Major Gifts Officer Foundations

Overview

Join the American Red Cross. The organization is dedicated to humanitarian service and encourages colleagues to grow in a mission-driven environment. This description reflects the role and its focus on building major foundation relationships to support the mission.

The Foundation Regional Philanthropy Officer is responsible for identifying, developing, managing and growing strategic relationships with large private foundations to secure significant philanthropic support to fund the mission of the American Red Cross. This role leads the engagement, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-value foundation partners, aligning institutional priorities with donor interests and advancing mission-critical initiatives through multiyear grants and strategic partnerships.

Manage an assigned portfolio of Foundation donors and prospects to meet monthly, quarterly and annual revenue goals. Foundation fundraising in Missouri and Arkansas requires a proactive approach, including in-person conversations when access is challenging, and leveraging influencers to drive results. This position is not simply a grant writer role, but an active major donor fundraising role that engages a portfolio of existing and prospective donors in substantive conversations.

Perform all duties and responsibilities in compliance with standard operating procedures and other applicable Federal, State and local regulations.

Ideal candidate will live in Kansas City, MO or St Louis, MO; no relocation is offered for this role.

• Build, Grow and Sustain High-Impact Foundation Relationships
• Develop and execute ongoing regional strategy for qualifying major foundation prospects and partners to form deep relationships and ensure retention and growth of donor contributions as well as recapture from previous donors.
• Collaborate with other departments and fundraising staff to create customized solicitation strategies; develop donor management plans for the entire portfolio resulting in strategic, knowledgeable and complex asks.
• Develop tailored cultivation and solicitation strategies for each foundation; solicit assigned donor portfolio through face-to-face visits.
• Identify new foundation prospects aligned with mission areas and emerging programmatic needs.
• Responsible for minimum annual fundraising goal as specified in performance standards, including both renewable gifts and new incremental revenue.
• Advance Foundation Funding through Strategic Grant Strategy and Proposals
• Collaborate with regional grant specialist in developing compelling, data-driven proposals, concept papers, and letters of inquiry for large-scale funding opportunities.
• Collaborate with program, finance, and leadership teams to demonstrate need aligned with major foundation priorities.
• Ensure all proposals and reports meet foundation guidelines, deadlines, and compliance requirements in collaboration with the regional grant specialist.
• Support volunteer leaders in peer-to-peer outreach or as influencers for relationship growth and solicitation strategy with identified major foundation donors.
• Update donor records in the region/district database following donor contacts.
• Cultivating Strong Relationships & Delivering Meaningful Stewardship
• Cultivate strong, trust-based relationships with program officers, foundation executives, and philanthropic advisors.
• Coordinate high-level engagement opportunities, including site visits, briefings, and impact conversations with senior leadership.
• Deliver exceptional stewardship through timely reporting, personalized updates, and clear demonstration of impact.
• Support cross-departmental grant planning and ensure organizational readiness for major funding opportunities.
• Leading Compliance Efforts & Producing Insightful Reporting
• Oversee the preparation of high-quality grant reports, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and alignment with donor expectations.
• Collaborate with regional grant specialist to ensure compliance with grant agreements, including financial tracking, deliverables, and evaluation metrics.
• Support senior leadership and cross-functional teams in donor engagement and reporting as needed.

• Education:
  
  Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree is highly desirable.
• Experience:
  
  Minimum 5 years of fundraising experience, sales experience and/or equivalent combination of education and related experience required.
• Proven experience in developing strategies for donor retention growth and recapture; success with complex requests is required.
• Proven track record securing significant foundation grants (six and seven figures preferred).
• Exceptional writing, storytelling, and proposal development skills.
• Strong relationship-building skills with senior-level stakeholders.
• Ability to manage complex projects, competing deadlines, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Knowledge of philanthropic trends, foundation landscapes, and grantmaking processes.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written…