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Major Gifts Officer
Ossining, NY, USA
USD 105k-115k / year
Posted on Jun 19, 2026
ABOUT US
Riverkeeper is New York’s premier water quality advocate. Established in 1966, Riverkeeper protects and restores the Hudson River from source to sea and safeguards drinking water supplies through advocacy rooted in community partnerships, science, and law. With an annual operating budget of $5 million, Riverkeeper is a mid-sized not-for-profit operating in the Hudson Valley. For more information, visit www.riverkeeper.org.
TITLE: Major Gifts Officer
DEPARTMENT: Development
REPORTS TO: Chief Philanthropy Officer
SALARY: $105,000-$115,000 per year
SCHEDULE: Full-time; with flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends
LOCATION: Ossining, NY; hybrid role requiring at least 1 day in the office weekly.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) will be a frontline fundraiser, primarily responsible for the cultivation, stewardship and solicitation of Riverkeeper’s $5,000+ major donors. The MGO will develop and implement strategies for identifying, researching, and cultivating donor prospects through one-on-one meetings, small group events, and Riverkeeper’s annual gala. They will build authentic, long-term relationships to connect a donor's philanthropic passions with organizational priorities. This role will work directly with Riverkeeper’s Chief Philanthropy Officer, President, and members of the Board as needed.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
(This is not an exhaustive list of all job duties, responsibilities, and requirements.)
Portfolio Management: Manage an active portfolio of 100 to 150 top-tier donors and prospects using the "moves management" cycle (qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship), with a focus on net new major donors, gift renewals, and increases. Develop short- and long-term strategies for individual prospects, which may also include their corporate employers and/or family foundations/donor-advised funds.
Prospect Management: With an emphasis on New York City, create a robust pipeline of new and potential major donors, using information from internal gift reports, the donor database, prospect research, and recommendations from executive and volunteer leadership.
Direct Solicitation: Prepare compelling funding proposals, investment decks, and gift agreements, and conduct direct asks for major and planned gifts.
Donor Stewardship: Maintain personalized communication, ensuring donors feel recognized, valued, and informed about the impact of their contributions. Write solicitation and acknowledgement letters, proposals, donor recognition pieces and other materials to convey the impact of gifts and ensure that donors are kept current on key developments in Riverkeeper’s evolving campaigns and priorities.
Leadership Collaboration: Partner with executive leadership and program experts to align donor interests with specific Riverkeeper initiatives.
Data & Tracking: Document all prospect interactions, contact reports, and pipeline tracking in Salesforce. Work with the Chief Philanthropy Officer to develop, manage, and monitor revenue goals and expense budgets for major giving.
Key Meetings: Assist the Chief Philanthropy Officer with oversight of the Partnerships & Philanthropy Committee, a group of board members and key volunteer leaders responsible for helping secure new strategic partnerships for the organization.
Fundraising Events: Plan, coordinate, and support donor cultivation and other fundraising events; in partnership with development staff, help execute logistics and coordinate post-event follow-up.
EXPERIENCE & COMPETENCIES
Research shows that people from under-represented groups often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.
This might be the right next role for you if you have:
- At least five years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising and partnership development, including at least three years’ experience as a front-line fundraiser with individual donors
- An undergraduate degree or combination of educational/work experience in a related field
- Proven ability in developing successful donor acquisition strategies and assessing capacity through prospect research tools
- Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills in managing donor relations, while exercising discretion and being mindful of the privacy of current and prospective donors.
- Outstanding writing and communication skills (required); grant writing experience is a plus
- Meeting and special events planning and execution experience (strongly preferred)
- Strong organizational skills in handling multiple assignments simultaneously while keeping attention to detail and accuracy.
- A collaborative approach in engaging program and senior staff strategically in cultivation and solicitation efforts and initiatives
- Proficiency in MS Office, Google Suite, and Salesforce or similar fundraising database
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & WORKING CONDITIONS
This position requires the ability to:
- frequently travel throughout New York City for meetings and meetings in the Hudson Valley
- to work evenings and weekends, as needed
- work in the Ossining office at least 1 day per week and attend monthly meetings in person
- be comfortable working in an open environment (with stairs, no elevators)
Riverkeeper is an AA/EEO employer. Riverkeeper is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding, and enables each of us to realize our potential. Our work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law.
People from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.