Major Gifts Officer

Founded in 1946, Ten Thousand Villages is committed to creating long-term, dignified income opportunities for artisans in under-resource communities through fair trade and philanthropic investment. Today, the organization is advancing a more focused and catalytic philanthropy strategy centered on Artisan Pathways, a core initiative designed to strengthen artisan enterprises through capacity building, design support, market readiness, and access to growth capital, and other areas as well.

 

Philanthropy now plays a central role in enabling the new Artisan Pathways program, supporting deeper impact, innovation, and scalability across artisan partners. This role exists to significantly expand access to major gift donors who are aligned with this next phase of mission-driven growth. Philanthropy will also grow to support other areas at Ten Thousand Villages as donors feel led to support those areas. To include unrestricted support for the broad mission of the organization, as we fulfill out mission to improve the lives of artisans, their families, and their communities worldwide.

 

Position Description:

The Major Gift Officer is a full-time, exempt hybrid position located in Akron, PA and is responsible for developing a full-fledged major gift program to grow the mission of our organization at this time of unique opportunity. The incumbent will be identifying, qualifying, and advancing high-capacity donor prospects in support of Ten Thousand Villages’ philanthropic priorities, with particular emphasis on Artisan Pathways. The role will cultivate major prospects, craft gift proposals, make major gifts requests, and close major gifts.

 

The Major Gifts Officer will work very closely with the CEO to get the CEO in front of top prospects and will advise and strategize with the CEO on major donor solicitation and the growth of a thriving major gifts program with regular asks made by the CEO and the MGO. The primary measure of success will be a pipeline of major gifts that advance the mission of the organization and make philanthropy a significant and dependable source of annual support for the mission of the organization.

The position works directly with the CEO to arrange and prepare donor meetings and serves as a critical connector between prospective donors, executive leadership, and the Board Development Committee.

 

This position supports and contributes to the Ten Thousand Villages mission by: Expanding Ten Thousand Villages’ access to transformational philanthropy by building a disciplined, CEO- engaged major gift engine. By increasing the volume and quality of major gifts secured, the Major Gifts Officer directly supports the long-term growth and impact of Artisan Pathways and the organization’s broader mission.

Please send your cover letter and resume to: careers@tenthousandvillages.com

 

Position Duties/Responsibilities:

 

Major Gifts Origination

·       Identify, research, and qualify prospective major gift donors, including individuals, family foundations, and aligned institutions.

·       Proactively generate new donor leads through networking, referrals, events, and targeted outreach.

·       Conduct discovery conversations to assess donor interests, philanthropic priorities, capacity, and readiness.

·       Establish initial relationships that position Ten Thousand Villages as a credible, mission-aligned philanthropic partner.

·       Advance qualified prospects to CEO-led donor meetings with clear purpose and next steps.

·       Ask for and close major gifts alone and alongside the CEO.

 

Direct CEO Support and Donor Engagement

·       Work directly with the Chief Executive Officer to arrange donor meetings and introductions.

·       Prepare concise donor briefings, background summaries, and engagement objectives for CEO interactions.

·       Ensure timely follow-up on CEO donor conversations, translating interest into structured cultivation pathways.

·       Protect CEO time by prioritizing meetings with high-alignment, high-potential prospects.

·       Manage roughly 20% of the CEO’s time for major gift work while also managing a list of up to 120 top prospects for the MGO’s solicitation and stewardship as well.

 

Board Development Committee Collaboration

·       Work closely with the Board Development Committee to support donor identification, introductions, and cultivation efforts.

·       Coordinate with board members on prospect strategy, preparation, and follow-up.

·       Assist in aligning board relationships and networks with Artisan Pathways funding priorities and other gift opportunities that appeal to major donors and prospects.

 

Philanthropic Messaging and Context

 

·       Communicate Ten Thousand Villages’ mission, philanthropic priorities, and Artisan Pathways strategy clearly and consistently.

·       Stay current on artisan stories, program outcomes, and organizational priorities to support donor conversations.

·       Partner with internal teams to ensure donor-facing messaging is accurate and aligned.

 

Prospect Management and Coordination

 

·       Apply disciplined moves-management practices to advance prospects through engagement stages.

·       Serve as the staff liaison and support person for the Development Committee of the Board.

·       Maintain accurate and timely records of donor interactions, insights, and next steps.

·       Coordinate the transition of qualified prospects into solicitation and longer-term stewardship by the MGO and the CEO.

·       Support donor-related events and gatherings that advance relationship development.

 

Success Measures

 

·       Number of new major gift prospects qualified

·       Major gifts closed in year one equal to 3 times the investment in salary and benefits for the role, then 5 times in year two, and 8 times in year three.

·       Number of prospects advanced to CEO meetings, number of solicitations made per month, and visits completed per month,

·       Quality and clarity of donor intelligence and preparation materials

·       Conversion of discovery conversations into active cultivation, and successful gift closes.

·       Effective coordination with the Board Development Committee

 

Preferred Experience/Knowledge/Education/Skills/Abilities:

·       Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

·       Passion for the mission of Ten Thousand Villages and the ability to effectively engage donors, supporters, and partners from diverse backgrounds, especially those motivated by Christian faith and Anabaptist values.

·       Strong knowledge of Christian and Anabaptist communities in the US preferred.

·       3–5 years of experience in fundraising strongly preferred business development, relationship management, or comparable high-level sales roles may be considered.

·       Demonstrated fundraising success, especially successful major gift fundraising experience.

·       Demonstrated success initiating and advancing relationships with high-capacity individuals.

·       Strong discovery, listening, and interpersonal skills.

·       Ability to represent mission, impact, and strategy with confidence and precision.

·       Strong organizational discipline and follow-through.

·       High level of professionalism, discretion, and judgment.

 

Personal Attributes

·       Externally oriented and relationship driven.

·       Comfortable operating in executive and board-level contexts.

·       Self-directed, persistent, and attentive to detail.

·       Motivated by opportunity creation and mission impact.