Development Officer

Husson University; Bangor (ME); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Husson University is seeking a Development Officer responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gift prospects to advance the university’s priorities. You’ll manage a portfolio of alumni, friends, corporations, and foundations focused on gifts of $25,000 and above, building meaningful long-term relationships and moving donors through the major gift cycle.

Working with University leadership and Advancement colleagues, you’ll secure support for scholarships, academic

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Five to seven years of major or planned gift fundraising experience.
• Proven ability to build donor relationships and close gifts of $25,000 and higher.
• Ability to understand leadership donor needs and develop relationships with university stakeholders.
• Proficiency with Word, Excel, PowerPoint; strong written and oral communication.
• Raiser’s Edge experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Cultivate relationships with constituents for major gifts greater than $25,000 from alumni, friends, corporations, and foundations.
• Ask for an annual gift from each constituent visited.
• Collaborate with development staff and university representatives to cultivate and solicit donors for priorities.
• Monitor prospect contacts to ensure positive donor relations.
• Make 8–12 face-to-face meetings monthly.
• Support leadership and volunteers in fundraising activities and strategy.

Skills

Relationship building

Major gift fundraising

Cold calling

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Portfolio management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Raiser’s Edge

Job description

The Development Officer is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gift prospects to advance Husson University’s strategic and philanthropic priorities. This position manages a portfolio of approximately 100–150 alumni, friends, corporations, and foundations, with a focus on securing gifts of $25,000 or more.

The Development Officer develops and executes individualized donor engagement strategies, builds meaningful long-term relationships, and moves prospective donors through the major gift cycle. Working collaboratively with University leadership, faculty, and Advancement colleagues, the position secures philanthropic support for scholarships, academic programs, unrestricted giving, capital projects, and other institutional priorities.

The successful candidate will be a highly motivated, results-oriented fundraising professional with demonstrated success in relationship building and major gift solicitation. The role requires regular donor visits, regional and national travel, and occasional evening and weekend commitments.

• Cultivate relationships with constituents for major gifts greater than $25,000. Constituents consist of alumni, friends, corporations, and foundations,
• Ask for an annual gift from each constituent visited.
• Works collaboratively with and in support of other development and advancement staff and other University representatives to cultivate and solicit donors for university-wide priorities and strategic plan.
• Monitors all prospect contacts to ensure positive and purposeful prospect and donor relations.
• Expected to make 8-12 face to face contact meetings monthly.
• Recommends and assists with programming involving the President, Vice President of Advancement, Executive Director of Development, other Vice Presidents, Deans, and campaign volunteer leaders.
• Must be highly energetic professional with a track record of building donor relationships and closing gifts $25,000 and higher.
• Work collaboratively with college development and advancement officers. Offer prospect strategy counsel to the President, Vice Presidents, Executive Director of Development, and other development staff.
• Focus on securing support for a set of campus-wide priorities that include academic programs such as endowed chairs, scholarships, unrestricted support, facility renovations, new facilities, and campus improvements.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree required. Masters Degree preferred

Experience

Experience: Five to seven years successful experience in major or planned gift fundraising preferably in higher education. Comparable work experience may be considered.

Knowledge, Skills and/or Abilities

• Ability to understand the needs and interests of leadership and major gift donors in order to develop relationships between them and the University.
• Interest in all aspects of education and a dedication to promoting the University fundraising priorities though developing excellent relationships with faculty, senior academics leaders, trustees, volunteers, and the advancement team.
• Successful experience in making cold calls as well as developing cultivation and solicitation strategies.
• Must have excellent interpersonal skills and a demonstrated record of completing assignments.
• Appropriate computer skills (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) and excellent written and oral communications skills.
• Raiser’s Edge experience preferred.