Major Gifts and Planned Giving Manager

Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic, Inc., is a congregation of Catholic religious sisters who have served as missionaries since 1912, when we became the first group of Catholic sisters in the United States founded for overseas mission. Today, we have more than 200 sisters serving in 18 places around the world and throughout the United States, including at our Center House in Ossining, N.Y. Our sisters and lay staff work as collaborative partners to realize our mission: “Co-creating a one earth community where the values of whole-making, mission and contemplation are being lived out.”

Position Summary

The Major Gifts & Planned Giving Manager is a frontline fundraising professional responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individuals capable of making leadership-level philanthropic investments in the Maryknoll Sisters. Reporting to the Director of Development, this position manages a portfolio of major donors and prospects while helping expand the organization's culture of philanthropy through meaningful donor engagement.

The successful candidate is an experienced relationship builder with demonstrated success securing major gifts and a passion for connecting donors' philanthropic interests with the mission and ministries of the Maryknoll Sisters. While familiarity with charitable planned giving is valued, the primary focus of this role is major gift fundraising.

Essential Responsibilities

Major Gift Fundraising

• Manage an active portfolio of a minimum of 75 major gift donors and prospects.

• Develop and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for each assigned donor.

• Conduct regular face-to-face, virtual, and telephone donor visits to deepen relationships and advance philanthropic conversations.

• Personally solicit and close five-figure and larger gifts in support of annual, capital campaign, and special fundraising priorities, established by the Congregational Leadership Team.

• Prepare compelling proposals, gift agreements, case materials, and stewardship reports tailored to donor interests.

• Identify, qualify, and cultivate new major gift prospects through research, referrals, and relationship-building.

Planned Giving

• Manages the Lamplighters Legacy Society and coordinates its activities to cultivate and recognize planned giving donors.

• Incorporate charitable gift planning opportunities into donor conversations when appropriate.

• Partner with donors and their professional legal and tax advisors to facilitate complex gifts involving bequests, charitable trusts, appreciated securities, donor-advised funds, IRA distributions, and other planned giving vehicles.

• Coordinate with legal, financial, and tax professionals as needed. This position does not provide legal or tax advice.

Supervision

· Responsible for the direction, support and appraisal of the Major Donor Associate

Relationship Management

• Build strong, long-term relationships with benefactors, volunteers, and organizational leadership.

• Partner with the Director of Development, leadership, Sisters, and volunteer leaders on cultivation and solicitation strategies.

• Support donor events, cultivation opportunities, and campaign activities.

Portfolio & Data Management

• Maintain accurate donor records, contact reports, proposals, and next steps within Raiser's Edge.

• Develop annual fundraising goals for assigned donors and regularly monitor progress toward those goals, in accordance with the Strategic Development Plan.

• Prepare pipeline reports and revenue forecasts for leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.

• Minimum three years of progressively responsible frontline fundraising experience.

• Demonstrated success personally soliciting and closing gifts of $10,000 or more.

• Experience managing a portfolio of major gift prospects using moves management principles.

• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.

• Strong proposal writing and presentation skills.

• Ability to build authentic relationships with donors, volunteers, those who have entered into religious life, and organizational leadership.

• Experience using Raiser's Edge, Salesforce, or another fundraising CRM.

• Ability to travel for donor visits and occasional evening or weekend events.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with planned giving and/or complex gift conversations.

• Experience supporting or participating in a comprehensive fundraising campaign.

• Familiarity with Catholic organizations, faith-based philanthropy, or religious communities.

• CFRE certification or progress toward certification is welcomed.

Success in This Role

Success will be measured by:

• Achievement of major gift portfolio fundraising goals.

• Number and quality of meaningful donor visits.

• Growth of an active major gift pipeline.

• Donor retention and gift upgrades.

• Timely completion of proposals, solicitations, stewardship, and CRM documentation.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Education:

• Bachelor's (Preferred)

Experience:

• Fundraising: 3 years (Preferred)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $75,000