Manager of Personal Giving

Who We AreLeader Dogs for the Blind, an international organization based in Rochester Hills, Michigan, has been empoweringindividuals who are blind or have low vision for over 87 years. We provide comprehensive guide dog services andorientation and mobility training, equipping individuals with lifelong skills for independent daily travel. Ourlife-changing work is provided free of charge, and we are 100% philanthropically funded. Our mission is driven by191 dedicated team members and more than 1,300 volunteers who advocate alongside our clients to create a moreequitable world.The RoleThe Manager of Personal Giving is a remote role, with required residence in the Dallas Metroplex region,responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, negotiating, and stewarding Texas-based prospects and donorswith the capacity to make major gifts. The successful candidate thrives in relationship-driven roles and excels atadapting messaging, building meaningful connections, and strategically aligning donor interests and philanthropicgoals deepening connection to the organization. The Manager of Personal Giving will focus on cultivating andstewarding relationships with major donors in Texas through targeted outreach and engagement.Portfolio & Relationship Management● Strategically manages a personal portfolio of up to 150 major giving prospects in Texas.● Executes a moves management process to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospective majordonors.● Utilizes prospect research and wealth screening to create a strategic plan for donors in the portfolio,including planned quarterly actions (calls, meetings, mailings, events, etc.) and solicitation goals.● Builds relationships with existing major donors and encourages giving through various vehicles (cash, DonorAdvised Funds, IRAs, stocks, etc.).● Maintains an active schedule of solicitations, cultivation visits, events, and stewardship activities resulting inincreased donations supporting the organization.Major Gift Strategy & Solicitation● Assists donors in evaluating gift opportunities, making recommendations that align with a donor’s givingpriorities and the organization’s strategic priorities and funding needs.● Develops individualized solicitation strategies based on a donor’s interests, philanthropic priorities, capacity,and relationship with the organization.● Creates proposals and stewardship update reports and ensures donors receive documents in a timely manner.● Develops customized funding opportunities and gift proposals in collaboration with organizational leadersand program staff.● Solicits and negotiates major gifts and corporate partnerships, utilizing a variety of giving vehicles andphilanthropic strategies.● Creates and shares presentations with groups and individuals to communicate the organization’s mission,impact, and opportunities for philanthropic investment.● Tracks solicitation activity, goals, and outcomes adjusting strategies to maximize philanthropic support. Stewardship, Collaboration & Development Operations● Facilitates introductions and ongoing relationships between potential and current major gift donors withmembers of the staff and volunteers.● Engages in best practices (creating written solicitation strategies, documenting actions promptly andaccurately using the organization’s development database, and participating in regular prospect reviews).● Provides timely, personalized stewardship communications and impact updates that demonstrate theoutcomes and impact of donor investments.● Shares relevant donor insights, portfolio updates, and next steps with colleagues to support coordinateddonor engagement.● Stays current on trends, best practices, and emerging opportunities in major gifts, philanthropy, andcharitable giving.● Collaborates with Major Gifts team members during weekly meetings and other departments as required.● Performs other duties as assigned.Who You Are● You are a highly motivated, strategically minded fundraising professional passionate about furthering themission of Leader Dogs for the Blind.● Building relationships and forging deep connections with an array of individuals is your superpower.● You are an excellent listener who can quickly identify interests, priorities and philanthropic goals.● You leverage your strong communication skills to be a caretaker of client stories while sharing them in acompelling and authentic way.● Wearing multiple hats and managing competing priorities brings you to life.● You seamlessly move between independent, head-down research and demanding, people-centeredengagements, including events, weekends, overnight travel and air travel● You enjoy collaborating with staff, leadership, volunteers, donors, partners and other stakeholders to movemission-focused work forward.● You light up at the idea of providing people with low or no vision their independence.Qualifications● Minimum of three (3) years of demonstrated success in nonprofit fundraising, major gifts, relationshipmanagement, or a related field.● Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business, communications, marketing, fundraising, or a relatedfield, or equivalent relevant experience.● Experience managing a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors utilizing a moves management process.● Proven experience securing five- and six-figure individual or corporate gifts, with a demonstrated ability tobuild and manage a major gift pipeline.● Ability and willingness to work evenings, weekends and travel approximately 25–50% of working time,including overnight and out-of-state travel and air travel.● Demonstrated knowledge of major gift fundraising principles, ethical standards, and industry best practices.● Experience developing and executing individualized donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.● Experience working with multiple giving vehicles, such as cash, donor-advised funds, IRA charitabledistributions, appreciated securities, or other complex gifts.● Must be able to perform public relations duties, including conducting tours, answering general questions,and serving as a professional and courteous representative of the organization. ● Experience using donor databases or customer relationship management (CRM) systems to track prospects,donor interactions, solicitations, and stewardship activities; proficiency in Microsoft Office products.● Must be able to establish and maintain professional, productive, and courteous interactions withemployees, volunteers, donors, clients, and all constituents of Leader Dogs for the Blind. What We Can Offer You● Hiring Range of: $85,000 – 90,000● Remote Dallas Metro-based position - requires some weekends, evenings and travel● Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance after 30 days of employment● Flexible spending account● Employer paid life and disability insurance● 401(k) with employer match● PTO front loaded on first day of employment● Vacation accrues on the first of every month, 9 paid holidays● Annual merit-based pay increases● Dog-friendly officeWork Environment & ScheduleThe physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfullyperform the essential functions of this job. Upon receiving notice, reasonable accommodations may be made, ifpossible, to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate and exchange accurateinformation using various methods including in-person, telephone, and email. This position requires frequentindependent local, regional, and national travel. Application InstructionsThis position is being managed by Rooted Hire, a trusted recruitment partner.Qualified applicants are encouraged to upload their resume and a cover letter summarizing interest in the positionand relevant skills/experience here: https://bit.ly/LeaderDogsManagerPersonalGivingAppApplication deadline is November 6, 2026. The position will remain open until filled. No phone calls, please. This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualificationsassociated with the job. Leadership reserves the right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this positionat any time as needed by the organization. This job description does not constitute an employment agreementbetween Leader Dogs for the Blind and the employee.Leader Dogs for the Blind is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to accessibility, inclusion, and compliancewith the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Applicants who require a reasonable accommodation or anaccessible application format may contact HRAccessibility@leaderdog.org for assistance.