Senior Manager, Major Gifts

Organization Overview

The Mel Jr. & Marty Zajac Foundation is a not-for-profit organization located in Vancouver, BC, whose mandate is to support children, seniors, and individuals with special needs through innovative community projects focused on developing lifelong skills and independence.

Our current major focus is Zajac Ranch, a fully accessible camp in Mission, BC, dedicated to providing enriching experiences for children with chronic, life-threatening, and/or debilitating conditions.

Reports To

Executive Director

Job Type / Schedule

Full-time, on-site, Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Evenings and weekends occasionally required for fundraising events, donor meetings, and other organizational activities.

Location

#300 – 2006 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC

Opportunity

The Senior Manager, Major Gifts is a senior fundraising professional responsible for securing significant philanthropic support for the Mel Jr. & Marty Zajac Foundation and Zajac Ranch through major gifts, corporate sponsorships, and fundraising events.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Senior Manager will personally manage a portfolio of donors and prospects, with a primary focus on gifts of $10,000 and above. The role is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual donors, corporate partners, and other prospective supporters while building strong, long-term relationships that advance the Foundation’s mission.

The Senior Manager will contribute to the development and implementation of the Foundation’s overall fundraising strategy in collaboration with the Executive Team and other members of the Development team. This role will also lead the fundraising strategy and execution of the Foundation’s signature fundraising events, including sponsorship development, donor engagement, revenue generation, and post-event stewardship.

The successful candidate will be an experienced, relationship-driven fundraiser who is comfortable making asks, closing significant gifts, building donor pipelines, securing sponsorships, and managing multiple fundraising initiatives with professionalism and discretion.

Are You...

• An accomplished fundraiser and relationship builder who enjoys personally cultivating and securing major gifts?
• Confident developing meaningful relationships with major donors, corporate sponsors, and community partners?
• Comfortable making direct asks and moving prospective donors from identification through solicitation and stewardship?
• A persuasive communicator who can develop compelling proposals, sponsorship opportunities, and cases for support?
• Highly organized and able to manage a donor portfolio, event timelines, sponsorship commitments, and multiple priorities simultaneously?
• A collaborative professional who enjoys contributing to fundraising strategy with the Executive Team and Development colleagues?
• Results-oriented, resourceful, and motivated by achieving ambitious fundraising goals?

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Major Gift Development

• Contribute to the development and implementation of annual fundraising strategy in collaboration with the Executive Team and other members of the Development team.
• Provide input into annual fundraising priorities, revenue goals, donor pipeline strategy, campaigns, sponsorship opportunities, and donor engagement initiatives.
• Develop and execute individual cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for major gift prospects.
• Identify and qualify new prospective donors, corporate partners, and sponsorship opportunities that align with the Foundation’s mission and priorities.
• Work collaboratively with the Executive Director, Board members, and other organizational leaders to support donor cultivation and solicitation where appropriate.

Major Gifts & Donor Stewardship

• Manage an active portfolio of major donors and prospects, with a primary focus on gifts of $10,000 and above.
• Personally cultivate, solicit, secure, and steward major gifts from individuals, families, corporations, and other philanthropic partners.
• Develop customized engagement and solicitation plans that reflect donor interests, giving history, capacity, and connection to the Foundation’s mission.
• Prepare compelling proposals, cases for support, briefing materials, donor correspondence, and other materials required to advance major gift conversations.
• Build strong, long-term donor relationships through meaningful communication, recognition, stewardship, and impact reporting.
• Ensure timely and appropriate follow-up following donor meetings, gifts, events, and other engagement opportunities.

Corporate Sponsorships & Partnerships