Major Gifts Officer

Mighty Earth is hiring a Major Gifts Officer to help shape and build our individual giving program at this critical time in the climate crisis. As our Major Gifts Officer, you will play a lead role in planning and implementing fundraising plans for our individual giving program,  including major and mid-range donor gifts. You will serve as a critical bridge between our donors and our work across the globe and build the power to run high-level campaigns to convince the world’s largest industries to protect Nature, reduce climate pollution, transform the way food is produced, and support Indigenous community rights.. 

Who We Are

Founded in 2016, Mighty Earth is a growing global advocacy organization working to defend a living planet. Our goal is to protect Nature and secure a climate that allows life to flourish. Mighty Earth achieves transformative change by creating a “perfect storm” of campaigns, communications, and practical engagement with decision-makers to rapidly transform entire industries and government policy. We aspire to be the most effective environmental advocacy organization in the world. 

We have played a leading role in driving the transformation of whole industries and government policy to stop the destruction of tropical rainforests, transform agriculture, protect Indigenous rights, and drive billions of dollars of investment in decarbonization. 

Your responsibilities:

As the Major Gifts Officer, you will work closely with our CEO, Chief Operating Officer, Foundation Relations Manager and Proposal Writer, and our campaign teams to manage our individual giving program, including major and mid-range donor gifts. In this role, you will raise and grow support from individual donors through setting strategy and executing fundraising plans for sustaining and growing the number of annual donors, increasing the size of individual donations, and converting individual donors to major donors. You will develop donor strategies and build relationships with donors. Specifically, your responsibilities will include:

• Developing and executing a strategic individual giving fundraising plan to raise programmatic and general operating support; 
• Managing and building a portfolio of major donors, securing gifts and building long-term relationships with our growing list of philanthropic partners; 
• Identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding qualified prospects and donors;.
• Supporting our CEO and Board members in building major donor and prospect relationships; 
• Managing vendor relationships;
• Serving as the lead relationship manager for donors. Conducting and coordinating face-to-face visits and other activities with donors;
• Regularly engaging Mighty Earth’s program and communications teams to keep abreast of campaigns, projects, and events, as well as coordinating opportunities to strategize prospects and engage donors and prospects;
• Guiding the development of compelling pitches and overseeing the development of creative presentations and reports;
• Managing the fundraising database and maintain accurate and timely records; 
• Working with our finance team to ensure reporting and compliance for all donations;
• Providing accurate and timely activity and pipeline reports and revenue forecasts.

What we’re looking for in you: 

Key qualifications:

• You have at least four years of work experience, including three years in development and in individual giving programs, preferrably in a nonprofit setting.
• You have a successful track record in major gifts fundraising and managing and building your own portfolio. 
• You have knowledge of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies and techniques related to individual giving.
• You can engage with board members and key stakeholders.
• You have a record of success in generating significant commitments from donors, ideally in a nonprofit focused on advocacy or campaigning.
• You have strong project management skills, the ability to work independently and successfully manage multiple projects with competing deadlines, and excellent attention to detail. 
•  You are creative and possess presentation skills.
•  You are results-driven, entrepreneurial, and excited to join a campaign-oriented environment.
• You are passionate about protecting the environment and advancing a more just society.
• You have experience with and a commitment to working with people from a variety of backgrounds, including different ethnic, racial, and socio-economic backgrounds, and the LGBTQ+ community. Cross-cultural competencies and experience in the U.S. or internationally.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience working with environmental donors. 
• Experience working with donors with significant giving capacity.
• Experience with digital fundraising.
• Experience working in a campaigning, advocacy, or grassroots organization is a big plus.

More about our team: Mighty Earth is made up of people from various backgrounds, including people with backgrounds in non-profit organizations, election campaigns, government, the private sector, and legislative offices, at a range of experience levels. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming place for people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, parents, empty-nesters, and more.  

Details: This is a full-time position with a preference for candidates based in the Washington, DC area. We are open to remote candidates based in other U.S. locations, with a preference for Eastern time zone locations. For candidates based in the D.C. area, the expectation is to work in the office two days per week. Candidates should be willing to travel approximately 5-7 days a quarter to visit and cultivate new and existing donor relationships.

Compensation and benefits: The salary range for this position is $85K - $95K, depending on experience. We have a generous benefits package including group health insurance, dental benefits, unlimited vacation time, paid holidays, and a 401(k) plan. 

To apply: Please visit https://www.mightyearth.org/jobs/ and click on the Major Gifts officer position. Click on the apply button to submit a resume, complete our short application, and tell us where you heard about the job. The position will remain posted until it is filled. 

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or participating in the employee selection process, please get in touch with Javon at javon@mightyearth.org. Applications should be submitted through our application link and not sent to this email. 

Interview process: Our interview process involves a phone interview, two video interviews, a candidate exercise, and reference calls for candidates advancing in our process. 

More about Mighty Earth: 

Read more about our approach and our campaign in the following resources; 

How Napoleon inspired Mighty Earth founder Glenn Hurowitz to tackle Big Meat 

Appealing to Companies’ Better Angels (Eco-Business) 

Fomenting a “Perfect Storm” to push companies to change (Mongabay). 

How Pressuring Corporations Can Save the Amazon from Destruction (Yale Environment 360) 

Approach and Culture: Consistent with our obsession with impact, Mighty Earth is results-focused, entrepreneurial, collaborative, and nimble – and we seek candidates who are excited to work in that culture. While remaining true to our public interest mission and commitment to movement-building, we have sought to apply the best of business to our organization. A resource that has informed our approach to culture is the book No Rules Rules and the famous Netflix culture deck.   

Mighty Earth is an equal opportunity employer; we strictly prohibit discrimination against any employee or applicant based on race, creed, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, and any other characteristic protected by law. Women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are strongly encouraged to apply.