Development Officer

the Great Plains Veterans Services Center•Rocky Boy's Agency, MT

11d•Onsite

About The Position

The Development Officer establishes and develops the Great Plains Veterans Services Center’s individual-giving program to build sustained philanthropic support for its Veteran-serving mission. Reporting to the Executive Director, the position builds and manages a portfolio of current and prospective donors; cultivates annual, recurring, mid-level, major, and long-term gifts; develops donor systems and campaigns; coordinates fundraising activities and events; and works with program and communications staff on outreach, donor communications, public-facing content, and consistent branding. The role plans and carries out donor acquisition, stewardship, solicitations, campaigns, fundraising events, and donor communications. It maintains donor-management and reporting practices, monitors fundraising results, and recommends improvements. The Development Officer also trains and supports leadership, Board members, and staff in donor cultivation and stewardship, and represents GPVSC professionally at meetings and events. The position is based in Rocky Boy, Montana, and requires travel within GPVSC service areas. Work includes regular computer use, writing, telephone and virtual communication, in-person donor meetings, community events, and organization-wide coordination. Occasional evening, weekend, or overnight work is required for donor meetings, fundraising events, outreach, and training. Applicants must hold a valid Montana driver’s license and successfully complete a driver’s history check. Successful applicants are subject to drug testing and background checks.

Requirements

Education and experience equivalent to a degree in communications, marketing, business, nonprofit management, or a related field.
Three years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, donor relations, community engagement, or comparable relationship development.
Experience with donor cultivation or solicitation, campaigns, customer relationship management systems, donor-facing writing, and disciplined follow-up.
Experience building an individual-giving program or managing a major-donor portfolio.
Experience working with nonprofit executives, Boards, volunteers, and cross-functional staff on donor cultivation and fundraising activities.
Knowledge of individual giving, donor stewardship, annual appeals, recurring giving, and the stages of a major-gift relationship.
Strong relationship-building, listening, public speaking, persuasive writing, digital communication, project-management, and analytical skills.
Sound judgment, discretion, confidentiality, attention to detail, initiative, and ability to manage competing projects and deadlines.
Valid Montana driver's license and successful completion of a driver's history check.
Successful completion of drug testing and background checks.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Veteran-serving organizations, tribal communities, or rural Montana communities.
Experience coordinating fundraising events, online giving, social media, website content, branding, merchandise, or donor communications.

Responsibilities

Develop an individual-giving plan, calendar, goals, budget recommendations, and strategies for donor acquisition, retention, renewal, upgrades, recurring giving, and long-term relationship development.
Build and manage a portfolio of current and prospective donors; conduct calls, meetings, tours, visits, and solicitations, and complete timely follow-up with disciplined documentation.
Identify and qualify prospects, build a donor pipeline, and coordinate cultivation and solicitation activities involving the Executive Director, Board members, staff, and organizational representatives.
Plan and implement annual and year-end appeals, giving days, recurring-giving efforts, lapsed-donor reactivation, and selected special campaigns across mail, email, online, and in-person channels.
Develop and manage donor database, giving-platform, acknowledgment, stewardship, segmentation, prospect-pipeline, confidentiality, and reporting practices in coordination with leadership and Finance.
Track and report donor acquisition, retention, recurring gifts, upgrades, reactivation, solicitation activity, campaign results, and gross and net fundraising revenue; recommend improvements based on results.
Plan and coordinate fundraising events, sponsorships, promotion, logistics, donor engagement, budgets, and post-event follow-up with staff, volunteers, and the Organizational Readiness Coordinator.
Develop donor-facing cases for support, impact stories, campaign messages, giving-page content, and print and digital materials while protecting Veteran privacy and obtaining required permissions.
Coordinate social media, website-content review, communications calendars, branding, merchandise, marketing, and design with program managers, communications specialists, and the Executive Director.
Train and support leadership, Board members, and staff in donor cultivation, charitable requests, donor meetings, follow-up, and stewardship; represent GPVSC professionally at meetings and events.