Senior Major Gifts Officer

About the Legal Aid Justice Center:

The Legal Aid Justice Center is a nationally recognized, non-profit organization that partners with low-income clients and communities of color in Virginia to fight for racial, social, and economic justice. We understand that the harms our clients endure are inextricably linked to overarching systems of injustice. Together we are dismantling those systems through a combination of community organizing, litigation, policy advocacy, public relations, and individual legal services.

Founded in 1967, LAJC has offices in Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg, and Falls Church and provides services under six key program areas:
Civil Rights & Racial Justice (focuses on the criminal legal system), Housing & Consumer Justice, Youth Justice, Health Justice & Public Benefits, Immigrant Justice, and Worker Justice. As examples of LAJC’s recent work, our lawsuit and organizing against the state forced reform of Virginia’s unemployment insurance system, including advocacy that resulted in the distribution of over $1 billion in illegally withheld payments to over 160,000 Virginians.

During the pandemic, we demanded and secured a statewide eviction moratorium and emergency pandemic protections that helped hundreds of families avoid eviction. We reduced incarceration across the state, including reducing the population of a local immigration detention center down to historically low levels through a coordinated effort of organizing paired with impact and individual litigation. Our staff are on the front lines of some of the most important anti-poverty fights happening today.

With a staff of over 90, the past few years have been a time of exciting growth and opportunity for the organization. In addition to the growth of programmatic efforts including increased organizing capacity, LAJC has expanded its operations and administrative capacity, created new opportunities for professional growth and leadership among staff, engaged in ongoing race equity work, and explored changes to organizational structure to deepen its efforts to create long‑term, sustainable, community‑driven change.

LAJC’s latest strategic plan is available at https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). d.

For more information about LAJC’s work and programs, visit .

Legal Aid Justice Center is seeking an experienced Senior Major Gifts Officer to join our frontline fundraising team and help set the stage for our next ambitious chapter. The Senior Major Gifts Officer will be a creative relationship‑builder who will make an immediate impact on the LAJC’s fundraising priorities while simultaneously helping to build a pipeline of future major donors. The ideal candidate will be results‑oriented and skilled at developing strategies to build long‑term relationships with donors.

A high level of knowledge and expertise in areas of major gifts and gift planning strategies is essential, preferably in a non‑profit community organization setting.

The Senior Major Gifts Officer will be an experienced major gifts fundraiser with a track record of soliciting and closing 5‑ to 7‑figure gifts. The Senior Major Gifts Officer will cultivate relationships with individuals with a portfolio of 100‑125 current and prospective donors that will lead to major gifts to support all aspects of LAJC’s work.

As a senior member of the Development team, the Senior Major Gifts Officer will be a leader and will serve as a mentor and resource to the other team members. The Senior MGO will collaborate closely with organizational leadership, program staff, and external partners to align funding opportunities with the organization’s mission and priorities.

This position requires frequent travel, as the Senior Major Gifts Officer has prospects and donors in all areas in Virginia served by LAJC. Preferred location is Charlottesville. Richmond applicants will be considered and will be required to spend time weekly in the Charlottesville office.

• Action orientation, even in the face of minimal information; must be proactive and take initiative;
• Approachabi…