Advancement Officer
8 days ago
Columbia
Job DescriptionDescription: The Advancement Officer serves as a frontline fundraiser responsible for managing a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors, typically at the $25,000 level and above. This position conducts national outreach through travel and virtual engagement to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward alumni and friends of the College in support of strategic funding priorities. The Advancement Officer develops and executes data-informed strategies to drive philanthropic investment, advance donor relationships, and meet annual fundraising goals. The role reports to the Vice President for Advancement and contributes to overall campaign and advancement efforts. Position Responsibilities: Major Gift Strategy and Revenue Generation • Manage a dynamic portfolio of 80-100 major gift prospects, with responsibility for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual gifts of $25,000 and above., • Develop and implement individualized solicitation strategies designed to maximize donor engagement and giving potential., • Meet or exceed annual performance metrics, including the number of visits, solicitations, and dollars raised, as set with the Vice President for Advancement., • Conduct regular outreach, including in-person visits, virtual meetings, calls, emails, and handwritten notes to build meaningful donor relationships., • Create compelling, customized proposals that align donor interests with College priorities., • Serve as a strategic partner to faculty, staff, alumni, volunteers, community leaders, and College leaders to identify funding opportunities and engage donors., • Contribute to donor strategy sessions, Advancement meetings, campaign initiatives, and special events as assigned., • Partner with the Advancement team to ensure high-quality stewardship through reporting, impact updates, donor recognition, and personalized outreach., • Bachelor’s degree required., • 1–3 years of experience in relationship-focused work, such as client relations, sales, account management, customer service, student affairs, nonprofit engagement, communications, or related fields., • Prior fundraising or advancement experience is helpful but not required; training and onboarding will be provided., • Experience managing projects, coordinating outreach efforts, or supporting client- or donor-facing work is preferred., • Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to connect authentically with a diverse range of individuals, including alumni, parents, community members, and colleagues., • Exceptional customer service orientation and a genuine interest in helping others feel valued and engaged., • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to craft professional emails, brief proposals, and stewardship messages., • Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple tasks, deadlines, and follow-up activities., • Ability to learn and apply fundraising concepts such as donor engagement cycles, prospect strategy, and stewardship practices., • Comfort working with data and tracking interactions in a database or CRM (training provided)., • Ability to collaborate across campus with faculty, staff, and community partners to support donor engagement and college priorities., • Demonstrated initiative, curiosity, and a willingness to ask questions, learn new skills, and grow within the advancement profession., • Warm, engaging, and relationship-centered approach., • Strong active listening skills and the ability to understand individual motivations and goals., • A proactive, self-directed mindset with the ability to take ownership of tasks and follow through., • Positive, team-oriented attitude and commitment to contributing to a collaborative advancement culture., • Mission-driven, with enthusiasm for supporting Stephens College students, faculty, and programs., • Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and comfort learning new software systems., • Willingness to learn advancement-specific platforms such as DonorPerfect, donor research tools, and stewardship tracking systems., • Flexibility to attend occasional evening or weekend events as needed. Ranked (over and over again) as one of the best college towns in America, Columbia, Missouri, is home to 36,000+ college students and 118,000 residents. Columbia — conveniently located approximately 100 miles from both Kansas City and St. Louis — has it all: big-time college sports, film, music and arts festivals, a high-energy arts community, amazing recreation, and a great downtown with lots of places to eat, shop, snack and check out the latest bands. The Columbia community offers outstanding health care options, as well as excellent educational opportunities for every level of student (including our own Children’s School). Stephens offers an attractive benefits package that includes health insurance, an Employee Assistance Program, Supplemental Retirement Annuity, Faculty/Staff Grants, tuition waivers and tuition paid undergraduate classes for dependents. Full-time staff work 36 hours and are paid for 40!! Be a part of this amazing community of innovative thinkers, doers and dreamers. Stephens is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will recruit and employ qualified personnel without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or status as a veteran.