Philanthropy Officer

About the role

The Philanthropy Officer manages and grows a portfolio of major gift donors through strategic cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. This role focuses on securing individual gifts of $5,000+ and advancing donor relationships using a structured moves-management approach. The Philanthropy Officer serves as a subject matter expert in common charitable giving methods and proactively shares giving opportunities with donors as part of relationship-based conversations that deepen their engagement with our mission.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 125–150 major gift donors.
• Develop individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies for each donor.
• Conduct regular in-person and virtual meetings to deepen relationships and understand donor interests.
• Grow giving within an existing donor base and identify opportunities for increases.
• Implement all phases of the major gift cycle, including qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Prepare personalized proposals, impact reports, and related materials to support gift requests.
• Coordinate strategies involving organizational leadership when appropriate.
• Understand common charitable giving methods, such as gifts of stock or appreciated assets, donor-advised funds (DAFs), qualified charitable distributions (QCDs), basic bequests or beneficiary designations.
• Discuss these giving methods comfortably with donors to support philanthropic decision-making and deepen donor engagement.
• Ensure timely fulfillment of stewardship activities, donor recognition, and follow-up commitments.
• Support donor engagement opportunities, including occasional donor-focused events.
• Participate in mission-related experiences and tours to connect donors with the impact of United Food Bank.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of donor interactions, strategies, and revenue projections in the CRM.
• Use data to evaluate portfolio performance and support planning and forecasting.
• Participate in regular portfolio and pipeline review processes.

Qualifications

• Passion for alleviating hunger and serving the community.
• Commitment to the organization’s mission and values.
• Bachelor’s Degree (BA) or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 3+ years of progressive fundraising experience, CFRE preferred.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to engage donors with professionalism and discretion.
• Understanding of common charitable giving methods and comfort discussing them in donor conversations.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Comfortable working with senior leadership, Board members, and high-capacity donors.
• Experience using a CRM system (e.g., Salesforce) to track outreach and engagement.
• Self-motivated, dedicated to accomplishing tasks, able to take initiative and solve problems.
• Availability and willingness to attend evening or weekend events when needed.
• Valid driver’s license with reliable transportation and insurability required.