Julian "Nev" Major IV
Director of Gift Planning Administration
The Nature Conservancy
Arlington, VA
http://www.tnc.org
Connect on LinkedIn

Nev Major is the Director of Gift Administration at The Nature Conservancy where he has worked for over 29 years in a variety of roles, including Membership, Development, Campaign and Gift Planning.  As Director of Gift Administration he oversees The Nature Conservancy’s planned gift asset management, donor advised fund program, estate distributions, gift of securities, real estate and other complex assets.  He also works on various gift acceptance issues across the organization.  A native Virginian, he enjoys camping and hiking around the Shenandoah Valley and currently lives in Warrenton, Virginia with his wife and a schnauzer named Scout who thinks she is a person and in charge of everything.

Fun Facts About Nev

When did you first learn about charitable gift annuities?

I first learned about charitable gift annuities around 2003 or so when I became manager of The Nature Conservancy’s stock gift program. I thought, what a great way to support charities and provide income to donors. It really opened my eyes to the power of gift planning and how we can help donors achieve not only their philanthropic goals, but also their income needs.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

So many things! First, the mission of The Nature Conservancy is deeply meaningful to me personally and I get to work with amazing people every day. I also enjoy working in Gift Planning because I am always learning new things, so it's never dull or boring. I would add that the same reasoning applies to why I was proud to join the ACGA’s board of directors; the importance of the ACGA’s mission and the chance to work with fantastic colleagues from across the philanthropic community.

What is your favorite way to get in some exercise? 

Any activity that is outside.  Although I try to be a somewhat regular jogger (I won’t say runner based on my slow pace), there’s nothing better to me than a hike on a nice day.  One of my favorite spots is Sky Meadows state park in Virginia and Frazier Preserve (a TNC preserve) about 15 minutes from my house.

What’s one piece of advice you wish you’d gotten sooner?

Hmm, that is a great question. I would have to say that it’s better to try something new and fail then to not try. Early on in my career I was so caught up in not making mistakes, that I was not always open to taking input on how to do things differently out of fear of messing something up. Its ok to try new things, so long as you learn from them. I think that outlook can really help you grow in your career.