ABOUT MOVEMENT FOR BLACK LIVES
The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) is an ecosystem of organizations and individuals creating a shared vision and strategy to win rights, control and resources for Black people. Building on the legacy and strategies of past movements, the Movement for Black Lives has created a broad political home for Black organizers, activists, and their organizations. Our ecosystem is held together by politics of abolition, anti-capitalism and radical Black Queer Feminisms, and a value system that fights for the most marginalized amongst us.
ABOUT THE ROLE
M4BL’s Major Gifts Manager will lead the strategy and execution of our principal and major gifts program, managing a portfolio of donors who give $25,000 or more annually. This is a movement fundraising role – one that requires both technical craft of relationship-based philanthropy and a genuine, practiced alignment with M4BL’s politics and values.
The person in this role will work independently as well as closely with the Resource Development Director to build a sustainable revenue stream that grows year over year. They will manage a pipeline of existing and prospective major donors, family foundations, and funding collaboratives, and will bring a base-building orientation to donor engagement – ensuring that resource mobilization is tied to movement principles, not transactional giving. is responsible for implementing strong and innovative fundraising strategies to solicit and secure principal and major level gifts from a portfolio of donors who support the organization with an annual gift of $25K+. (The position will also be responsible for maintaining and growing a pipeline of new and prospective major donors, family foundations, and collaboratives who have recently launched over the last 3yrs.)
WHAT YOU'LL DO
Portfolio Management & Donor Engagement
- Manage a portfolio of approximately 100 major donors and family foundations, working toward annual revenue goals of $5M+ at program maturity.
- Conduct 40-50 strategic donor meetings annually to advance relationships and move prospects through the giving cycle.
- Develop personalized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for donors at leadership giving levels.
- Partner with organizational leadership to support high-level donor engagement and solicitations.
Fundraising Strategy & Revenue Growth
- Design and implement regional strategies to grow M4BL’s major gifts program, including 2 – 3 in-person regional events per year in key markets.
- Secure leadership gifts for priority campaigns and provide strategic input on donor upgrade efforts.
- Create and execute targeted initiatives to grow donor-advised fund (DAF) contributions and strengthen DAF stewardship.
- Draft grant proposals and reports to institutional donors and funding collaboratives supporting movement infrastructure.
Capacity Building & Collaboration
- Lead training sessions for M4BL staff and partners on major gifts fundraising best practices.
- Build relationships with donor networks, including Resource Generation and Solidaire, to identify and cultivate new supporters.
- Implement and manage a moves management system in EveryAction to track fundraising progress and donor engagement.
- Use wealth analytics tools to identify new funding opportunities and inform outreach strategy.
Donor Communications & Political Education
- Develop compelling donor engagement materials, including proposals, impact reports, and updates that connect giving to M4BL’s movement work.
- Organize virtual and in-person events to deepen donor understanding of M4BL’s work and strengthen long-term commitment to the movement.
- Ensure donors are consistently informed about movement progress, challenges, and opportunities through direct engagement and curated communications.
Note: M4BL responds flexibly to changing circumstances and priorities. This description reflects essential functions but does not restrict tasks that may be assigned.
WHAT YOU’LL BRING
- At least 3-5 years of professional fundraising, with a track record of securing major and principal-level gifts from high-net-worth individuals, foundations, and institutional funders
- Demonstrated ability to manage a major gifts portfolio and move donors through a full cultivation and solicitation cycle
- Experience building and developing a culture of philanthropy within an organization
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to craft compelling proposals and donor-facing materials and present confidently to high-level stakeholders
- Proficiency in Google Suite, Microsoft Office, and fundraising CRM’s; experience with EveryAction and windfall is strongly preferred
- Comfort working independently and managing multiple priorities in a fast-moving, mission-driven environment
CORE AND INTERPERSONAL COMPETENCIES
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Grounded in liberation and transformative justice – in practice, not just in principle, with deep personal alignment with M4BL's mission and the broader movement for Black liberation and joyful Black life
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Relational intelligence — the ability to build and hold trust across a diverse, dynamic staff and donor community
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Strategic clarity and follow-through – advances the work at both the day-to-day and longer-term strategic levels with high attention to detail and a “no problem is too big, no question is too small” work ethic
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Security-minded — understands surveillance risks specific to movement work and can operationalize that awareness without creating fear or rigidity
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Self-direction — can take organizational vision and translate it into concrete action without waiting for a detailed roadmap
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Compassion and accountability — holds high standards while creating space for staff to learn, grow, and bring their full selves to the work
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Adaptability — thrives in a high-trust, flexible environment and understands what that kind of culture actually requires
SALARY
$102,000 - $127,000 with full health benefits for employee and dependents, employer-funded retirement plan, remote work stipend, and generous front loaded time off and sick days.
REPORTS TO: Resource Development Director
SCHEDULE
This is a full-time role. M4BL practices a five-day work week, with core hours of operations between 10:00am - 6:00pm ET. M4BL offers genuine flexibility and meaningful time off. It also does consequential work in a high-stakes political moment, which means the pace is real and boundaries between “on” and “off” can blur. The right person for this role understands that paradox and has developed their own grounded relationship to the rhythms and demands of movement work.
LOCATION
Remote (U.S. – based) | Must have reliable internet access
This position may be performed from anywhere within the contiguous United States. The role requires approximately ten weeks of travel per year for internal staff gatherings, ecosystem convenings, and external conferences, as well as occasional evening and weekend availability. All work-related travel within the 48 contiguous states is covered by M4BL.
HOW TO APPLY
Submit your resume and responses to the application questions through M4BL's BambooHR portal. Cover letters are not required at this point. Candidates who advance will be invited to share a writing sample.
We encourage applications from people whose experience has been shaped by movement work, community organizing, and other non-traditional paths.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
ACCOMODATIONS FOR APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES:
We are committed to ensuring an inclusive hiring process. If you require accommodations to fully participate in the application or interview process, please contact hiring @m4bl.org
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY WORKPLACE
The Movement for Black Lives is proud to be an equal employment workplace. We welcome and encourage job applicants motivated to partner with us in addressing social injustice and those with personal experience around injustice. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on any of the following factors; race, color, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), age, sex/gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and/or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition (genetic characteristics, cancer, or a record or history of cancer), military or veteran status, national origin, ancestry, disability (mental and physical, including HIV/AIDS, cancer, and genetic characteristics), and genetic information.
