Development Officer
Job Title: Development Officer
Reports To: Vice President of Philanthropy
POSITION SUMMARY
The Peace Center's Office of Philanthropy is a team of donor-centric fundraisers. Together, they facilitate opportunities for benefactors to give through the Peace Center to create moments of entertainment, catharsis, joy, laughter, discovery, understanding and learning for themselves and their community. The Development Officer nurtures donors' passion for the Peace Center, the impact it makes on their lives, their fellow citizen's quality of life and the vitality of the Upstate region.
The Development Officer employs sophisticated relationship skills to discover, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a group of high-potential individual, corporate and foundation donors by conducting meaningful conversations annually, including shoulder-to-shoulder visits. As a donor-centric fundraiser, this officer appreciates, encourages, and facilitates all benefactor investments in the Peace Center, including annual, capital, endowment and legacy, by having ongoing conversations with donors about what they would like to accomplish with their Peace Center investments that is meaningful to them. This position reports to the VP of Philanthropy.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES (Include, but are not limited to)
- Build relationships with donors to discover their passions, deepen their connection to the performing arts, and facilitate their philanthropic annual, capital, endowment and legacy investments.
- Serve as organization's primary liaison for a group of individual, corporate and foundation donors to cultivate, solicit and steward their continued annual support and to qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward their additional program, capital, endowment and legacy investments.
- Maintain a rigorous schedule of at least 150 meaningful conversations annually with assigned prospects to deepen donors' relationship with the Peace Center and continue the ongoing conversation about their philanthropy and the Peace Center's place in it. Create moves management plans for donors that include strategies of engagement and solicitations, as well as partnered visits with the CEO, Vice President and Director of Development, and other Peace Center representatives or volunteers.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive multi-year plan and timeline for assessment, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors in portfolio, meeting or exceeding personal productivity goals.
- Conduct independent research to identify corporate, foundation and individual prospects, create and implement a plan to qualify and engage them.
- Utilize Tessitura database to manage prospect strategies and moves, documenting all prospect interactions in a complete and timely fashion.
- Assist Director of Development along with fellow team members in executing annual fundraising plan, including making renewal phone calls.
- Serve as a liaison with all Peace Center donors, providing excellent customer service in meeting their Peace Center needs.
- Assist with donor event planning.
- Attend performances and meet/greet patrons as necessary.
- Represent organization at public events when assigned.
- Conduct campus tours with donors and potential donors as needed.
- Perform other duties as assigned and deemed necessary to the position.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's Degree
- 5+ years of professional fundraising experience, with increasing levels of responsibility
- Experience in the performing arts preferred
- CFRE preferred
- Demonstrated individual and team success in securing and maintaining gifts of at least five figures and up to seven
- Demonstrated skills in prospect identification, research, and cultivation
- Exceptional writing and editing skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with colleagues, volunteers, and donors
- A professional demeanor coupled with the highest level of work ethic, integrity, understanding of fundraising ethics and confidentiality
- A commitment to outstanding customer service
- Ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple projects with minimal supervision
- Ability to work nights and weekends as necessary
- Experience using donor and ticketing software. Knowledge of Tessitura software technology is desirable