Major Gifts Officer

Job Title: Major Gifts OfficerDepartment: DevelopmentReports to: Chief Development OfficerFLSA Status: ExemptEmployment Status: Full-TimeAnnual Compensation Range: $90,600 - $106,400Deadline to Apply: August 29, 2025 at 12:00pm EDTSince our founding in 1901, the Toledo Museum of Art has earned a global reputation for the quality of our collection, our innovative and extensive education programs, and our architecturally significant campus. Thanks to the benevolence of its founders, as well as the continued support of its community, TMA remains a privately endowed, non-profit institution and opens its collection to the public, free of charge.At the Toledo Museum of Art, we are dedicated to fulfilling our mission and our commitment to cultivating an organizational culture where every individual feels valued, inspired, respected, and empowered. We believe fostering such a culture requires everyone to work daily at positively enhancing the experience of our team members. We hope all interested in employment here will strive to elevate our mission and our culture!SUMMARYThe Toledo Museum of Art seeks a self-motivated Major Gift Officer to join the Development team. The Major Gift Officer is a senior frontline fundraiser responsible for developing and managing a portfolio of donors and prospects-including individuals, privately funded businesses, corporations, and foundations-with the capacity to give $25,000 or more in outright or planned gifts. This position plays a critical role in securing philanthropic investments to advance the Museum's mission, strategic initiatives, and long-term sustainability. The Major Gift Officer will cultivate and expand philanthropic support for TMA both locally and nationally, building relationships that strengthen the Museum's presence and impact beyond Toledo. In addition to managing their own portfolio, the Major Gift Officer supervises the gift officer team, ensuring alignment in donor strategy, stewardship, and engagement. The ideal candidate is a strategic relationship-builder with deep experience in major and planned-giving, strong leadership skills, and a commitment to donor-centered fundraising in a cultural or mission-driven setting.KEY ACCOUNTABILITIESLeadership & Team Oversight Supervise and mentor the gift officer team, fostering a collaborative, accountable, and mission-driven culture. Support team goal setting, progress tracking, and performance development/management. Align annual giving and mid-level donor strategies with major and planned giving pipelines to ensure a cohesive donor journey. Lead strategic growth of TMA's highest-level giving societies, including the Founder's Circle ($25,000), 1901 Society ($50,000), and The Libbey Circle (legacy giving society).Major & Planned Gift Portfolio Management Manage a portfolio of up to 150 qualified prospects-including individuals, corporations, privately funded businesses, and foundations-with the capacity to give $25,000 or more annually. Develop tailored cultivation and solicitation strategies for donors in collaboration with senior leadership, curatorial, education, and community engagement teams. Create innovative, customized gift proposals that strategically align donor interests with TMA's mission and priorities. Lead sponsorship efforts for exhibitions, programs, and special initiatives, including proposal development, benefit/recognition negotiation, and fulfillment. Partner with finance and legal advisors on documentation, recognition, and stewardship of planned gifts. Serve as the primary liaison with key institutional supporters and represent the Museum in external funder meetings and events.Strategic Fundraising & Campaign Support Contribute to major fundraising campaigns, including capital, reinstallation, and other strategic initiatives, by identifying and cultivating leadership gifts. Serve as a thought partner to the Chief Development Officer and executive leadership in shaping long-range major and planned giving strategies. Collaborate with Marketing & Communications to develop donor messaging, case materials, and targeted outreach for major and planned giving prospects.Donor Stewardship & Relationship Management Oversee execution and delivery of benefits for TMA's giving societies and legacy society. Ensure timely, meaningful recognition of major and planned gift donors, including naming opportunities, impact reports, and personalized engagement. Attend and support donor events, cultivation tours, and legacy society programming.Database & Reporting Maintain accurate donor and gift records in the CRM system in coordination with Development Operations. Use data to inform donor segmentation, campaign performance analysis, and reporting for internal stakeholders.Perform other tasks, duties, or special projects assigned.RELATIONSHIPSReports directly to the Chief Development Officer while working closely with members of the Development Team and including Curatorial Affairs, Culinaire, Facilities, Protective Services, Information Technology, Education, Marketing & Communications and Director of Development Operations. In addition, this position works with members of all other Museum departments along with donors, vendors, partners, and supporters. EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE Bachelor's degree required in related field. Minimum of 5-7 years' of progressive experience in fundraising with a focus on major and/or planned giving within the cultural sector or not-for-profit sectors. Demonstrated success managing a personal portfolio and closing five- and six-figure gifts. Strong knowledge of estate planning vehicles, donor-advised funds, and blended gift strategies. Supervisory experience with the ability to lead and develop a high-performing team. Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills. Strategic thinker with the ability to manage up, across, and within a team. Proficiency in database management and Microsoft Office Suite. Experience creating donor communications is strongly preferred. Creativity, attention to detail and a passion for and/or knowledge of art. Experience with donor databases, such as Altru or similar software, is strongly preferred.SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE, COMPETENCIES AND ABILITIES Innovation - Skilled at developing distinctive and compelling gift proposals and partnership opportunities that align with a donor's or funder's strategic priorities. Adept at identifying and applying innovative solutions-including the thoughtful use of generative AI-to reimagine philanthropy and development practices, strengthen donor cultivation, improve decision-making, and support organizational transformation. Technical - Proficient in Word and Excel, with strong skills in accurate recordkeeping, report generation, and donor database use. Ability to quickly learn and utilize software such as Altru. Experienced in organizing and hosting large-scale Zoom meetings. Demonstrated ability to leverage digital tools and emerging technologies to enhance fundraising operations and donor engagement. Communication - Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across teams. Skilled in writing compelling donor communications, proposals, and event collateral. Builds relationships and fosters engagement through effective and consistent communication touchpoints that strengthen donor connections. Customer Focus - Actively seeks to understand donors' and members' circumstances, challenges, expectations, and needs. Considers how actions and plans will affect them and responds promptly to meet those needs while resolving concerns in a donor-centered manner. Project Management - Strong ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously. Uses a structured approach to prioritize tasks, allocate time effectively, and develop timelines and milestones. Capable of managing complex fundraising initiatives while evaluating processes and identifying opportunities for improvement. Work Management - Resourceful and self-motivated with excellent organizational skills and attention to detail. Understands the urgency of deadlines, effectively completes time-sensitive tasks, and adjusts priorities as needed. Sets ambitious but achievable goals and consistently strives to exceed them. Adaptability - Maintains effectiveness during changes in priorities, work tasks, or organizational needs. Able to adapt quickly to new structures, processes, and requirements while remaining comfortable navigating ambiguity and competing priorities. Relationships - Committed to building meaningful donor relationships, enhancing engagement, and increasing awareness of TMA's mission. Understands that collaboration, alignment, and strong teamwork are essential to meeting and exceeding fundraising goals. Availability - Willingness and ability to work some evening, weekend, and holiday hours to support donor engagement activities and events.WORK ENVIRONMENTStandard open office work environment shared with co-workers, with related phone, computer, and printer noise. Position requires ability to operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, printer, and phone system; ability to lift 35 pounds and to remain standing or walking for extended periods; hours may include some evenings and weekends as necessary; May require occasional travel; The person in this position may occasionally attend campaign and development events inside and outside of TMA.BENEFITS 25 Days of Paid Time Off Annually 6 Paid Holidays Annually 2 Paid Floating Holidays Annually 3 Paid Volunteer Days Annually Birthday Paid Day Off Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance 403b Retirement Savings Plan Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Term Life and AD&D Insurance Plans Paid Parental Leave Pet Insurance Employee Assistance Plan Museum Family Membership Employee Discounts in the Museum Store, Café, Studio Art Classes, & More!The Toledo Museum of Art provides equal opportunity for employment and promotion to all qualified employees and applicants. No person shall be discriminated against in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other status or condition protected by applicable federal or state statutes. The Museum is committed to maintaining an environment in which all employees are treated equitably and given the opportunity to achieve their full potential in the workplace. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to access job openings or apply for a job on this site as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by contacting Human Resources at jobs@toledomuseum.org or (567)-666-0387.