Major Gifts Officer

Southern Maine Agency on Aging (SMAA) is redefining what it means to age well. Every day, we help older adults and their families live with dignity, independence, connection, and purpose through essential services, advocacy, education, nutrition, and care across Southern Maine. 

We are seeking a driven, relationship-oriented Major Gifts Officer who understands that fundraising is fundamentally about building relationships, creating trust, and confidently asking people to invest in a mission that matters. This is a highly proactive, externally focused role that blends the heart of nonprofit work with the discipline, strategy, and accountability of a consultative sales position. 

Why This Role Matters 

At SMAA, fundraising is about more than revenue - it’s about changing lives. As Major Gifts Officer, you will play a critical role in helping older adults access the support, resources, and community they need to thrive. 

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys connecting with people, managing relationships strategically, and working toward measurable goals. Successful Major Gifts Officers are comfortable initiating conversations, building pipelines, managing portfolios, making direct asks, and closing commitments. If you thrive in a relationship-based sales environment and want your work to have meaningful community impact, this could be the right opportunity for you. 

Every donor conversation, visit, and gift you help inspire will directly strengthen our ability to serve thousands of older adults throughout our community. 

Responsibilities: 

Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer, the Major Gifts Officer will be responding for the following:   

Build & Manage a Donor Portfolio 

Manage a portfolio of major donors and prospects using a disciplined relationship-management and moves-management process. 

Proactively identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors through every stage of the giving cycle. 

Build authentic, long-term relationships through face-to-face meetings, strategic outreach, follow-up, and stewardship. 

Develop individualized engagement strategies designed to deepen donor commitment and increase philanthropic investment over time. 

Drive Donor Engagement & Revenue Growth 

Personally solicit major gifts and confidently guide donors toward meaningful investment decisions. 

Translate SMAA’s mission, vision, and impact into compelling funding opportunities that inspire action. 

Maintain a high level of proactive donor activity, including meetings, calls, presentations, proposals, and follow-up. 

Consistently move donor relationships forward while managing a pipeline of opportunities and measurable fundraising goals. 

Spend the majority of your time externally focused - meeting with donors, prospects, and community partners. 

Operate with Strategy & Accountability 

Maintain accurate donor records, next steps, and portfolio activity in Raiser’s Edge or similar CRM systems. 

Track and manage progress toward key performance metrics, including donor visits, solicitations, stewardship actions, and revenue goals. 

Collaborate with the Advancement Team to create donor communications, proposals, stewardship strategies, and engagement opportunities. 

Bring initiative, discipline, and strong follow-through to daily work and portfolio management. 

Non-Essential Duties & Responsibilities:  

Performs other duties as assigned. 

Education/Knowledge Requirements:  The following education requirements are considered essential: 

Bachelor’s degree required. 

2+ years of experience in major gifts fundraising, sales, business development, account management, or another relationship-driven role with measurable performance goals. 

Proven success managing relationships, building pipelines, and achieving revenue or fundraising outcomes. 

Confidence in initiating conversations, conducting face-to-face meetings, making direct asks, and closing commitments. 

Strong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills. 

A proactive, self-motivated, goal-oriented mindset with strong personal accountability. 

Comfort working independently in an externally focused role where success is driven by initiative and activity. 

Experience with Raiser’s Edge or similar CRM/database systems preferred. 

Salary and Benefits:  This is an exempt position 40 hours per week.  

Benefits include: 

Starting 17 Vacation Days 

Sick time 

13 holidays per year 

Dental and vision insurance 

Medical – 100% paid premiums Employee Only 

Accident and critical illness insurance 

403B Retirement Plan 

Life insurance, income protection plan, and long-term disability insurance. 

Paid Birthday, grandparent leave, parental leave, volunteer time, and more! 

Hybrid work model, flexible schedule 

Why Join SMAA? 
At SMAA, you’ll join a team deeply committed to helping people age with dignity, purpose, and connection. You’ll have the opportunity to combine relationship-building, strategic fundraising, and mission-driven work in a role where your effort directly translates into meaningful community impact. 

This is more than a traditional fundraising position - it’s a relationship-centered business development role that helps fuel life-changing services for older adults across Southern Maine. You'll being joining one of the Best Places to Work in Maine in 2024 & 2025!

To Apply 

Please submit your resume and a cover letter explaining why you are the right fit for this position. 

The position is open until filled  

SMAA is an equal-opportunity employer