Major Gifts Officer

Island Institute

Major Gifts Officer growing philanthropic revenue for Island Institute, which strengthens Maine’s island and coastal communities. Managing major donors, securing five- to seven-figure gifts, and advancing fundraising strategies.

Posted 8/10/2026full-timeRockland • Maine • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $75,000 - $105,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.

Demonstrates expertise in fundraising strategies, particularly in cultivating and soliciting major gifts from individual donors and family foundations. Proficient in managing donor relationships and utilizing Salesforce for effective donor strategy implementation.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Fundraising Strategy DevelopmentMajor Gift SolicitationSalesforce ProficiencyRelationship CultivationWritten Communication Skills

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

FundraisingMajor GiftsDonor StewardshipProposal DevelopmentData EntryMoves ManagementEvent CoordinationProspect ResearchGift Reporting

Soft Skills

Interpersonal CommunicationTeam CollaborationOrganizational SkillsDeadline Management

Tools & Technologies

SalesforceMicrosoft WordMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPoint

Industry Keywords

PhilanthropyIndividual GivingDonor EngagementMaine Coast Knowledge

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Grow philanthropic revenue from individual donors and family foundations
Develop and implement strategies for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individual donors
Manage a portfolio of 100–150 major donors and major donor prospects
Conduct relationship qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
Work with the Philanthropy team to set and meet fundraising targets and share donor strategies
Travel throughout Maine for donor meetings and events
Create written donor strategies and maintain tasks and touchpoints in Salesforce and SharePoint
Secure annual and multi-year gift commitments of $10,000 or more from individual donors and family foundations
Identify, research, and cultivate new prospect relationships
Steward major donor relationships, including writing reports and proposals
Assist with events to engage, cultivate, and steward individual donors
Work with volunteers to implement stewardship events
Report to the Director of Philanthropy – Individual Giving

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree
Minimum of four years’ related work experience in fundraising, including two years in major gifts
Experience cultivating relationships, soliciting, and stewarding individual donors capable of five- to seven-figure gifts
Experience securing major gifts to meet quantified fundraising goals
Excellent verbal and interpersonal communication skills
Strong writing skills for solicitation letters, gift proposals, and reports
Commitment to collaborative teamwork
Highly organized and able to meet firm deadlines
Proficiency in Salesforce or a similar database, including data entry for actions and moves management
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint
Ability to work extended hours, events, and weekends as needed
Ability to travel to off-site locations, including by boat and plane
Two to three years’ experience as a major gift officer desired
Experience developing major gift proposals desired
Experience developing an individual donor prospect pipeline desired
Knowledge of the Maine coast and its year-round island and remote coastal communities desired
Ability to sit, use a computer keyboard and mouse, stand, walk, bend occasionally, and move around office spaces and floors
No requirement to lift or move more than 10 pounds

Benefits

Comp & perks

Health insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Company-provided life insurance
403b plan with an employer match of up to 6% after a year of service
Generous paid time off policy
12 paid holidays and 2 floating holidays
Island Institute membership benefits
Hybrid work environment
Reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities