Major Gifts Officer

Position Summary

Catholic Charities East Bay (CCEB) is dedicated to helping people remain housed, providing vital immigration legal services, and supporting vulnerable youth, families, and seniors in our community. Reporting directly to the Director of Development, the Major Gifts Officer will design, implement, and grow CCEB’s major gifts program. This professional will manage a portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects throughout the East Bay, aligning their philanthropic goals with CCEB’s life-changing community programs.

Core Responsibilities

• Portfolio Management: Manage and grow a portfolio of 100–125 active major donor individuals, families, and family foundations with a capacity for gifts of $5,000 to six figures.
• Cultivation & Solicitation: Execute moves management strategies to identify, qualify, cultivate, and personally solicit major gifts. Conduct 10–12 substantive face-to-face donor meetings monthly.
• Parish & Community Engagement: Collaborate with the Director of Development and executive leadership to deepen relationships and visibility across the all parishes in the Diocese of Oakland.
• Proposal & Stewardship Writing: Write compelling, localized proposals, impact briefings, and personalized stewardship reports that demonstrate how donor investments directly support housing stability, crisis solutions, and immigration services.
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Work closely with the Director of Marketing & Communications and program staff to integrate client success stories into donor interactions and annual impact reporting.
• Data Management: Meticulously track donor communication logs, interactions, and gift pipelines within the agency’s donor database CRM to ensure transparent and predictive revenue modeling.
• Campaign & Event Support: Assist with major fundraising initiatives, seasonal campaigns, and regional donor cultivation events, including major donor recognition programs.
  
  

Qualifications

• Experience: Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) and 5 years of progressive nonprofit fundraising experience, with a proven track record of managing a major donor portfolio and securing five- and six-figure gifts.
• Mission Alignment: A deep commitment to the mission, vision, and core values of Catholic Charities East Bay to serve the most vulnerable in our local communities.
• Local Insight: Strong knowledge of the East Bay philanthropic landscape (Alameda and Contra Costa counties) and comfort navigating faith-based, parish, and community networks.
• Communication Skills: Outstanding interpersonal and storytelling skills, with an innate ability to build authentic, long-term trust with high-net-worth individuals and senior leadership.
• Technical Proficiency: Proficiency in donor database management systems (e.g., Raiser's Edge & Sales Force) for pipeline tracking and wealth screening analytics.
  
  

Logistics: Must possess a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation for regional travel across the East Bay, with the flexibility to attend occasional evening or weekend donor engagements.