Development Officer - Major Gifts

Who We Are

The Mountaineers is a community of outdoor recreationists and conservationists founded in 1906 to explore the peaks and waterways of the Pacific Northwest. Today, we have more than 17,000 members and seven branches across Western Washington, where we deliver most of our in-person outdoor education programming. Thanks to the work of generations of volunteers and our internationally recognized publishing division, we continue to enjoy an outstanding reputation in the fields of outdoor education, recreation, and public lands conservation and advocacy.

Our dedicated volunteers and staff get people outside to experience the power of the natural world. We advocate for access to and protection of recreational lands so that future generations can enjoy these places as well. Our core value of community reflects our belief that a diverse and inclusive outdoors inspires unity, respect, and passion for the places we love. Our 65 staff, divided between our program centers and our nonprofit publishing division, Mountaineers Books, and 3000+ volunteers work together to achieve our mission to enrich lives by helping people explore, conserve, learn about, and enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Visit mountaineers.org to learn more.

Development Officer - Major Gifts

Position Overview

The Mountaineers is seeking a strategic and relationship-driven Development Officer - Major Gifts to build and grow a robust major gifts program that advances our mission to enrich lives by helping people explore, conserve, learn about, and enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

As a member of the Community Engagement team, this position serves as one of the organization's primary frontline fundraisers for individual donors capable of making gifts of $2,500 and above. Reporting to the Senior Director of Advancement, the Development Officer - Major Gifts will identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors whose philanthropic interests align with The Mountaineers' strategic priorities and long-term vision.

This role is responsible for developing a sustainable major gifts pipeline and strengthening a culture of philanthropy across the organization. Working closely with the Senior Director of Advancement, CEO, leadership team, volunteer leaders, and Board members, the Development Officer will create meaningful opportunities for donors to invest in The Mountaineers' programs, conservation advocacy, publishing initiatives, scholarships, and strategic priorities.

The ideal candidate is an experienced relationship manager who thrives on meaningful donor engagement, enjoys connecting donor passions with organizational impact, and is motivated by building systems and strategies that drive long-term fundraising growth.

While this role collaborates on donor communications and stewardship initiatives, its primary focus is frontline fundraising, donor qualification, portfolio management, solicitation strategy, and major gift revenue growth.

Objectives & Key Results

• Achieve annual major gift fundraising goals.
• Grow revenue generated from donors contributing $2,500 or more annually to work toward overall growth in philanthropy from $2,000,000 to $3,000,000 annually by 2030.
• Maintain a portfolio of approximately 125-150 major donor prospects and active donors.
• Complete a minimum of 120 meaningful donor visits annually.
• Increase the number of qualified major gift prospects in the fundraising pipeline.
• Increase donor retention among major gift donors.
• Expand planned gift expectancies and documented legacy commitments.
• Leverage leadership and board members to support donor cultivation and stewardship efforts.
• Maintain consistent and meticulous moves management tracking in Salesforce.

You Will Love This Job If:

• You enjoy building genuine relationships and helping donors achieve their philanthropic goals.
• You are energized by donor meetings, discovery conversations, and one-on-one engagement.
• You thrive in a role where strategic thinking and relationship building are equally important.
• You enjoy translating organizational vision into compelling funding opportunities.
• You are motivated by measurable fundraising outcomes and enjoy achieving ambitious goals.
• You value collaboration and enjoy partnering with staff, volunteers, Board members, and leadership to strengthen donor relationships.
• You believe that meaningful outdoor experiences can transform lives and inspire stewardship of the natural world.

Key Responsibilities

Frontline Fundraising & Portfolio Management (70%)

Responsible for building and managing The Mountaineers' major gifts program through identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors and prospects capable of making gifts of $2,500 or more.

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 125-150 donors and prospects.
• Develop and implement individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies.
• Conduct donor discovery, qualification, and engagement activities.
• Complete at least 120 annual donor visits, with an aspirational goal of 160.
• Solicit major gifts in support of annual operations, campaign priorities, scholarship programs, conservation initiatives, publishing efforts, and strategic opportunities.
• Develop funding proposals, presentations, gift agreements, and correspondence.
• Partner with the Senior Director of Advancement, CEO, and board to advance donor relationships.
• Identify opportunities to increase donor investment over time.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of donor activity in Salesforce.
• Lead regular portfolio review meetings and moves-management discussions .
• Establish annual strategies to grow major giving revenue and donor retention.

Planned Giving & Transformational Gifts (15%)

Responsible for supporting continued growth of Summit Society, The Mountaineers' legacy giving program, and identifying transformational gift opportunities.

• Identify planned giving prospects within major donor portfolios.
• Conduct legacy giving conversations and manage follow-up activities.
• Partner with leadership to steward members of the Summit Society.
• Collaborate on marketing and outreach initiatives supporting gift planning.
• Support review and implementation of gift acceptance practices and policies.
• Assist donors in exploring complex and non-cash gift opportunities when appropriate.

Strategic Donor Engagement & Communications (10%)

Responsible for ensuring major donors experience meaningful engagement with organizational priorities and impact.

• Collaborate with the Philanthropy and Communications teams on donor impact reporting.
• Provide donor insights to inform fundraising communications and case-for-support development.
• Support donor-focused events and engagement opportunities.
• Ensure major donors receive thoughtful stewardship and personalized communications.

Other Duties & Administrative Support (5%)

• Participate in organization-wide fundraising initiatives and campaigns.
• Attend select programs, activities, and events to deepen understanding of organizational impact.
• Support fundraising events, donor engagement activities, and other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Minimum of five years experience in direct fundraising roles, including annual giving, individual gift solicitations, planned giving programs, strategic donor engagement, campaigns, or complex fundraising project management.
• Proven track record of securing major gifts ranging from $2,500 - $100,000+.
• The ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with donors, Board members, volunteers, staff, and the general public.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and project management skills.
• Proficiency with word processing, presentation, spreadsheet, database, email, virtual meeting, and calendaring applications.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and relationship-management software such as Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, or other similar CRM databases.
• Cultural humility and ability to work with people of all races, ages, genders, abilities, and economic backgrounds.
• High ethical standards and a commitment to the confidentiality of donor records.
• Passion for outdoor education, publishing, conservation, and environmental stewardship.
• Ability to pass a national criminal background and sex offender check.

Desired Qualifications

• 7 years experience in individual giving fundraising roles with proven ability to secure gifts of $5,000+.
• Experience working in publishing, environmental, education, or nonprofit organizations.
• Ability to work independently and well under pressure with tight deadlines, changing priorities and inputs from multiple stakeholders.
• Demonstrate commitment to supporting The Mountaineers Strategic Plan to lead innovation in outdoor education, engage a vibrant community of outdoor enthusiasts, and advocate on behalf of the natural world.

Cultivating an inclusive staff is central to The Mountaineers focus on advancing equity and achieving a sense of belonging. Our core values are Adventure, Advocacy, Community, Education, and Volunteerism, and we believe a diverse and inclusive environment inspires unity, respect, and passion for our work and one another. We’re interested in hearing from people who can work with colleagues of varied experience and backgrounds. The Mountaineers is an equal-opportunity employer, and candidates from all backgrounds are considered, and as an organization that values equity and inclusion, we highly encourage people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and veterans to apply.

Work Environment

This role is based in Seattle, WA, at The Mountaineers program center in Magnuson Park. This position is expected to have a regular presence in our Seattle-based program center, with opportunities for a partial remote work schedule. The Mountaineers will provide a laptop computer for remote access. For remote work, the Development Officer is expected to have a suitable remote work environment, including broadband internet access, to accomplish their job duties.

Physical Demands

• Ability to work evening and weekend hours, as necessary for Board meetings and events.
• Must have regular and reliable transportation for local travel and willing to travel when necessary. Occasional local travel expected for donor meetings and volunteer working groups.
• On events days (to support setup to tear down):
  • Ability to be active and mobile for 4 or more hours continuously.
  • Ability to work greater than a 10-hour day.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance, and paid sick, vacation, volunteer, and holiday time. 401(k) retirement plan available after three months.

PTO benefit package for current staff and new hires:

• 15 paid days vacation in first year, with additional accrual based on tenure
• 4 paid volunteer days
• 12 paid holidays
• Paid sick leave according to Seattle's Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance

Additional benefits include:

• Flexible working environment, with up to 40% remote work for most employees
• Mountaineers Family membership, including member access to our three mountain lodges
• Opportunities to advance your outdoor skills with $1,000 toward Mountaineers courses each year
• Two free tickets to many Mountaineers events
• Free copy of each newly published Mountaineers Books title
• Access to outdoor industry discounts (prodeals)
• Four on-site climbing and bouldering walls
• Bring your dog to work days
• Free parking for your bike or car, and a shared office space located right on a bus line, with alternative transportation reimbursement (up to $100 per month for full time employees)
• In-office shower for midday run, climbing session, or morning commute