Principal Gifts Officer - Mission Fund & Multi-Year Campaign

Job Title:Principal Gifts Officer - Mission Fund & Multi-Year Campaign

Department:Office ofDevelopment

Reports to:Vice President of Philanthropy

Position Summary

Position Overview: The Principal Gifts Officer, Mission Fund & Multi-Year Campaign, is a senior frontline fundraiser responsible for engaging United Way of Greater Atlanta’s highest-level individual, family foundation, and donor-advised fund prospects with a holistic giving strategy. This role will build and manage a focused portfolio of top-tier Mission Fund donors and multi-year campaign prospects, developing blended giving strategies that connect annual, multi-year, campaign, restricted, and planned giving opportunities into one donor-centered philanthropic plan. The officer will help translate donor values into transformational commitments that advance UWGA’s mission priorities, strengthen unrestricted and flexible revenue, and build long-term campaign momentum.

• Strategy and Implementation: Design and execute individualized strategies for high-capacity donors and prospects with emphasis on Mission Fund growth, multi-year campaign commitments, multi-year pledges, blended asks, and long-term donor engagement.

• Portfolio Management: Manage a focused portfolio of approximately 50–80 high-capacity donors and prospects, balanced by readiness, stage, relationship strength, Mission Fund potential, multi-year campaign alignment, and blended-gift opportunity. Ensure every assigned donor has a documented strategy, next step, likely ask, relationship owner, and timing.

• Collaboration and Volunteer Activation: Partner closely with Development colleagues, Community Engagement, Research/Data, Finance, Gift Operations, Marketing, executive leadership, board members, multi-year campaign cabinet members, and other volunteers to build warm pathways, coordinate peer-assisted asks, and ensure clear rules of engagement for shared donor relationships.

• Donor Strategy Expertise: Bring advanced experience in principal and major gifts, unrestricted Mission Fund revenue, campaign fundraising, donor-advised funds, family foundations, multi-year commitments, blended gift design, proposal strategy, donor stewardship, and complex relationship management.

• Engagement and Reporting: Maintain disciplined donor engagement, timely CRM documentation, portfolio movement, stewardship tracking, and progress reporting tied to Mission Fund revenue, multi-year campaign commitments, blended-gift opportunities, pipeline value, donor retention, and campaign readiness.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Principal Gifts Officer will be responsible for the following goals, duties, and responsibilities:

• Develop and execute donor-centered strategies that grow Mission Fund revenue, secure multi-year campaign commitments, and advance blended giving opportunities across assigned high-capacity donors and prospects.
• Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, close, document, and steward top-tier individuals, family foundations, donor-advised fund holders, and other philanthropic prospects with capacity for transformational giving.
• Create strategic cultivation plans for every assigned donor, including the opportunity, next move, relationship owner, volunteer or executive engagement needed, likely ask amount, gift structure, and timing.
• Build blended ask strategies that may include current-use Mission Fund support, multi-year campaign pledges, multi-year commitments, restricted or initiative-based gifts, planned gifts, and other philanthropic vehicles that align donor intent with UWGA priorities.
• Partner with board members, multi-year campaign cabinet members, executive leadership, and other volunteers to secure warm introductions, peer-assisted cultivation, and high-level solicitation support.
• Translate UWGA’s mission priorities, campaign investment strategy, and economic mobility case for support into compelling proposals, briefings, stewardship materials, and donor communications.
• Maintain and BUILD a disciplined portfolio of approximately 50–80 active prospects with balanced stages, clear ownership, documented next steps, and measurable movement toward solicitation or commitment.
• Qualify at least 20 new high-capacity Mission Fund, multi-year campaign, or blended-gift prospects annually, or another target established by Development leadership.
• Submit approximately 25–30 major, principal, campaign, or blended gift solicitations annually, or another target established by Development leadership.
• Secure annual revenue, pipeline, campaign, and blended-gift goals established by Development leadership.
• Coordinate with Research/Data partners to refresh capacity, relationship mapping, campaign fit, and portfolio health on a regular cadence.
• Coordinate with Finance, Gift Operations, CRM/data partners, and stewardship colleagues to ensure complex pledges, blended gifts, donor intent, reporting obligations, and payment structures are accurately documented and managed.
• Track substantive visits, proposals, volunteer-assisted asks, stewardship actions, donor preferences, next steps, and outcomes in UWGA’s CRM in accordance with internal policies.

Qualifications

Qualifications & Competencies

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree required.
• Extensive experience with high-net-worth individuals, principal gift prospects, family foundations, donor-advised fund holders, campaign donors, and complex donor strategy.
• Ten plus years of progressive fundraising experience, including demonstrated ability to identify, cultivate, solicit, close, document, and steward major, principal, campaign, unrestricted, and blended gifts.
• Advanced interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Organization skills for a fast-paced work environment.
• Microsoft Office knowledge including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.
• Experience with CRM/database management, moves management, portfolio review, donor strategy documentation, and pipeline reporting.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced Degree
• AFP CFRE certification
• Experience implementing and managing capital, comprehensive, endowment, planned giving, or major campaign initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience developing blended giving strategies that combine annual, campaign, multi-year, restricted, planned, or donor-advised fund giving.
• Demonstrated fundraising innovation, especially as it relates to portfolio management.
• Successful solicitation of six- and seven-figure gifts from individuals, families, foundations, or donor-advised funds.

Competencies

 A successful individual in this role will have:

• Ability to manage multiple projects, meet external needs while preserving internal relationships and meeting strict deadlines and requirements.
• Entrepreneurial, high energy and positive demeanor.  Must be a self-starter and able to work effectively independent of direct supervision. 
• Highly Advanced fundraising skills, proposal development and writing ability and knowledge. 
• Exceptional ability to manage top-tier donor portfolios, move prospects from qualification through commitment, and build strategies that strengthen both immediate revenue and long-term philanthropic capacity.
• Strong ability to translate campaign priorities, Mission Fund needs, and donor interests into persuasive proposals, briefings, and stewardship narratives.
• Comfort working with senior executives, board members, multi-year campaign cabinet members, wealth advisors, and other trusted connectors to advance complex donor relationships.
• Disciplined use of CRM, donor strategy tools, and portfolio review practices to ensure transparency, continuity, and accountability across shared donor relationships.
• Ability to think strategically and implement strategic policies and practices. 
• Ability to work collaboratively to achieve common goals, fostering cooperation, transparency, and communication. 
• Openness to new ideas and their implementation.  Ability to react and adapt to changing situations appropriately. 
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality and organization.
• Highly attentive to detail and exceptional grammar required.
• Dedicated to shared and measurable goals and metrics.