Philanthropy Officer, MG & IG

Philanthropy Officer, Major Gifts & Individual Giving

Center on Halsted is the Midwest’s largest LQBTQ+ community center, providing a vast 

array of programs and services designed to advance Chicago’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, 

Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) and allied community. Center on Halsted helps create a 

thriving community by adhering to our five values. 

• Community  

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging 

• Authenticity 

• Accountability 

• Mutual Respect 

Vision: A thriving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, living powerfully in 

supportive, inclusive environments. 

Mission: Center on Halsted advances community and secures the health and well-being of the 

LGBTQ people of Chicagoland. 

Essential Functions (critical to job function): 

The Philanthropy Officer, Major Gifts and Individual Giving is primarily responsible for identifying, qualifying, 

cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding an assigned portfolio of individual donors and prospects with the capacity 

to give $5,000 or more annually, with a heightened focus on securing and upgrading gifts in the future. 

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, this philanthropy officer will build and manage a growing portfolio 

through a disciplined moves management process: designing customized solicitation strategies, identifying gift 

opportunities that match each donor's interests, personally soliciting gifts, and continually stewarding major gift 

donors. The role carries annual revenue goals and activity metrics for donor engagement and prospect 

development, tracked in Raiser's Edge NXT. 

The philanthropy officer will serve as the primary relationship manager for assigned donors, staff solicitations by 

the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Development Officer, and Board members, and lead Center on Halsted's 

planned giving and legacy giving pipeline. This is a seasoned frontline fundraiser with a track record of building 

mutually beneficial relationships with individual donors through face-to-face meetings, direct solicitation, and 

intimate cultivation experiences, including opportunities at our three locations: Center on Halsted and Center on 

Addison in Lakeview, and Center on Cottage Grove in Woodlawn. 

Nonessential Functions: (non-critical to job function): 

• Represent Center on Halsted at internal and external events as requested  

Job Description 

Duties/Responsibilities: 

Major Donor Portfolio Management 

• Manage a portfolio of 100-125 qualified major gift donors and prospects with capacity to give $5,000+ 

annually, with a focus on upgrading donors to $10,000-$25,000+; introduce and advance planned giving 

conversations with individual donors. 

• Develop and implement a customized cultivation and solicitation strategy for each assigned donor, 

including personalized outreach and in-person and virtual meetings; conduct a minimum number of 

substantive donor meetings and solicitations monthly as set annually with the Chief Development Officer. 

• Meet or exceed annual revenue goals for major gifts fundraising and key activity metrics for donor 

engagement, qualification, and prospect development in service of those goals. 

• Manage donor life cycles through moves management in Raiser's Edge NXT: record contact reports, next 

steps, proposals, and solicitation stages; maintain accurate pipeline projections aligned with other 

frontline fundraisers to ensure reliable revenue forecasting. 

• Identify new major donor prospects through wealth screening and capacity analysis, local networks, peer 

referrals, and Center on Halsted's database; qualify prospects and move them into active portfolio 

management in collaboration with Development Services Associate. 

• Create proposals, gift opportunities, and donor-facing reports that connect donor interests to Center on 

Halsted programs, in partnership with program directors and within the organization's strategic 

framework. 

Donor Relationship Building 

• Serve as the primary relationship manager for assigned major donors, developing deep knowledge of each 

donor's interests, motivations, connections, and giving capacity. 

• Create personalized stewardship plans for major donors with an eye toward their annual giving, event 

giving, planned giving, and corporate or employer connections. 

• Lead the growth of Center on Halsted's legacy giving program, including documented planned gift 

intentions, recognition, and stewardship of legacy donors. 

• Support and manage solicitation of assigned donors by the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Development 

Officer, Board members, and other key volunteers; identify and secure major donor prospect meetings for 

senior staff and organizational leadership. 

• Grow the annual giving pipeline ($1,000-$4,999) as the feeder into the major gifts portfolio, setting 

segmentation and upgrade strategy in collaboration with the Marketing and Communications Manager 

and Development Services Associate. 

• Assist the Chief Development Officer in Board engagement, reporting, and peer-to-peer fundraising. 

Cultivation Events and Volunteer Leadership 

• Leverage Center on Halsted signature fundraising events, including the Human First Gala, for portfolio 

cultivation and solicitation, securing individual sponsorships, tables, and leadership gifts from assigned 

donors. 

• Host and lead intimate donor cultivation experiences such as house parties, salon dinners, and site visits, 

as strategic touchpoints in donor plans, coordinating logistics support with the Development team. 

• Engage volunteer leaders and Board members as door-openers, hosts, and peer solicitors in support of 

portfolio strategy. 

Perform other duties as assigned or required. 

Organizational Core Competencies: Demonstrated by the candidate. 

• Attention to Detail: Scrupulously communicates with donors in a thorough, accurate and professional 

manner while maintaining an approachable tone 

• Communication: Uses effective written and oral communication with all stakeholders, internal staff, 

teams, and community served; demonstrates empathy and listening. 

• Critical Thinking: Consistently identifies, gathers, and applies relevant information to their work. 

• Equity Mindset: Understands and is committed to goals of equity; consistently brings an equity mindset 

to the job. 

• Collaboration: Helps colleagues as needed, views responsibilities as shared. Able to work on a highly 

collaborative team to align on progress to fundraising goals. 

• Adaptability: Is able to adjust to new conditions. Being able to change in order to fit or work better in 

some situations or for some. 

• Continuous Improvement Minded: Identifies strategies to improve organization's impact; weighs diverse 

inputs to inform strategies, sets course and drives implementation. 

Education/Experience and Qualifications: 

• 5+ years of demonstrated success in a major gift or planned gift fundraising function; experience 

personally soliciting and closing four- and five-figure gifts required, six-figure gifts a plus. 

• Proven success cultivating and expanding donor relationships, with a track record in portfolio 

management, moves management, analysis, and revenue forecasting. 

• High emotional intelligence and sound judgment in developing donor strategies and navigating complex 

internal and external relationships. 

• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to influence and engage a wide 

range of donors and build authentic, long-term relationships. 

• Deep knowledge of the LGBTQ+ communities, particularly at the intersections of identity and within the 

primary program areas within Center on Halsted's work; experience engaging racially and gender diverse 

donors, volunteers, and boards. 

• Understanding of donor life cycles from identification and qualification through solicitation and 

stewardship; planned giving experience strongly preferred. 

• Self-directed and accountable, with strong organizational, time management, and prioritization skills; able 

to thrive both independently and on a highly collaborative team. 

• High proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and Raiser's Edge NXT or similar CRM database. 

• Knowledge of the Chicago philanthropic community and demonstrated ability to leverage personal and 

professional networks in support of an organizational mission. 

Reporting Relationships 

The Philanthropy Officer, Major Gifts, reports to the Chief Development Officer. This person works closely with 

other members of the Development team as well as the Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors. 

Physical Demands and Work Environment: This is a list of physical demands that is required to perform the 

essential functions of the position. 

Physical Demands and Work Environment 

Level 

Frequent 

Sitting for long periods of time 

Standing occasionally 

Occasionally 

Lifting 15lbs or more  

Walking 

Constant 

Walking up/down stairs 

Constant 

Bending 

Occasion 

Machine and Equipment Used: This is a list of machinery/equipment that is required to perform the 

essential duties of the position. 

Machine and Equipment Used: 

Computer 

Telephone 

Application Process: 

Apply to the following website: https://www.centeronhalsted.org/careers 

*CENTER ON HALSTED IS A MANDATED VACCINATION EMPLOYER. THOSE WHO ARE VACCINATED OR WISH TO 

BE VACCINATED WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR EMPLOYMENT. 

Equal Opportunity Employer: Center on Halsted hires the most qualified candidates without regard to any 

person's race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, religion, disability, 

neurodiversity, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, military 

discharge status, veteran status or source of income and citizenship. 

Disclaimer 

This job description is not a comprehensive list of all of the possible job-related responsibilities, tasks and duties 

that are required of this position, and further, Center on Halsted reserves the right to change as it sees fit any 

and all of the employee's responsibilities, tasks and duties.