Major Gifts Officer

About the Ackerman Institute for the Family

For more than 60 years, the Ackerman Institute for the Family has been at the forefront of family systems therapy—advancing how families understand themselves, heal together, and build resilience across generations. Through our integrated model of clinical services, professional training, and applied research, we serve thousands of New York families each year and train the next generation of therapists nationwide.

Family systems therapy is a distinctive niche: it draws donors, clinicians, and researchers who believe the family unit is the most powerful lever for mental health and social change. Our Five Centers—each focused on a distinct population or clinical challenge—give us both depth and breadth in the field.

We are at a pivotal moment of organizational growth, with new board leadership, a strengthened philanthropic infrastructure, and an active $500,000 challenge match from an anonymous donor ready to be unlocked by new gifts. This is an opportunity for the right fundraiser to shape something—not simply inherit it.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Major Gifts Officer who is ready to own a portfolio of approximately 150 qualified prospects and move quickly. This is not a role for someone who needs to be coached on the fundamentals. We need a practitioner who already knows how to qualify, cultivate, and close—and who is energized by the challenge of building lasting donor relationships in a mission-driven organization.

The MGO will manage an active portfolio of 125 - 150 donors and prospects, with gifts ranging from $25,000 to $500,000, and occasional seven-figure opportunities where the MGO is a key team member in a multi-year cultivation strategy. You will work in close partnership with the Chief Development & Strategy Officer, the CEO, and engaged board members to move relationships through the pipeline with discipline and care.

What You Will do

Portfolio Management

• Manage an active portfolio of 125 major gift prospects and donors at the $25,000–$500,000 level
• Conduct approximately 150 meaningful donor visits per fiscal year (qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding)
• Maintain a discovery/qualification pipeline of 25–40 additional prospects being assessed for portfolio readiness
• Serve as a team member on select seven-figure cultivation strategies in partnership with the Chief Development Officer, CEO and board

Cultivation & Solicitation

• Build genuine, long-term relationships with donors rooted in Ackerman’s mission—not transactional asks
• Develop tailored cultivation plans for each major donor and prospect in the active portfolio
• Write compelling proposals, briefings, and follow-up correspondence with clarity and authentic voice
• Identify and deploy the right board members and organizational leaders in cultivation and solicitation

Strategy and Infrastructure

• Maintain rigorous portfolio records in the CRM, with timely contact reports and pipeline data
• Participate in weekly pipeline review and report portfolio progress against quarterly and annual goals
• Contribute to the development of major gifts strategy, including identification of new prospects from lapsed donors, event guests, and community referrals
• Help activate the current $500,000 anonymous donor challenge match by connecting new and upgraded gifts

Who We're Looking For

Required

• Minimum 7 years of major gifts experience, with a demonstrated track record of closing gifts at the 5 and 6 figure level
• Direct experience managing a portfolio of 100 relationships at varying stages of the gift cycle
• Exceptional relationship skills: the ability to listen carefully, build trust over time, and represent an organization with warmth and credibility
• Strong written communication: proposals, donor correspondence, and briefing documents that are direct, substantive, and donor-centered
• CRM fluency and disciplined approach to pipeline management and documentation
• Comfort working in a mid-size nonprofit with a small, high-performing development team

Strongly Preferred

• Experience in mental health, family services, social services, or related human services sectors
• Familiarity with New York City’s philanthropic landscape and donor community
• Experience working in partnership with senior leadership, board members on major gift cultivation and solicitation
• Background in or personal connection to family systems, therapy, or the psychology/mental health field
• Familiar and comfortable with “top down” selling: outreach and meetings at the C level and senior leadership decision makers

Why This Role

Ackerman is not a large institution where major gifts work happens in a crowd. You will have genuine ownership of your portfolio, a direct relationship with organizational leadership, and the opportunity to build something that will outlast your tenure. The donor relationships you create here will matter—to families in New York, to the field of family therapy, and to the organization’s future.

We offer a collaborative, intellectually engaged work environment, mission-driven leadership, and a salary range of $120,000–$150,000 commensurate with experience, along with a competitive benefits package.

This is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week role with a hybrid schedule. The expectation is four days per week in person, which may include time in the office as well as out-of-office prospect visits, donor meetings, and related development activities, with one remote day per week.

How To Apply

Please submit a resume and a brief cover letter (no more than one page) describing a major gift relationship you are proud of and why you’re drawn to Ackerman’s mission. Applications without a cover letter will not be reviewed.

Apply directly on LinkedIn or send materials to: Jennifer Nazario at JNazario@ackerman.org.