Manager, Major Gifts

Position: Manager, Major Gifts, Resource Development

Reports to: Vice President, Resource Development

Department: Resource Development

Organization Summary:

United Way of New York City (UWNYC) works with a coalition of trusted partners to unite community power with citywide possibility. Together, we meet today’s most urgent needs while building transformative solutions for tomorrow — striving for health, opportunity, and prosperity for every New Yorker in every neighborhood. Part of the United Way Worldwide system, one of the world’s most recognized charitable brands, we believe that New Yorkers deserve to thrive where they live and envision a future where all New Yorkers have the resources they need to live long, healthy lives in flourishing and resilient neighborhoods. We strive to model our values in all our relationships, both internal and external: Collaboration, Compassion, Integrity, Accountability, and Superior Performance.

Position Overview:  

The Manager, Major Gifts (Major Gifts, Officer) advances UWNYC’s mission by building meaningful relationships with major donors and helping transform their generosity into lasting community impact. Reporting to the Vice President of Resource Development and working as part of a three-person Individual Giving team, the Manager, Major Gifts serves as both a frontline fundraiser and a strategic partner to senior leadership. This role is responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of donors while also supporting the CEO, CDO, and other executives in managing their major donor relationships. 

This is an exciting moment to join UWNYC as the organization is launching its new three-year strategic plan. With a recently revamped major gift portfolio and renewed board engagement, the Manager, Major Gifts will have the opportunity to shape and grow relationships with key donors, working closely with leadership to connect philanthropic support to the organization’s ambitious goals. This role offers the chance to bring creativity and strategic thinking to portfolio management, strengthen systems for donor engagement, and contribute to building a culture of philanthropy at UWNYC.

Primary Responsibilities:

Major Gifts Strategy and Donor Management

• Manage a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors, developing and executing effective cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
• Drive awareness of UWNYC’s mission, fundraising priorities, and impact among assigned donors and prospects.
• Conduct prospect research and maintain an active, up-to-date pipeline of potential major donors, ensuring appropriate prospects to leadership or staff.
• Monitor progress toward revenue goals, providing regular updates on moves management and revenue projections.
• Innovate and improve systems for managing and growing the major gifts donor pipeline.

Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Support the CEO, COO, and other senior leaders’ major donor portfolios through strategic briefings, recommendations, and coordinated follow-up actions.
• Partner closely with the Resource Development team, particularly Individual Giving, to advance campaigns and stewardship plans within a coordinated fundraising strategy.
• Collaborate across UWNYC to align donor strategies with organizational priorities and deliver high-quality donor experiences.
• Stay informed and well-versed in UWNYC programs and initiatives to effectively communicate impact and funding needs.

Donor Communications, Stewardship and Reporting

• Draft donor proposals, presentations, talking points, and stewardship materials for leadership and staff use.
• Ensure timely, accurate follow-up on all donor interactions and maintain detailed records in the donor database/CRM for both personal and leadership portfolios.
• Track donor activity, stewardship actions, and portfolio performance to support reporting and decision-making.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Skills, Knowledge, and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, management, or related field preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience holding progressively responsible positions in nonprofit development, campaigns, and/or individual giving.
• Clear communicator with excellent written, verbal, and presentation (donor proposal) skills.
• Demonstrated success in managing a donor portfolio and meeting/exceeding revenue goals.
• Experience supporting or partnering with senior leaders (CEO, COO, Board, etc.) in donor cultivation and stewardship.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with cross-functional teams on relationship management, events, proposals, and projects.
• Proven ability to develop and implement individualized donor strategies that result in increased giving.
• Experience with prospect research, donor pipelines, and CRM systems (Raiser’s Edge a plus).
• Astute and nuanced listener, able to understand, reflect, and interpret needs for next steps.
• Demonstrated ability with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), donor databases (i.e. Raisers Edge, Iwave), and familiarity with project management software (Monday).
• Excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills.
• Ability to handle multiple projects and task switch as needed.
• A passion for UWNYC’s mission, vision, and accomplishments.

Key Competencies:

• Adaptable 
• Strategic Relationship Cultivator
• Entrepreneurial and Innovative 
• Effective and Engaging Communicator 
• Data Driven

Additional Requirements:

• Successful completion of background check.  
• UWNYC is presently on a Hybrid/In-Person work schedule.

United Way of NYC Core Competencies for All Staff

• Mission Focused: Catalyze others’ commitment to the mission to create real social change that leads to better lives and healthier communities. This drives their performance and professional motivations.
• Relationship-Oriented: Understands that people come before processes and is astute in cultivating and managing relationships toward a common goal.
• Collaborator: Understands the roles and contributions of all sectors of the community and can mobilize resources (financial and human) through meaningful engagement.
• Results Driven: Dedicated to shared and measurable goals for the common good: creating, resourcing, scaling and leveraging strategies and innovations for broad investment and impact.
• Brand Steward: Steward of the brand and understands his/her role in growing and protecting the reputation and results of the greater network.

United Way of New York City is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer