Development Officer

United Way of Horry County; Myrtle Beach (SC); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

United Way of Horry County seeks a Development Officer to manage and grow a portfolio of individual donors, focusing on gifts of $1,000+ and advancing toward major giving. The role builds year-round relationships, engages philanthropists, and collaborates across the organization to strengthen donor engagement and sustainable revenue growth.

The position requires five years in fundraising or related revenue generation, a bachelor’s degree preferred, and strong relationship-building and strategic

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent experience in nonprofit development or related field.
• Minimum of five years experience in fundraising, donor relations, or revenue generation with success in securing gifts of $5,000+.
• Strong interpersonal communication, relationship-building, strategic planning, and organizational skills are required.

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute an individual giving strategy including donor acquisition, retention, and upgrading across leadership and major gift levels from $1,000 and up.
• Provide high-touch, personalized donor experiences and build year-round relationships with donors.
• Develop and implement stewardship plans to recognize donors timely and meaningfully.
• Collaborate with leadership and marketing to create donor engagement opportunities and events.
• Maintain donor records in the CRM and analyze data to inform strategy and growth.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Relationship-building

Strategic planning

Communication

CRM systems

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Position Title: Development Officer

Supervised By: President & CEO

FLSA Status: Exempt Salaried Position

Supervises: None

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY:

The Development Officer is responsible for managing and growing a portfolio of individual donors in support of United Way of Horry County’s mission and community impact goals. This position focuses on qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding leadership-level donors, with an emphasis on annual gifts of $1,000 and up to grow the pipeline toward major giving. The Development Officer will engage donors as philanthropists, advocates, and volunteers by building meaningful, year-round relationships and creating opportunities for deeper connection to United Way’s work. This role works collaboratively across the organization to strengthen donor engagement, increase philanthropic investment, and support sustainable revenue growth.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor’s Degree preferred or equivalent work experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, communications, marketing, or a related field. A minimum of five years experience in fundraising, donor relations, sales, or relationship-based revenue generation is required with a demonstrated success in securing individual gifts of $5,000+. Necessary job skills and attributes include strong interpersonal communication, relationship‑building, strategic planning, and organizational skills. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES

Donor Portfolio Management and Fundraising

• Lead and execute an individual giving strategy that includes donor acquisition, retention, and upgrading across leadership and major gift levels from $1,000 and up
• Engage in frontline fundraising by providing a high‑touch, personalized donor experience for United Way of Horry County’s individual donors
• Ensure deep, strategic, year‑round relationships are built and maintained with donors and prospects within the assigned portfolio
• Identify donor interests, motivations, and philanthropic goals and align them with United Way impact priorities
• Build a strong donor pipeline by strengthening relationships with leadership‑level donors and advancing them toward major giving
• Identify, cultivate, and solicit sponsorships from individuals and businesses to support UWHC’s signature events and initiatives Donor Engagement and Stewardship
• Collaborate with the Director of Philanthropy and the Marketing and Communications Manager to create a calendar of meaningful donor engagement opportunities, including events, volunteer experiences, and targeted communications
• Organize and support donor events, activations, and small‑group engagement opportunities that connect donors to United Way of Horry County’s mission and impact
• Design and implement individualized stewardship plans that ensure timely, meaningful, and personalized donor recognition
• Ensure routine donor acknowledgements are completed accurately and on time
• Engage and support volunteer leaders in implementing strategies to strengthen donor relationships and build a sustainable donor pipeline

Donor Engagement and Stewardship

• Collaborate with the Director of Philanthropy and the Marketing and Communications Manager to create a calendar of meaningful donor engagement opportunities, including events, volunteer experiences, and targeted communications
• Organize and support donor events, activations, and small‑group engagement opportunities that connect donors to United Way of Horry County’s mission and impact
• Design and implement individualized stewardship plans that ensure timely, meaningful, and personalized donor recognition
• Ensure routine donor acknowledgements are completed accurately and on time
• Engage and support volunteer leaders in implementing strategies to strengthen donor relationships and build a sustainable donor pipeline

Collaboration and Internal Partnerships

• Work collaboratively across departments to understand program priorities and impact stories that resonate with donors
• Partner with Corporate Campaign Coordinators on top‑tier workplace and corporate accounts to increase the number of leadership and major individual donors
• Support portfolio development strategies that maximize return on investment and donor engagement outcomes
• Represent United Way of Horry County professionally and consistently in the community, fostering trust and credibility. Data Management, Strategy, and Reporting
• Maintain accurate and up‑to‑date donor records in the CRM database, ensuring timely documentation of donor interactions, strategies, and outcomes
• Analyze donor data and reports to identify opportunities for growth, engagement, and risk mitigation within the portfolio
• Track and evaluate the effectiveness of fundraising strategies, campaigns, and engagement efforts
• Use data insights to inform strategy adjustments and continuous improvement. Professional Development and Organizational Support
• Participate in professional development opportunities, trainings, staff meetings, and planning sessions as requested
• Maintain confidentiality and integrity of all donor and organizational information
• Support a collaborative, mission‑driven culture aligned with United Way of Horry County’s values
• Other duties as assigned

WORK CONDITIONS

• Frequent local travel to meet with donors, attend events, and represent United Way of Horry County in the community
• Occasional evening or weekend work may be required to support donor engagement activities and events
• Ability to work independently while successfully managing donor relationships, deadlines, and documentation requirements in a fast‑paced environment

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Strong relationship‑building and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to collaborate effectively across departments and with volunteers and community stakeholders
• Strategic thinking and planning skills, with the ability to align donor engagement strategies to organizational goals
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and follow‑through
• Ability to analyze donor data and use insights to inform strategy and decision‑making
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and donor CRM systems
• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously while meeting deadlines
• Demonstrated professionalism, discretion, and commitment to confidentiality

ADA PROFILE:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; repetitive finger and wrist movement; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear.The employee is frequently required to walk.The employee is occasionally required to stand and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.Office environment may be hectic at times.

DISCLAIMER:

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.