Annual Fund Gift Officer

Bradley University • Peoria, IL

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Annual Fund Gift Officer is a front-facing fundraiser responsible for building meaningful relationships with alumni, parents, friends, and Peoria-area community members whose annual giving is generally under $10,000. The officer will qualify, cultivate, solicit, renew, upgrade, and steward a portfolio of donors and prospective donors, with particular emphasis on expanding the Lydia Moss Bradley Society and increasing unrestricted support through the Bradley Fund. This role advances Bradley University’s goals to grow the number of donors, increase alumni participation, strengthen retention and renewal rates, encourage higher levels of annual support, and develop a well-qualified pipeline for major gift portfolios. The officer will engage donors directly through phone and email outreach, virtual and in-person meetings, campus and regional events, and other personalized strategies. The Annual Fund Gift Officer reports to the Executive Director of Donor Engagement and works collaboratively with the Senior Director of the Bradley Fund, the Assistant Director of Annual Giving, and the Assistant Director of Donor Relations. The manager also partners closely with the Vice President for Advancement, Major Gift Officers, Alumni Relations, Advancement Services, and campus colleagues to provide a coordinated, donor-centered experience.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• At least two years of successful fundraising, annual giving, relationship management, sales, business development, alumni engagement, customer development, or closely related experience.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships, communicate persuasively, ask for financial commitments, and move donors or clients toward decisions.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, organizational, and follow-through skills.
• Ability to manage a portfolio and multiple priorities independently while contributing effectively to a collaborative team.
• Comfort using data, goals, and performance measures to guide work and assess progress.
• Proficiency with Google Suite, Microsoft Office and willingness to use a constituent relationship management system consistently and accurately.
• Ability and willingness to travel regionally and occasionally beyond the region and attend evening and weekend meetings and events.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in higher education advancement, annual giving, nonprofit development, membership development, or a similar relationship-driven environment.
• Experience managing a donor or client portfolio and successfully renewing or increasing financial commitments.
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge, GiveCampus, Almabase, or comparable fundraising and engagement platforms.
• Knowledge of Bradley University, its alumni community, or the Peoria region.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a portfolio of annual giving donors and prospective donors, primarily at the $1,000 to $9,999 level, while cultivating selected donors below $1,000 who demonstrate strong affinity or potential for increased support.
• Develop and execute individualized strategies to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, renew, upgrade, and steward donors through phone calls, emails, virtual conversations, in-person meetings, events, and other personal outreach.
• Conduct meaningful donor contacts and visits and make direct gift solicitations in support of the Bradley Fund and other University priorities.
• Build relationships with Bradley alumni nationwide and Peoria-area community members, connecting their interests with opportunities to support students and the University.
• Secure annual commitments, recurring gifts, multi-year pledges when appropriate, and renewed or increased support in alignment with established goals.
• Make growth of the Lydia Moss Bradley Society a central focus by identifying, cultivating, and soliciting donors for fully unrestricted annual gifts of $1,000 or more to the Bradley Fund.
• Develop strategies to retain current Society members, renew lapsed members, upgrade donors into higher recognition levels, and welcome new members through personalized outreach and stewardship.
• Partner with the Senior Director of the Bradley Fund, Donor Relations, the Society’s volunteer leadership, and university leaders on membership communications, recognition, events, and other engagement opportunities.
• Support the planning and execution of the Bradley Fund’s annual fundraising program, including Day of Giving, targeted appeals, digital campaigns, special initiatives, giving-society efforts, and fiscal year-end outreach.
• Coordinate closely with the Assistant Director of Annual Giving so that direct donor outreach complements broad-based mail, email, digital, text, and phone strategies.
• Collaborate with the Associate Director of Donor Relations to ensure assigned donors receive timely, accurate, and meaningful acknowledgment, recognition, impact reporting, and stewardship.
• Attend and support alumni, donor, campus, and community events, using these opportunities to deepen relationships, identify prospective donors, and advance follow-up strategies.
• Work with Alumni Relations and campus partners to convert engagement into philanthropy and connect annual giving with the broader Bradley experience.
• Identify annual donors with the interest, engagement, and potential to become major gift prospects, and collaborate with the Vice President for Advancement and Major Gift Officers on qualification and transition strategies.
• Participate in regular portfolio and pipeline reviews, sharing donor intelligence, progress, next steps, and recommended assignments or handoffs.
• Coordinate outreach with colleagues to avoid duplication, honor existing relationships, and deliver one consistent Bradley donor experience.
• Prepare donor briefings, contact summaries, solicitation plans, proposals, and follow-up materials as needed.
• Record substantive donor contacts, visits, solicitations, proposals, commitments, interests, and next steps promptly and accurately in Bradley’s CRM, Raiser’s Edge.
• Maintain accurate portfolio, pipeline, forecast, and pledge information and use data to prioritize outreach and evaluate results.
• Track and report progress toward annual goals for donor contacts, visits, solicitations, dollars raised, Lydia Moss Bradley Society membership, donor acquisition, retention, renewal, upgrades, and qualified major gift referrals.
• Use donor data, giving history, engagement information, and available prospect research to develop segmented and personalized outreach strategies.
• Meet or exceed annual fundraising, activity, retention, upgrade, membership, and pipeline goals established with the Executive Director of Donor Engagement.
• Demonstrate disciplined portfolio management, consistent personal outreach, timely follow-through, and a strong commitment to donor service.
• Contribute to growth in total donors and alumni donors, Bradley Fund revenue, Lydia Moss Bradley Society membership, donor renewal rates, and the number of qualified prospects referred to Major Gift Officers.
• Maintain the highest standards of confidentiality, integrity, professionalism, collaboration, and donor-centered conduct.

Benefits

• health, dental, vision, life and disability coverages
• FSA, HSA
• retirement plan options
• significant higher education cost savings for employees and dependents through the Tuition Remission program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level