Major Gifts Officer

Are you passionate about making a positive impact in the lives of children and their families in Southeast Wisconsin? Do you thrive in a dynamic, collaborative environment that celebrates shared achievements and meaningful change?

At Penfield Children’s Center, we are dedicated to ensuring children experience positive development from pregnancy through age five, setting the foundation for lifelong success. Serving 1,500 children annually today, we have a bold vision for the future: to reach over 16,000 children by 2035. Realizing this ambitious goal requires a passionate team, and that’s where you come in.

As the Major Gifts Officer, you will be instrumental in helping us achieve this mission by cultivating, growing, and sustaining relationships with individuals and organizations committed to transforming lives. Your work will directly expand Penfield’s reach by developing strategic investments that help more children and families thrive. You’ll report directly to the Vice President of Partnerships & Investments.

Key Responsibilities

• • Manage a portfolio of approximately 150 high-potential donors and prospects, providing tailored, consistent engagement to deepen their connection and commitment to Penfield’s mission.
  • Conduct a minimum of one to three personalized contacts daily, fostering meaningful, long-term relationships with donors and prospects.
  • Deliver personalized, impact-focused follow-up reports to each major donor, ensuring transparency and alignment with each individual’s unique interests and preferences.
  • Ensure that each donor understands the significance and impact of their investment through in-person, virtual, or written communication tailored to their style.
  • Maintain accurate, organized records within our CRM, ensuring donor data is up-to-date and accessible for effective portfolio management, relationship-building, and reporting.
  • Partner with database managers, marketing, volunteer and event coordinators, and the Partnerships & Investments team to develop engagement strategies that support donor satisfaction and financial contributions.
  • Coordinate with cross-functional teams to execute outreach, event planning, and stewardship initiatives, aligning all efforts with Penfield’s mission.
  • Leverage insights from collaboration to craft personalized engagement strategies that resonate with our community of supporters.

• Education- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.

• Experience-

  • Minimum of 3 years of experience managing donor portfolios, focusing on individual and corporate fundraising.

  • Proven success in building and nurturing relationships with major donors, including individualized engagement and stewardship.

  • Strong knowledge of nonprofit fundraising and best practices, with experience in using CRM systems for donor portfolio management.

• Skills-

  • Exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with a focus on building strong relationships with high-value donors.

  • Demonstrated ability to cultivate strategic donor relationships and tailor engagement based on individual needs.

  • Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage a dynamic donor portfolio and ensure timely, personalized follow-up.

  • High ethical standards, empathy, and a proactive, positive approach to challenges and opportunities.

This role offers the opportunity to drive meaningful change by connecting supporters to a cause with profound community impact. If you’re ready to join a mission-driven team working to improve the lives of children and families in Southeast Wisconsin, we’d love to hear from you!

Core Values:

• Lead with Love - We welcome everyone with compassion and empathy; patience and kindness.  To lead with love, we look for the best in our co-workers, our families, and ourselves.

• Grow with Us - We celebrate our successes and learn from our mistakes. We believe there is always a better way asking questions that challenge the status quo, improve our process and make our work easier. Grow with us allows us to focus on how we can improve ourselves and, in the process, better serve the children and families in our care.

• Better Together - Together, we can do amazing things. Children and families trust us and depend on us to work as a team to meet their needs. We are better together when we maximize our strengths, the gifts of our colleagues and the commitment of our amazing partners.

• Do What it Takes - We are determined, motivated and adaptable. We solve problems. We own our work, our actions and our behaviors. We step up to help our co-workers, partners and our families. We do what it takes to get the job done right and done well. 

• Be Present - We bring our best genuine self to everything we do. Being present allows us to bring our passion and commitment to our work to ensure the best possible outcomes for Penfield.

What we Do

• We communicate effectively, give feedback honestly and receive it with an open mind

• We use data and processes to drive decisions

• We celebrate success and learn from our mistakes

• We work to find balance in our personal and professional life

• We provide the same care and compassion to our colleagues and ourselves that we share everyday

• with the people we serve

Penfield Children’s Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer.