Senior Development Officer

Reporting to the Head of Development (“Head”) and
serving as a key member of the Individual Giving (IG) team within
the Advancement department, the (Lead) Senior Development Officer,
Major & Principal Gifts, advances the mission of Success
Academy Charter Schools (SA) through the engagement and
solicitation of high net-worth individual donors and prospects at
Major Gift and Principal Gift levels (i.e., gifts $100,000 up to $1
million). Specifically, this includes managing and coordinating the
identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and
stewardship of an assigned portfolio with the goal of significantly
increasing philanthropic revenues in support of SA’s ambitious
goals for operational, programmatic, and capital purposes. 
The successful candidate will have a demonstrated track record of
managing a portfolio and soliciting/closing significant
philanthropic gifts.
 
The Senior Development Officer is a proactive,
confident self-starter that thrives in a fast-paced,
entrepreneurial environment that values results. They are
persistent and driven to succeed in advancing efforts to grow a
robust pipeline of individual donors and in meeting or exceeding
goals. Success in this role will require the following
qualities:

• Self-motivated, self-sufficient, and driven to lead
  and collaborate with others to achieve success.
• Detail-oriented and analytical;
• Strategic, proactive, and forward thinking;
• Persuasive, outgoing, and confident with exceptional
  communication skills. 
• Possesses the highest standards of personal and
  professional integrity; and
• Adheres to and promotes SA’s mission, culture, and
  strategic priorities.

 
Essential Functions:
 
1. Qualify, Cultivate, Solicit, Close, and Steward
Prospects and Donors (50%)

• Manage and grow a portfolio of existing and
  prospective individual and family foundation donors for gifts of
  $100,000+, with the goal of significantly increasing (primarily)
  general operating revenue to meet Advancement team goals.
• Lead and participate in the solicitation of support
  for special events (e.g., Spring Benefit) to meet/exceed
  Advancement team goals.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, close, and steward
  individual and family foundation donors through
  in-person/telephone/virtual meetings, written
  solicitations/proposals, email, and other means tailored as
  specifically as possible to donor preferences and strategic
  goals.
• Brief and staff executive leadership and other leaders
  and volunteers involved in strategic donor relationships.
• Manage a portfolio of approximately 80-100 individuals
  and family foundations, and meet or exceed agreed upon monthly,
  quarterly, and annual goals and related performance metrics with
  respect to portfolio management, moves management, solicitations,
  closures, and dollars raised. 
• Collaborate with the Head of Development, the Head of
  Donor Engagement, and the Chief Advancement Officer to create
  opportunities for meaningful engagement, solicitation, and
  stewardship of key prospects and donors.
• Collaborate across the Advancement team to develop
  strategies to identify and approach new leads.
• Record all significant asks/opportunities and donor
  interactions in Raiser’s Edge NXT database and track proposals,
  gifts, and pledge fulfillment within the assigned portfolio.
  Monitors pledge reminders, receipting, and acknowledgement
  processes for portfolio donors for timeliness and accuracy.

 
2. Leadership & Staff Management (20%)

• As Lead Senior Development Officer, this position will
  manage or co-manage one or two other Development Officers in their
  day-to-day activities, similar to those outlined above for this
  position in support of individual and team goals.
• Ensure alignment between Development Officer Activity
  and Advancement and IG team goals and performance/productivity
  metrics.
• Coach and mentor Development Officers on strategic
  philanthropic relationship management and support their
  professional growth and development.
• In coordination with Advancement leadership, establish
  goals for individual Development Officer activity aligned with
  departmental goals, and consistently track and report on progress
  towards them.

 
3. Donor Prospecting & Qualification (10%)

• Utilize the donor/prospect database and other
  available prospect research and analytical tools to identify,
  segment, and qualify a broader and deeper pool of prospective
  donors with the capacity and affinity to make significant
  gifts.
• Work closely with the Donor Engagement team to
  identify event attendees and other prospective donors for deeper
  engagement opportunities to augment portfolio at the major and
  principal gift level.
• Collaborate with Advancement Operations & Data
  Analytics team to source and qualify prospects through informed
  database queries and analysis.

 
4. Donor Stewardship & Communications (10%)

• In coordination with the Donor Engagement team, design
  and implement creative and impact donor stewardship strategies to
  deepen engagement and elevate individual and family foundation
  giving.
• Provide advice and guidance to the Donor Engagement
  team about strategic relationships within the Officer’s portfolio
  in support of CEO and other leadership communications.
• Along with other Individual Giving team members,
  assist with annual donor recognition and stewardship efforts,
  events, and communications, particularly with regard to the SA
  Leadership Council. 

 
5. Special Projects &
Administration (10%)

• Assist the Head of Development and Chief Advancement
  Officer with special projects, especially those related to
  individual giving, including but not limited to fundraising events,
  gift planning, and/or administrative tasks. 
• Participate in overall Individual Giving team and
  Advancement department strategic planning and budgeting, as
  requested, and manage direct expenses within budget.
• Remain abreast of SA programs, activities, accolades,
  and new initiatives to most effectively engage and/or steward
  donors to greater levels of support. 
• Participate in and help staff SA/Advancement events,
  as needed.

 
Other duties may be assigned from time to time.
Occasional evening and weekend work required to meet critical
deadlines.