National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is the nation’s oldest and largest national parks nonprofit advocacy organization. NPCA has an exciting opening for a Director of Development, Major Gifts to join our development department.

Location: Remote (United States)

Grade: O

Salary: $115k-130k (based on experience and location)

Work Status: Full-time (32 hours per week); Exempt

Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package for this role including a four-day, 32-hour work week, paid vacation leave, paid sick leave, paid holidays, health insurance, flexible spending account, dental insurance, life insurance, vision insurance, retirement benefits, short- and long-term disability, and paid sabbaticals for staff after seven years of service. Learn more about our benefits at npca.org/jobs.

Position Overview:

Reporting to the Deputy Vice President of Development, the Director of Development, Major Gifts is a dynamic fundraising manager responsible for leading a team of frontline major gift officers and managing a personal portfolio of major donors. This role focuses on building a best-in-class donor experience through exceptional team leadership, strategic portfolio management, and personal fundraising excellence. The Director translates the DVP's strategic vision into actionable plans, coaching gift officers to meet ambitious revenue goals while maintaining their own cultivation and solicitation activities with high-level prospects.

The ideal candidate combines strong management capabilities with proven major gift fundraising success. They excel at coaching others to reach their potential, building systems that drive accountability, and personally closing significant gifts. This leader creates a culture of donor-centricity, collaboration, and results.

Major Functions and Responsibilities:

Direct and develop a team of frontline major gift officers (50%)

• Manage and mentor a team of major gift officers, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and donor-centricity
• Set ambitious yet achievable individual and team goals aligned with revenue targets; establish clear performance metrics and accountability systems
• Conduct regular portfolio reviews and strategy sessions to ensure healthy pipeline management, sophisticated donor engagement, and goal achievement
• Provide targeted coaching on solicitation strategies, relationship management, and donor cultivation approaches
• Identify and address team needs, from professional development to operational support, ensuring gift officers have the tools and resources to excel
• Lead team meetings that foster knowledge-sharing, strategic alignment, and continuous improvement
• Coordinate activities and create cohesive donor experiences across the organization
• Champion the major gifts team's needs and priorities with department leadership

Implement major gifts fundraising strategies and systems (25%)

• Partner with DVP to implement the strategic vision for the major gifts program, bringing critical insights from frontline fundraising and translate into tactical execution plans for the major gifts team
• Co-create strategic direction for the major gifts program in partnership with the DVP,
• Implement and refine portfolio management standards to ensure each team member maintains robust, balanced portfolios
• Partner with development operations to establish performance metrics and reporting dashboards
• Support donor identification and qualification processes to build healthy pipelines
• Create and execute innovative donor engagement opportunities that deepen relationships with NPCA's work
• Ensure consistent application of moves management principles across the team
• Coordinate with regional fundraisers to align major gift activities with broader organizational priorities

Manage a personal major gifts portfolio (25%)

• Maintain a portfolio of 30-40 major donor prospects and donors capable of six- and seven-figure gifts
• Serve as internal champion for donor-centered fundraising, modeling best practices for the team
• Develop and execute sophisticated moves management strategies for high-capacity prospects
• Partner with board members, volunteers, and organizational leadership to advance key solicitations
• Work collaboratively with program staff to connect donors with NPCA's mission and impact

Other:
Respect employees regardless of their position or background. Participates in developing department goals, objectives, and systems. Participates in administrative staff meetings, organization-wide meetings, staff committee meetings, training programs, and attends other meetings and seminars as designated by the supervisor. Assists in evaluation of reports, decisions, and results of department in relation to established goals. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee in this position.  

Minimum Work Schedule: Flexible. 32-hour work week. Core office hours are 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday – Thursday. Some nights and weekends may be required. 

Travel: Up to 30% travel may be required, including regular travel to Washington, D.C. and some regional travel for donor visits and remote staff collaboration (as set by the DVP and VPs of Development and the continuously assessed needs of the position holder).

Minimum Scope of Position: Position requires a high level of management expertise, sophisticated fundraising knowledge and organization. This position must be able to serve as an information facilitator for their team, guide, mentor and coach on successful strategies and best practices for all aspects of frontline fundraising and donor relations. This position must also collaborate effectively with program staff and internal development teams.

Minimum Qualifications, Competencies, Skills, Education, and Traits:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. Master’s degree preferred.
• Seven (7) plus years of proven experience in fundraising and a strong facilitator, mentor and coach of frontline fundraisers.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, particularly in developing prospect/donor strategy. • Excellent written and oral communications skills. Ability to review and edit funding proposals, solicitation letters, and other collateral materials.
• Proven ability to work with a wide range of diverse staff and donors.
• Demonstrated success in setting priorities, coordinating multiple projects, handling details, and working effectively under pressure.
• Proficient in MS Outlook, Word and Excel and donor management software.
• Previous experience as a member of a management team a plus.
• Previous fundraising campaign experience a plus.

Core Values
Live, honor, and own the organization’s Core Values:

Commitment: We are passionate about NPCA and dedicated to achieving excellence through our work and mission. We seek to improve our performance by taking opportunities for professional and personal development and encouraging reasonable risk-taking and innovation.  

Inclusion: We value diversity of thought, background, experience, and opinion. We create a culture of empowerment by welcoming and encouraging meaningful participation from all people and promoting an environment that embraces different perspectives.  

Integrity: We hold ourselves accountable to each other, our members and partners, and our mission. We evaluate the impact of our work and strive for honesty and transparency across the organization. We operate ethically in the organization's best interests.  

Respect: We collaborate in results-oriented teams based on trust and consideration for each other. We promote harmony between our work and our personal lives. We foster a healthy and positive workplace culture and work collaboratively with external partners.  

Physical Effort and Dexterity: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is typically required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; talk or hear. The employee may lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job may include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.

Physical Environment: Typical office setting or remote home office

Employer’s Rights: NPCA reserves the right to revise this position description at any time.  The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the NPCA and employee and is subject to change by the NPCA as the needs of the NPCA and requirements of the job change. The above is in no way an exhaustive list of the requirements for the position.