Development Officer

Santa Clara University•Santa Clara, CA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

For nearly 30 years, Miller Center for Global Impact has been a leader in the global social enterprise movement. With an emphasis on climate resilience and women’s economic power, we accelerate social entrepreneurship to end poverty and protect the planet, guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Located at Santa Clara University, we fuse the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley with the university’s heritage of social justice, community engagement, and global impact. Miller Center has served 1,500 social entrepreneurs based in over 100 countries that are impacting hundreds of millions of lives. The Development Officer supports fundraising and strategic engagement for Miller Center. The position helps secure philanthropic gifts, grants, and sponsorships for projects identified as Miller Center priorities, focusing on developing major proposals and funded partnerships, generally above $10,000, for submission to individuals, major corporations, family foundations, and other institutional donors. The role requires collaboration with internal colleagues and external partners/donors to build philanthropic relationships in support of the center’s strategic goals and the University's Strategic Plan. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We value the unique contributions that come from diverse life experiences. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. As part of the application process, please submit a cover letter describing your interest in working at Miller Center and why you believe you’re a great candidate for this role.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
2 to 5 years of progressively responsible work experience with high-net-worth individuals and business development, preferably with institutional partners.
A minimum of two years of grant-writing related work experience.
Valid driver’s license is required.
Clear understanding of fundraising concepts, principles, procedures, and techniques.
Direct knowledge of successful fundraising best practices, particularly leadership giving and institutional philanthropy trends.
Knowledge of social entrepreneurship and trends in the social enterprise ecosystem.
Strong management skills, exceptional attention to detail, proven planning skills, strong organizational skills, and superior follow-through.
Ability to analyze and interpret data, develop insights and conclusions, and translate them into actionable tasks.
Proven capability to interface with appropriate gift level (>$300,000) individual and institutional partners to Miller Center and SCU.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to handle multiple projects, set priorities, meet deadlines, and maintain a high level of performance in a fast-paced multicultural environment.
Proficiency in using advanced functions of Google Suite, Blackbaud, PowerPoint.
Exercises sound judgment and maintains confidentiality, demonstrating outstanding sound ethical judgment.
Ability to effectively establish and maintain cooperative working relationships within a diverse multicultural community.
Understanding and appreciation of the mission of Santa Clara University and the vision and values of a Jesuit Catholic educational institution.
Passion and commitment to building a "more humane, just, and sustainable world".

Nice To Haves

Master’s in Business Administration degree or similar coursework.
Experience living and working in low- and/or middle-income countries, ideally working directly with a social enterprise or social enterprise accelerator.
Experience participating in, or working in, a capacity development training program.
Experience in a higher education environment.
At least two years of experience in the social enterprise ecosystem.
Proficiency in Spanish, French, or another language spoken widely in the regions in which Miller Center works.
Familiarity with Salesforce desired (experience with Blackbaud CRM and Salesforce is a plus).

Responsibilities

Fundraising, Solicitation, and Pipeline Management (100%) With support from Senior Director and University Relations leads the engagement and solicitation strategies for leadership giving prospects ($10,000–$199,999) for Miller Center for Global Impact.
Assists in cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of existing portfolio of 100–150 giving prospects, conducting face-to-face and virtual visits monthly to qualify, engage, solicit, and steward donors for Miller Center.
Is directly responsible for achieving annual individual, institutional, and foundation fundraising goals, typically ranging from $250,000–$500,000.
Performs all aspects of fundraising moves management (discovery, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship) to deepen relationships and maximize support.
Proactively researches, identifies, and explores new funding and partnership opportunities with new and existing partners.
Screens, manages, and prioritizes unsolicited partnership inquiries.
Collaborates with University Relations on identified new opportunities..
Works with the Senior Director of Development to create an annual fundraising plan for Miller Center, including strategies for meeting targets and milestones.
Develops and negotiates external institutional partnerships to support compelling, fundable social impact program opportunities.
Contributes to writing and presenting persuasive funding proposals, budgets, cases for support, presentations, and concept notes for new and renewed funding opportunities.
Solicits and secures financial, in-kind, and all other identified forms of support from institutional prospects.
Works with Development team to engage Deans and senior Center and Academic leadership to introduce key giving prospects at events and/or personal meetings, providing briefings and follow-up.
Tracks and records prospect activities in Salesforce/CLARA/Trello and reports on key fundraising metrics for the portfolio.
Supports the development functions of the Advisory Board through meeting attendance and annual board member solicitations.
Collaborates across internal teams (Programs, Development, Systems, and Operations), University Relations, and with corporate and foundation partners to fund and support program objectives from inception to completion, ensuring alignment with Miller Center’s strategic goals.
Effectively communicates plans, progress, and performance of programs to key stakeholders, including funders and partners.
Conducts Impact Reporting and Analysis, shares results and insights with funding partners and Miller Center staff, and provides recommendations for program design and improvements.
Collaborates with University Relations, marketing and public relations staff to develop media campaigns that position Miller Center as a thought leader and build awareness of programs globally.
Participates in regional and global associations, collaboratives, and coalitions such as Sankalp, SOCAP, FLII, and World Economic Forum Global Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship, Catalyst 2030 with Miller Center Programs staff and leadership.
Monitors global trends in the global philanthropic ecosystem in sectors aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (with a focus on Goals 5, 6, 7, and 8).
Identifies and recommends SCU alumni and community members for involvement with networking and fundraising efforts.