Major Gifts Officer

Friends’ Central School Overview

Friends’ Central School is an independent, coeducational Quaker day school founded in 1845 and serving approximately 880 students in Nursery through grade 12. Located in the Philadelphia suburbs, the School has two campuses. The Middle & Upper Schools are located just outside of West Philadelphia in Wynnewood, and the Lower School is on our Old Gulph Road campus in the heart of Wynnewood. The exceptional faculty at Friends’ Central offers a curriculum that cultivates the intellectual, spiritual, and ethical growth of our students. Our pedagogy is grounded in continuing revelation, reflection, integrity, and a willingness to accept responsibility. From Nursery to grade 12, our students participate in a process designed to foster creative, critical, and flexible thinking, along with compassion. As they transform from playful children to skilled, self-possessed teenagers, they are always intellectually curious and engaged thinkers. Friends’ Central prepares graduates to succeed in college and in life. 

Major Gift Officer 

The Major Gift Officer (MGO) is a frontline fundraiser responsible for developing and implementing strategies for securing financial support from a portfolio of donor prospects determined to have the ability to make major gifts of $50,000 or more to Friends’ Central. With a defined portfolio of individuals, the MGO will focus on identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major and planned gifts. They will contribute to the execution of the FCS’s annual giving program with a focus on leadership gifts. The responsibilities of this position require the MGO to spend a significant amount of time engaging with prospects and donors. The work may involve regional and national travel. This is a 12-month, exempt position, reporting to the Associate Advancement Director for Major Gifts. 

Responsibilities

• Major and Planned Giving: Works closely with the Associate Advancement Director, Major Gifts, and other departmental staff to participate in devising a pipeline for qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding new high-net-worth individuals.
• Serves as a front-line fundraiser, working directly with donors and prospects to increase major and planned gifts, with a strong focus on gifts of $50,000 and above. Manages a portfolio of individuals with a focus on identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding leadership annual, major, and planned gifts.  
• Builds strong relationships with members of the FCS community, including faculty and staff, to understand their work and funding priorities to effectively communicate with donors about those projects and solicit and steward major restrictive gifts.
• Manages cultivation events for leadership and major donor prospects including cultivation and/or stewardship events, and correspondence.
• Collaborates with the Associate Advancement Director, Major Gifts, and other departmental staff to develop and execute strategies for meeting FCS's long-term fundraising objectives.
• 6-8 meaningful donor or prospect meetings per month (Virtual/In-Person/Phone Call)
• Remains diligent and disciplined in entering all appropriate information into the Blackbaud database; maintains appropriate records and prepares timely follow-up communications for donors.
• Executes regular donor communication via written and electronic correspondence, ensuring all outreach is relevant, timely, and professionally executed.
• Works nights and/or weekends as necessary or required.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree
• 5 years of experience in fundraising, higher education, or a non-profit organization
• Demonstrated success in managing donors and securing major gifts of $50,000 or more
• Ability to demonstrate sound judgment, demonstrate flexibility, and initiative, work independently, and thrive in a team environment as a means to achieve goals
• Ability to build strong collaborative relationships across the organization
• Superior written and oral communication skills
• Ability to gather, synthesize, and analyze data and other information
• Ability and willingness to work some weekends and evenings, as required
• Ability to travel, both in-state and out-of-state

Please apply here. The application will require a resume, a cover letter, and three professional references. All applications should be completed by March 31, 2026.

Friends’ Central School seeks candidates with a commitment to fostering an inclusive learning community, who will address issues of diversity, as well as enhance the Philosophy of Inclusivity and Awareness articulated in our Diversity Statement.

Salary : $50,000