The Institutional Advancement Department at the College of Saint Benedict invites applications for a full-time, benefit-eligible position of Development Officer.
Reporting to the Executive Director of Major & Planned Giving of Institutional Advancement (ED), the Development Officer (DO) will serve as a member of the Major and Planned Gifts Team within the Office of Institutional Advancement. The DO is responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding gifts to support the College of Saint Benedict from alumnae, parents, faculty, staff and friends of the college. By building relationships through in-person and virtual visits, written and verbal communications and proposals with individual donors. The DO is expected to expand the donor base, create and implement effective engagement pipelines for new and existing major gift donors and prospects, and help donors fulfill their passions and interests through their giving to the College of Saint Benedict.
The College of Saint Benedict (CSB) is a liberal arts college for women located in the central lakes area of Minnesota. The campus is minutes away from St. Cloud, an increasingly diverse regional center with a population of over 100,000, and 70 miles from Minneapolis and St. Paul. Some CSB staff choose to reside locally, while others commute from the Twin Cities. Both St. Cloud and the Twin Cities offer a wide range of fine arts, cultural, dining, recreational, and sporting opportunities.
CSB is a Catholic college in the Benedictine tradition enlivened by values of community, hospitality, stewardship, and justice. The college is dedicated to cultivating an equitable, inclusive community founded on respect for all persons. Students, staff and faculty from many diverse belief systems and backgrounds collectively bring a rich dimension to the academic, cultural, and religious experience at CSB. Learn more in our Institutional Statement on Diversity and in our brochure regarding Higher Education in the Catholic and Benedictine Tradition.
With a total enrollment of approximately 1600 students, CSB has a unique coordinate partnership with Saint John's University (SJU), a liberal arts college for men. CSB and SJU are committed to the holistic transformational development of women and men within the context of a unified, coeducational experience. All students, faculty, and staff have the opportunity to experience and engage with the two institutions. For further information, see http://www.csbsju.edu/about.
CSB offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits program.
Responsibilities
To secure funds for the College of Saint Benedict by managing a consistently shifting portfolio of 125 + current and prospective donors with the financial capacity for gifts in the $25,000-$250,000 range.
Meet overall activity and revenue goals by managing, implementing and maintaining an aggressive engagement plan. Qualifies prospects that represent the highest giving potential for the college and determines where reassignment of prospects with capacity for gifts over $25,000 will best serve the college.
In consultation with the ED and Director of Prospect Research, set specific dollar goals for assigned, qualified prospects based on their history of giving and the college’s knowledge of their giving potential and affinity.
Create cultivation and solicitation plans for assigned, qualified prospects that consider the individual prospect’s interest, motivations, giving patterns and ask preferences. Execute established plans in a timely and cost-effective manner that retains and upgrades current donors and acquires new donors.
To secure program, project and organizational information to create and write effective proposals, asks and stewardship materials that demonstrate the impact of philanthropy on advancing the mission of the college.
Along with the Executive Director for Major & Planned Giving of Institutional Advancement and the major and planned gifts team, develop, propose, and implement strategies for solicitation of leadership annual, major and planned gifts across the college including: determining ongoing relationships with prospect/donor; recommending specific purpose and level of gift; identifying those to be involved in cultivation and subsequent solicitation; assuring that solicitations are carried out, all with the goal of meeting annual and campaign fundraising goals.
Coordinate with the Director of Annual Giving and the annual giving team to implement strategies for assigned prospects that result in an increasing multimillion dollar annual giving goal, while also growing the number of alumnae, parent and friend donors.
Travel locally, regionally and nationally to identify, cultivate and solicit donors, and to represent College of Saint Benedict at community and college-sponsored events as needed in order to meet established activity and revenue goals.
Perform those duties and responsibilities as may be requested by the Executive Director for Major & Planned Giving for Institutional Advancement or the Vice President for Institutional Advancement.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Development Officer be evaluated by the ED on their performance of the responsibilities of the position; demonstration of the desired qualifications and key competencies; meeting annual individual and departmental goals, and completion of job duties in a professional, cooperative, and timely manner. The incumbent will also be evaluated on their communication skills and professional interactions with staff, alumnae, donors and community members, as well as the ability to listen carefully, think critically, and understand issues.
Bachelor’s degree required
Ability and willingness to travel throughout the state of Minnesota and nationally to meet with donors and to represent the college at evening and weekend events. Will require overnight travel.
Self-starter able to secure personal appointments and qualify new prospects.
Excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal relations skills.
Demonstrated successful advancement or fundraising experience or related work or volunteer experience. Related experience might include, but is not limited to sales, recruitment, account management or lobbying.
Demonstrated personal experience soliciting gifts from individuals and/or transferrable experience, which includes managing relationships, creating and presenting proposals, and other fundamental elements of client/donor relationship, sales-related management or related experience.
Strong computer experience and skills in MS Office.
Ability to manage relationships, process, deadlines and budget while adhering to organizational policies and procedures and to effectively manage multiple changing priorities and solve problems with a positive and constructive attitude.
Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within a complex environment and build positive relationships with internal and external clientele. Ability to motivate team members in support of the vision and to collaborate with one another in achieving team goals.
The College of Saint Benedict (CSB), a liberal arts college for women, and Saint John's University (SJU), a liberal arts college for men, are located in the central lakes area of Minnesota, surrounded by more than 3,000 acres of pristine forests, prairies, and lakes. The campuses are minutes away from St. Cloud, an increasingly diverse regional center with a population of over 100,000, and 70 miles from Minneapolis and St. Paul. Some CSB/SJU faculty and staff choose to reside locally, while others commute from the Twin Cities. Both St. Cloud and the Twin Cities offer a wide range of fine arts, cultural, dining, recreational, and sporting opportunities. CSB and SJU are Catholic colleges in the Benedictine tradition enlivened by values of community, hospitality, stewardship, and justice. The schools are dedicated to cultivating an equitable, inclusive community founded on respect for all persons. Students, staff and faculty from many diverse belief systems and backgrounds collectively bring a rich dimension to the academic, cultural, and religious experience at CSB/SJU. We welcome faculty who devote themselves with passion and integrity to their disciplines and to a transformative ed...ucation of their students. With a total enrollment of approximately 3600 students, faculty members develop relationships with students in small classroom settings and have opportunities to work closely with students on research projects, experiential learning experiences, and study abroad programs. Recent initiatives to create a dynamic general education curriculum and to develop plans for a new teaching and learning center demonstrate strong institutional support for faculty development. CSB and SJU offer competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits program.