Major Gifts Officer

Divine Mercy Academy

Divine Mercy Academy is a Classical school located in Pasadena, MD that utilizes the Catholic Liberal Education model to create Saints and Scholars. Our purpose is to know, love, and serve God and to form others so they might joyfully do the same.

Job Description: Major Gifts Officer

Divine Mercy Academy is seeking a Major Gifts officer for the 2025-2026 academic year. The Major Gifts Officer is chiefly responsible for cultivating and maintaining donor relationships to increase and sustain stewardship and financial contributions to the school. The ideal candidate must have the creativity, confidence, and wisdom to know how, when, and how much to invite potential donors to give. Further, the Major Gifts Officer must prioritize relationship and community building as paramount to maintaining a strong pool of donors.

This work may be completed on site or remotely. It will require some travel as well as some availability for in-person, on site meetings throughout the year.

The duties for the Major Gifts Officer are as follows:

• Serves as an ambassador for Divine Mercy Academy.
• Over three years (FY 2025-FY 2028), build and manage a portfolio of approximately 75 prospective and/or current Major Gift donors capable of making gifts in the 4- and 5-figure range in support of Divine Mercy Academy.
• Initiate contact and outreach with potential Catholic, Christian and Education-focused donors and foundations, using research, cold calling, email, and invitations to tour and events.
• In consultation with the Headmaster and Director of Advancement, set benchmarks for Major Gifts.
• Implement donor relationship-building, engagement, and communications strategies to identify, cultivate and solicit prospective donors with the capacity to make Major Gifts.
• Alongside the Director of Advancement, execute a strategy for establishing a Donor Pipeline, Year End Giving plan, and an annual Giving Day. The Donor Pipeline consists of plans for developing Extended Family Networks, Local Area Fundraising, Regional/National Major Donors, and Foundation Fundraising.
• Coordinate Major Gifts strategy for the Annual Gala, including planning and obtaining corporate sponsorships.
• Create a Major Gifts communications calendar in coordination with the Director of Advancement and donor communications calendar.
• Track Major Gifts KPIs alongside the Director of Advancement.
  As directed, attend staff meetings/retreats.
• Perform other duties as required.

The Ideal Candidate will:

• Exemplify and articulate a life of faith in Christ.
• Understand and uphold the teachings of the Catholic Church at all times.
• Lead donors and prospective donors to an understanding and an appreciation of all that is good, beautiful, and true and how it is expressed at DMA.
• Relate to donors and prospective donors  by loving them with the love of Christ, encouraging them to grow in their own relationship with God through an experience with DMA.
• Be a role model of Christian love, faith, truthfulness and virtue.
• Serve as an advocate for Divine Mercy Academy, as well as classical education, in the broader community.
• Respond expediently to parent, student, or administrator concerns and ideas.
• Demonstrate a willingness to be formed in Catholic Liberal education.
• Be willing to cooperate with and support the policies of the school administration.
• Be passionate about educating children in a Catholic environment, and about the need to fund this through philanthropic dollars. Experience is preferred but not required.
• Be willing to work closely with others on a team to achieve goals.
• Be committed to fundraising and administrative excellence.
• Be committed to continuing, life-long learning.