals with the interest and capacity to make significant philanthropic investments in Edgewood. The Major Gifts Officer will manage a portfolio of current and prospective donors and develop personalized strategies that deepen their engagement with Edgewood's mission and programs, helping carry a 175-year legacy of care into its next chapter.
Working closely with the Chief Advancement Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Director of Advancement, other Advancement staff, program leadership, board members, and Edgewood Auxiliary members, the Major Gifts Officer will help build a strong and sustainable pipeline of philanthropic support.
The successful candidate will be a thoughtful relationship builder and effective communicator who uses sound judgment and is a collaborative colleague inspired by Edgewood's commitment to provide expert youth mental healthcare.
Essential FunctionsDonor Portfolio Management• Manage a portfolio of approximately 75-100 major gift donors and prospects, with responsibility for all stages of the donor relationship.
• Develop and implement individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for each assigned donor and prospect.
• Maintain an active schedule of meaningful donor contacts, including in-person meetings, phone calls, correspondence, program visits, and events.
• Qualify prospective donors and assess their interests, philanthropic priorities, relationships, and giving capacity.
• Establish annual goals for donor engagement, solicitations, gifts, and revenue, and regularly assess and report progress toward those goals.
• Ensure that donors receive timely, personalized, and meaningful stewardship.
Cultivation and Solicitation• In partnership with the Chief Advancement Officer, Chief Executive Officer, and counsel, develop strategies and compelling opportunities for donors to support Edgewood's programs, priorities, and long-term vision.
• Prepare and conduct donor solicitations independently and in partnership with executive leaders, board members, program staff, and volunteers.
• Create donor strategies, meeting briefings, proposals, gift agreements, correspondence, and follow-up materials.
• Match donors' interests with appropriate funding opportunities, including annual, programmatic, capital, endowment, and planned gifts.
• Engage donors through individual meetings, small gatherings, program visits, presentations, and other mission-centered experiences, including Edgewood's signature annual fundraising event, the Edgewood Fair, a premier opportunity to cultivate new donors and connect with existing ones.
• Coordinate closely with institutional giving, annual giving, events, communications, and planned giving activities to ensure an integrated approach to donor engagement.
Leadership and Volunteer Partnership• Partner with the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Advancement Officer, board members, Edgewood Auxiliary members, and other organizational leaders to advance donor relationships.
• Prepare staff and volunteers for donor meetings by developing talking points, background information, meeting objectives, and recommended next steps.
• Support board members and other volunteers in identifying, opening doors to, cultivating, and soliciting prospective donors.
• Participate in prospect strategy meetings and contribute to a culture of shared responsibility for philanthropy throughout the organization.
Donor Communications and Stewardship• Collaborate with development and communications colleagues to develop persuasive donor-facing materials, proposals, reports, and impact stories, drawing on Edgewood's 175-year history and its FY2025 record of serving 4,016 children, youth, and families.
• Ensure that donor communications accurately and sensitively represent Edgewood's programs, participants, and impact.
• Work with program and finance staff to gather information, outcomes, budgets, and stories needed for donor cultivation and reporting.
• Recognize donors appropriately and ensure that gift intentions, restrictions, and stewardship commitments are documented and fulfilled.
Data and Development Operations• Maintain accurate and timely donor records, contact reports, strategies, proposals, gift information, and next steps in Edgewood's donor database (Raiser's Edge).
• Use prospect research, donor data, and giving history to prioritize opportunities and inform relationship strategies.
• Produce regular portfolio and revenue forecasts and reports.
• Follow organizational policies related to donor confidentiality, gift acceptance, data security, and ethical fundraising practices.
• Contribute to departmental planning, budgeting, goal setting, and evaluation.
• Other duties as assigned.
Core Competencies• Relationship building
• Donor-centered communication
• Strategic thinking
• Initiative and accountability
• Attention to detail
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Cultural humility
• Emotional intelligence
• Sound judgment and discretion
• Commitment to ethical fundraising
Applied Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• At least five years of progressively responsible fundraising, advancement, relationship management, or comparable experience.
• Demonstrated success cultivating, soliciting, and closing significant gifts or developing complex, long-term relationships.
• Experience managing a portfolio of donors or clients and moving relationships through a defined engagement process.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to understand and communicate complex programs in clear, compelling, and donor-centered language.
• Strong judgment, discretion, emotional intelligence, and respect for confidentiality.
• Ability to build trusting relationships with donors, volunteers, colleagues, and community partners from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and follow through consistently.
• Ability to work independently while contributing positively to a collaborative team.
• Proficiency with donor databases, prospect management systems, and standard office technology.
• Willingness to travel within the San Francisco Bay Area and participate occasionally in evening or weekend meetings and events.
Preferred Qualifications• Experience fundraising for organizations focused on youth, families, mental health, healthcare, education, or social services.
• Knowledge of the Bay Area philanthropic community.
• Experience working with senior executives and board members on donor cultivation and solicitation.
• Experience developing proposals for programmatic, capital, endowment, or planned gifts.
• Familiarity with trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and family-centered approaches to service.
SALARY INFORMATIONThis salary range for this position is: $120,000.00-$140,000.00.
As part of our team, benefits-eligible employees receive an excellent comprehensive benefits package:
- 16 days of PTO the first year and more thereafter
- Nine paid holidays
- Five health and wellness days off annually
- 10% additional pay for community-relevant second language fluency
- Medical/Dental/and Vision plans
- 403 B Retirement Plan with agency match
- Employee Assistance Program
- Commuter Benefits Program
- Medical and Childcare Flexible Spending Accounts
- Pet Insurance
- Identity Theft Protection Plan
- Paid employee referral program
- Career advancement opportunities
- Retention bonuses for many positions
- Continuing Education expense reimbursement
- Professional licensing fee reimbursement
- Professional Development reimbursement opportunities
- Verified Public Service Loan Forgiveness Employer