Job Description

The Major & Planned Gift Officer (MPGO) is a newly created position designed to expand the fundraising capacity of the American Philosophical Society (APS) and play a key role in advancing the organization’s Insight comprehensive capital campaign and long-term philanthropic goals. The MPGO is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individuals capable of making major and planned gifts in support of the Society’s mission. This role manages a portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects, develops personalized engagement strategies, and works collaboratively with leadership, program staff, volunteers, and advisors to secure transformational philanthropic support. The MPGO will be accountable for key activity metrics for their portfolio.

The MPGO is expected to build long-term donor relationships that result in increased annual support, multi-year commitments, blended gifts, and legacy commitments. The ideal candidate combines strong fundraising experience with an appreciation for scholarship, intellectual inquiry, and the mission-driven culture of learned societies and scholarly associations.

Essential Functions

Portfolio Management

• Manage and actively qualify a portfolio of approximately 125 major and planned giving prospects.
• Develop individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans for each assigned prospect.
• Conduct ongoing prospect research and pipeline development to identify new donor opportunities.
• Coordinate cultivation and stewardship with cross department colleagues – particularly Library, Museum and Grants and Fellowships, the development team and the executive office when appropriate.

Donor Cultivation & Solicitation

• Conduct face-to-face, virtual, and phone meetings with donors and prospects.
• Build meaningful relationships with donors, family advisors, attorneys, accountants, and financial planners.
• Prepare and solicit major and planned gift proposals aligned with donor interests and organizational priorities.

Planned Giving Program Development

• Promote Penrose Society legacy giving opportunities through targeted outreach and donor education.
• Support marketing and communication efforts related to estate planning and legacy society membership.
• Ensure planned gift documentation and donor intentions are properly recorded and stewarded.

Stewardship & Donor Experience

• Coordinate stewardship activities including impact reports, recognition opportunities, and donor events.
• Ensure timely follow-up and acknowledgment of all donor interactions and commitments.
• Maintain accurate donor records and activity tracking in the CRM system.

About APS

Today, the American Philosophical Society is a dynamic and multifaceted research institution with a mission of “promoting useful knowledge.” (It should be noted that “Philosophy” in the eighteenth century meant inquiry, and the Society today embraces its motto of nullo discrimine (“without distinction”) by supporting the advancement of knowledge in all fields of knowledge through several program areas.) The Society is led by dynamic, new leadership that honors its venerable history while finding ways to increase its impact in the modern world:

• Research: The Society plays an important role in providing independent research support to the brightest young minds —particularly important in a time when research dollars are scarcer. Its international grants and fellowship program funds over 300 scholars a year and supports research projects on all seven continents and in virtually all disciplines.
• Unique Collections and Resources: With over 14 million pages of manuscripts, including the papers of Benjamin Franklin, the journals of Lewis and Clark, and seven Nobel Laureates, its Library is home to one of the most distinguished research collections in the United States. The Library houses four research centers and supports a museum next to Independence Hall that regularly receives 100,000 visitors from around the country.
• The APS Press,the oldest continuously operating imprint in North America, produces a series of thought-provoking books and journals every year.
• Convening Conversations:At the heart of the Society sits its many convenings of thought leaders who share cutting edge research in all fields of knowledge, a tradition that dates to the Society’s founding.
• A Home to Pathbreakers: As a learned society, the APS is guided and governed by its elected membership, which includes approximately 1,000 individuals who were elected because of their significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge. It is considered the most distinguished learned society in the United States. Seventeen presidents, dozens of Pulitzer Prize winners, Academy Award winners, Supreme Court justices, governors, and nearly 100 Nobel Laureates have been elected to Membership.

Collectively, the Society’s work and culture embody “the life of the mind.”

This is a full-time position with benefits. The Society offers a competitive benefits package, including health insurance, dental, life insurance, long term disability, 403b with the employer match, and paid days off.

Salary: Minimum $90,000+This represents the salary minimum. The Society is committed to hiring the most qualified candidate and is seeking candidates with exceptional experience and accomplishments. The final salary will be determined based on the candidate's experience, skills, and qualifications.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including major gifts.
• Demonstrated success securing five-, six-, or seven-figure gifts.
• Knowledge of planned giving vehicles and philanthropic tax strategies.
• Strong relationship-building, communication, and presentation skills.
• Experience using donor CRM systems and prospect management tools.

Skills and Attributes

• High level of professionalism, resourceful, polished and deeply reliable
• Superior organizational skills with the ability to keep multiple projects moving forward on schedule
• Anticipates needs, solves problems proactively, and takes ownership of both large projects and small details
• Ability to work independently with little or no supervision
• Must be well organized and enjoy a small office environment
• Superior inter-personal skills.
• Comfort and ability to relate to APS Members (average age 75), Friends, grantees, staff, and volunteers with grace and poise

Other Information

• Ability to travel for donor engagement and solicitation
• Other duties as assigned

Institutional requirements: Background check required after a conditional job offer is made.

Environmental/Physical Capabilities

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. This position operates in a professional office environment within the organization. The role frequently interacts with members in person, requiring extended periods of standing, often for multiple hours at a time. The role may also involve occasional walking, light lifting, traveling, and repetitive motions such as typing or using office equipment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Application Instructions

Please submit a resume or CV along with a cover letter outlining your interest and relevant experience by June 30, 2026. Finalists will be asked to provide references.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The American Philosophical Society is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment on any basis including race, creed, color, age, sex, gender, religion or national origin. The APS values diversity and inclusion and encourages diverse applicants to apply. Successful applicants will be asked to show proof that they can legally work in the U.S.