Major Gifts Officer

Major Gifts Officer

Executive Search – Major Gifts Officer, ADL Southern California Los Angeles, CA (Hybrid)

ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all." Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, counteringextremismand battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure ajust and inclusive society for all.

ADL values guide the internal culture and shape the approach we take to our programs and initiatives externally. Confronting antisemitism, our founders established ADL based on their Jewish values. We build on their legacy as we speak out on behalf of all marginalized communities across the country and around the globe.

Courage

We have the courage to speak out against antise

mitism, extremism, hate and bigotry, discrimination and injustice—even when we stand alone.

Inclusion

We are committed to inclusion, ensuring that all people are respected and appreciated as valuable members of our community.

Respect

We value respect in our work and workplace, acknowledging the humanity in others—even as we put forth different views.

Collaboration

We embrace the power of collaboration, recognizing that working together yields gains that could not always be achieved on our own. Integrity We always operate with the highest levels of ethical and legal standards.

Credibility

We are viewed as having unquestioned credibility because our actions draw from years of experience and are grounded in research and rigorous thinking.

Development

As ADL grew surpassing the $100 million mark, it became clear that its development function needed to evolve in sophistication. This realization prompted a comprehensive reorganization about two years ago, transforming the function into a more advanced and strategically aligned operation—which it is still rolling out.

Modeled in part after a higher education framework, ADL established a centralized advancement team at headquarters to support the regions in areas such as research and data, wealth screening, annual giving, events, grant writing, and planned giving. This structure enables regional teams to focus more directly on local and regional donor acquisition and stewardship strategies. The development team works in close partnership with the Regional Directors and their field teams, who are the face of their ADL community and have deep knowledge and connections into their communities, leveraging those relationships in partnership with the development team.

This position will be part of the Southern California development team, which reports to the Senior Director of Philanthropic Engagement for the West Division. This leader oversees a broad portfolio spanning Texas, Oklahoma, San Francisco, and the Seattle/Pacific Northwest regions, as well as the Desert region, which includes two offices one in Las Vegas and one in Phoenix.

The Southern California team covers Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego and has a team of four reporting to the Director of Development who reports to the Senior Director of Philanthropic Engagement for the West Division.

Culture

We are committed to being a highly effective and contemporary organization that achieves long-term success through our culture and talent. We value and foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, respect, courage, accountability, and inclusivity. And this isn't just talk.

A full 50 percent of everyone's performance rating, starting at the top of the organization, is determined by demonstration of the ADL Values. We hold quarterly "all hands" meetings to share information, provide recognition and answer questions. We offer a suite of wellness benefits and a variety of work schedules to support work-life balance. With consideration for our colleagues who observe Shabbat, we close at 3:00pm (local time) on Fridays throughout the year. To give ourselves some space at the end of the week to think and work on projects, we encourage no meetings on Fridays.

Everyone at ADL has access to LinkedIn Learning, an award-winning online training platform with a digital library of over 9,000 courses and Work Bravely, a coaching and training platform that offers personalized, professional development. Our Leader of Culture helps us maintain our focus and continue to accelerate our progress.

Belonging is particularly important to ADL given our mission "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all." We are committed to creating a more just and inclusive culture to ensure how we operate internally mirrors the advocacy and education work we do externally in support of our mission. Not only is it the right thing to do, but we believe such a culture allows each of our colleagues to flourish and contribute to their highest level.

This is an exciting time to join ADL as the organization continues to evolve its development function into a best-in-class operation. ADL is actively investing in innovative tools and technologies, including donor-centric AI agents designed to streamline processes, drive efficiency, and empower development officers with the insights and capabilities needed to maximize their impact.

ADL's mission could not be more important in the world we are living in today. For those committed to combating hate and advancing justice, this is a meaningful opportunity to be part of an organization making real impact

Position Summary

The Major Gift Officer serves as a frontline fundraiser within Southern California. They will maximize the donor engagement process to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward individual and institutional prospects/donors capable of making gifts between $50,000 and $500,000 in support of ADL's highest priorities. While Major Gift Officers may be assigned to a specific geographic area, they may also take on individual prospects/donors throughout the division. This role requires significant travel of up to 50%.

Primary Responsibilities of the Job:

• Develop and implement identification, qualification, and cultivation strategies for a portfolio of individuals with the capacity to make major gifts (between $50,000 and $500,000), nurturing relationships through personalized communications, meetings, and engagement opportunities in accordance with ADL's policies, procedures, and funding priorities.
• Lead the solicitation process for major gifts, including developing tailored solicitation proposals, presentations, and funding opportunities aligned with donor interests and ADL priorities.
• Maintain an active, current body of knowledge of ADL and its mission, programs, activities, institutional needs, and fundraising priorities.
• Work with prospect research team to identify new major gift prospects and understand their philanthropic interests, capacity to give, and inclination to give to ADL.
• Negotiate gift agreements and terms with donors, in collaboration with the Philanthropic Services team.
• Actively participate in Development team meetings to coordinate prospect review and discuss specific prospect strategies as they relate to prioritized fundraising needs.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date donor records in the CRM database, documenting all interactions, proposals, and gift agreements related to major gifts in accordance with CSC policies and procedures.
• Collaborate and partner effectively across the organization to build and sustain the culture of philanthropy across ADL.
• Serve as an effective and enthusiastic ADL spokesperson and representative.

Qualifications:

• Outstanding strategic thinking and analytical skills, interpersonal skills, sound judgment, and experience handling highly confidential information.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build rapport with a diverse group of stakeholders including high net worth individuals, colleagues, and senior executives.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with superior attention to detail and strong storytelling skills.
• Display a positive attitude and show good judgment, common sense, and excellent listening skills; committed to transparency, accountability, and direct communication.
• Ability to anticipate and be responsive to multiple stakeholders' needs simultaneously, internally, and externally, including individual donors and prospects.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to see projects through to completion while meeting tight deadlines.
• Prior experience working with fundraising databases (Salesforce), MS Office applications and online collaboration tools.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team in meeting goals.
• Ability to successfully navigate and thrive in a complex organization.
• Committed to advancing the mission and goals of the ADL.

Work Experience:

• Significant fundraising experience including a demonstrated record of soliciting and closing fivefigure and six-figure gifts, including multi-year commitments.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience required.