Discovery Officer

Mount Holyoke College; South Hadley (MA); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

403(b) retirement

Medical, dental & vision insurance

FSA

Disability & leave benefits

Life insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Tuition benefits

Paid time off

Access to Kendall Complex

Job summary

Mount Holyoke College seeks a Discovery Officer on the Development team to manage a portfolio of ~500 alumni and constituents, focusing on recent graduates. You will use email, phone, text, social media, and video to deliver highly personalized outreach that deepens engagement and increases giving.

Reporting to the Director of Discovery, you will thrive in a fast-paced environment, be comfortable soliciting gifts, and collaborate across the College Relations team to accelerate the major gift

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 1–2 years in donor relations or customer-facing roles.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to manage a high-volume workflow in a fast-paced setting.
• Discretion with confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of ~500 prospects with personalized outreach.
• Develop engagement strategies to increase donor participation.
• Identify and qualify new major gift prospects for pipeline development.
• Schedule and conduct virtual meetings with prospective donors.
• Collaborate with College Relations to ensure donor-centered experiences.
• Monitor data trends to inform program evolution.

Skills

Communication skills

Donor relations

High-volume work

Diplomacy

Discretion

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Job no: R-0000003722

Position Title: Discovery Officer

Faculty or Staff: Staff

Full Time or Part Time: Full time

In-Person, Hybrid, or Remote: Hybrid

Minimum Starting Rate of Pay: $69,637.00

Rate of pay commensurate with experience

Start Date: 11/16/2026

Job Description: Mount Holyoke seeks a Discovery Officer, a new and pivotalfrontline fundraising position on Mount Holyoke’s Development team.We are seeking a skilled communicator and relationship builder. Inthis role, you will manage a dynamic portfolio of approximately 500alums and constituents, with a focus on graduates of the last 25years. You will leverage email, phone, text, social media, andvideo to deliver highly personalized outreach that deepensengagement and increases giving. A core function of this role ismanaging discovery workflows to uncover new prospects andstrengthen the College’s major gift pipeline. Reporting to and working closely with the Director of Discovery,the Discovery Officer must thrive in a fast paced environment, becomfortable soliciting gifts, and demonstrate independence andmotivation to meet goals. The ideal candidate will possessoutstanding communication skills, passion for Mount Holyoke’smission, and a steadfast commitment to inclusive fundraisingpractices.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Actively manage a portfolio of approximately 500 prospects,focusing on alums from the last 25 years, with consistent andpersonalized outreach.
• Implement customized engagement strategies to increase donorparticipation, retention, and giving.
• Manage outreach to identify and qualify new major giftprospects supporting pipeline development.
• Execute clearly defined goals with an emphasis on securingvirtual meetings with prospective donors and increasinggiving.
• Develop an in-depth understanding of Mount Holyoke’spriorities, opportunities, and the MHC Forward Strategic Plan toinform meaningful donor conversations.
• Collaborate across the entire College Relations team to ensurea donor-centered experience.
• Track and monitor data to identify trends and opportunities forprogram evolution.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 1-2 years experience of managing relationships with donors,clients, or customers
• Exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communicationskills.
• Proven ability to manage a high volume of work in a fast-pacedenvironment.
• Strong customer service orientation with the ability to workdiplomatically with a wide range of internal and externalpartners
• High ethical standards and discretion as this role requiresworking with confidential and sensitive information.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with a CRM or donor database
• Experience in fundraising, nonprofit organizations, orvolunteer management.

Hiring Range: $69,637 - $78,342

What We Offer:

• 403(b) Retirement Plan (College contributes 9% of salary)
• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Disability and Leave Benefits
• Life Insurance (College paid coverage 1x salary)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Tuition Benefits (to Mount Holyoke College or others)
• Generous Paid Time Off
• Access to Kendall Sports & Dance Complex

Background Checks:

Mount Holyoke College is committed to providing a safe and secureenvironment, supported by qualified employees that will allow allof its students, faculty, staff and those associated with them tosuccessfully carry out the mission of the college. As a conditionof employment, the College will conduct appropriate backgroundchecks for all new hires. Mount Holyoke has designated the Officeof Human Resources as the office responsible for ensuring thatbackground checks (CORI, SORI, Credit History, & DriverCredential) are completed and utilized in the hiring process andFive College Office of Compliance and Risk Management as the officeresponsible for facilitating background checks as articulated inthis policy.