Philanthropy and Donor Acquisition Officer

Jewish Federation of St Louis•St. Louis, MO

About The Position

The Philanthropy and Donor Acquisition Officer advances the Jewish Federation of St. Louis's mission by building relationships with current donors and identifying new philanthropic partners. The role manages a portfolio of approximately 100 donors and prospects with annual giving potential of $1,000 or more, develops individualized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans, and helps grow the annual campaign through donor engagement, stewardship, and acquisition. The officer solicits campaign gifts, moves donors toward increased giving and involvement, and partners with campaign volunteers and lay leaders to support donor outreach. The role works closely with the AVP, Annual Campaign, Development Leadership, other departments, and the finance team on campaign strategy, donor communications, events, and pledge and payment documentation. Success is measured by fundraising goal achievement, donor retention and engagement, new qualified donor relationships, portfolio moves management, and accurate donor records.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
At least 5 years of fundraising, sales, relationship management, or related experience.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to connect with diverse stakeholders.
Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
Comfort with donor databases, CRM systems, data entry, and activity tracking.
Ability to articulate a complex organization's mission, accomplishments, and goals.
Maturity, sound judgment, and ability to interact with major donors, Board members, and staff.
Proficiency with database systems, constituent relationship management software, such as Dynamics 360, and Microsoft Office.
Demonstrated ability to use data to achieve strategic outcomes.
Strong organizational, strategic planning, and relationship-building skills.
Team-oriented and collaborative mindset.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with Jewish culture, values, traditions, and communal organizations.
Eagerness to learn and effectively represent the Federation's mission.

Responsibilities

Manage a portfolio of approximately 100 donors and prospects with annual giving potential of $1,000 or more.
Develop and execute individualized donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
Conduct donor visits, calls, and other outreach to deepen engagement.
Maintain timely and accurate donor activity records in the CRM system.
Build authentic, long-term donor relationships to enhance engagement and loyalty.
Develop donor proposals, impact reports, and stewardship materials.
Engage current and prospective donors at Federation events and activities to share the Federation's mission.
Coordinate, plan, and execute stewardship activities, including thank-you calls, recognition, and donor briefings.
Ensure a high-quality donor experience aligned with organizational values.
Solicit annual campaign gifts and increase donor engagement through strategic relationship-building.
Identify opportunities to move donors through the pipeline toward increased giving and involvement.
Collaborate on fundraising strategies for Annual Campaign and TFRD initiatives.
Partner with campaign volunteers and lay leaders on donor outreach, and provide training, tools, and coaching for successful solicitations.
Support campaign events and engagement opportunities that advance fundraising goals.
Work with the AVP, Annual Campaign, on prospect strategy, growth, and pipeline management.
Partner across departments to communicate Federation priorities and community impact.
Participate in fundraising events and organizational initiatives as needed.
Implement campaign strategy and donor development pipelines, and coordinate with lead staff on major campaign events.
Identify new donor engagement opportunities.
Collaborate with Development Leadership to set campaign goals and metrics.
Manage strategies for benchmark giving levels through moves management.
Personally solicit gifts from a donor portfolio and oversee a group of volunteer solicitors.
Coordinate with the finance team on pledge and payment documentation, acknowledgements, tax letters, tributes, and billing for the donor portfolio.
Ensure campaign volunteers are motivated, trained, and prepared for donor outreach.
Serve as a collaborative member of the Development team and perform other duties as assigned.