Primary Purpose / General Description:

Reporting to the Director of Development, the development officer will be a vital member of the advancement team, raising gifts through the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of alumnae, current parents, past parents and other strategic constituencies. This development officer will join a high performing division, newly restructured to build on the momentum of the most successful fundraising campaign in the history of the College. This person will be expected to maintain and grow the donor base exponentially to respond to the demands of the philanthropic and economic climate.

The development officer is responsible for securing and stewarding private gifts by expanding annual, major and planned gift work through a regional model, focusing specifically on raising support for the funding priorities in support of the Scripps College strategic plan.

Description of Duties and Responsibilities / Essential Functions

This information is intended to be a descriptive of the key responsibilities of the position.  The list of essential functions below does not identify all duties performed by any single incumbent in this position.  Perform other duties as assigned.

Leadership Annual Gifts and Major Gift Fundraising

• Responsible for independently performing identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of prospects
• Successfully solicit major gifts, annual fund, capital, current-use college priorities, endowed, life income and estate gifts with an emphasis of developing a major gift prospect pipeline moving leadership annual giving donors to major gift prospects.
• Facilitate relationships between potential and current donors and the Scripps College External Relations and Institutional Advancement team; and actively engage faculty and administrators in fundraising opportunities.
• Maintain an active schedule of contacts, solicitations and stewardship activities for a portfolio of key prospects, primarily individuals.
• Conduct a minimum of 120 personal visits during the academic year with donors, prospective donors, and their advisors to solicit planned gifts and major gifts,
• Manage a portfolio of 75-100 active donors and prospects
• Travel locally, regionally, and nationally as appropriate for donor management.
• Report and track fundraising progress with contact reports, prospect management and other communication tools to ensure efficient and effective communication.
• Successfully solicit a minimum set number of annual gifts  through written proposals and create a pipeline for major gifts

Donor Engagement and Stewardship and Strategy Development

• Maintain processes and policies that demonstrate to the donor the institution’s ability to steward their gift with integrity.
• Develop and engage volunteers, donors and colleagues in productive long-term relationships with the College.
• Partner with colleagues in donor relations, corporate and foundation relations, annual giving, planned giving and engagement programs to engage constituency base in each area.
• Develop and execute engagement and stewardship plans for specific assigned prospects.
• Provide strategic direction for assigned fundraising priorities and programs and plan strategies for priority prospects.
• Sustain annual fundraising production with goals established annually.
• Perform and evaluate fundraising tasks and/or projects for the college.

Communication/Collaboration

• Work with members of the ERIA team to appropriately identity and solicit additional annual fund and major gift prospects;
• Work with the alumnae engagement team to recruit and develop parent  volunteers and representatives for the College’s parent and alumni constituencies;

Measurement and Analysis

• Develop goals and metrics to measure outcomes of new and existing strategies for use in external in internal reporting
• Analyze patterns of indirect fundraising strategies on alumni participation
• Assist with budget planning and development by providing historical data and future projections.
• Meet established fundraising goals according to department standards.

Operations and Constituent Management

• Develop and manage thoughtful, effective and efficient travel plans and schedules.
• Understand the College’s current database and database strategy
• Perform other related duties and other special projects as priorities shift
• Actively support for the College’s Principles of Community and Principles of Diversity in the performance of job duties.   

Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

Individual must possess knowledge, skills, and ability to successfully perform the essential functions of the position, or be able to explain or demonstrate how the essential function will be performed, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities.

• Ability to convey commitment and passion for Scripps College while representing the College and the department in a professional manner at all times.
• Commitment to women’s education and the liberal arts.
• Skills in both delegation and workflow management required.
• Competence in database utilization and a variety of software programs used to track solicitation efforts and results.
• Ability to take initiative and demonstrate out-of-the box creativity.
• Ability to compose high-quality written communications, correspondence, reports, and other documents with meticulous attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal and networking skills to collaborate effectively with multiple diverse constituencies.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Must be efficient in prioritizing work on simultaneous projects and delegating tasks as required for execution.
• Ability to work well in high pressure/touch customer service situations and work well under deadlines.
• Knowledge of industry best practices in higher education or other non-profits preferred.
• Knowledge and experience with social media strategy and trends.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office. Experience with CRM databases, 3rd party e-mail clients, and other graphic design software preferred.
• Ability and willingness to travel.

Required Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; or any combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge, skill and abilities.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in non-profit fundraising, secondary or higher education development, and/or a related field development experience, including annual campaigns.