Senior Development Officer

Women in Technology (WIT) seeks an executive level Senior Development Officer (SDO) to lead WIT’s fundraising efforts.

This position is a rare opportunity to join an organization that is challenging and transforming the model and assumptions for its field. This isn’t the average development officer job. It is a chance to take a lead role in a paradigm shift that will have lasting, positive benefits for generations of families.

The SDO is a member of the senior leadership team and will work with the President/Chief Executive Officer, development staff, board members, and other key stakeholders to create and execute an advancement strategy enabling WIT to measurably grow year over year.

The SDO will be the primary contact for all major donors and will be responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding individual and institutional prospects with giving priorities that align with WIT’s mission and within the framework of established and emerging priorities. The SDO will manage one employee and will work with the Chief Marketing Officer to carry out comprehensive communications plans.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned and dynamic professional with a record of achievement in leadership and fundraising. The SDO must be an innovator who can confidently engage prospects and leverage the community’s passion for WIT’s mission into the resources necessary to achieve its goals.

Duties and Responsibilities 

• Demonstrated experience creating, directing and actively monitoring the strategic implementation of philanthropic revenue generation for the following areas:
  • annual giving
  • grant-seeking from foundations, government, and private sources
  • donations
  • fundraising
  • major and planned gifts
  • corporate giving
  • and more….

• Lead efforts to build WIT’s base of private support and enhance relationships with the donor community
• Understand the foundation landscape and be embedded in that community
• Oversee and work with the Fundraising & Development committee to develop strategies, to solicit funds and help the committee with other revenue development activities.
• Encourages and supports the Fundraising & Development committee to plan, implement and evaluate long-term development activities. 
• Work with the Board and CEO to develop short- and long-term fundraising goals, strategies, and KPIs to expand funding from existing donors, while also building a strong pipeline of new funders.
• Create and implement effective cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans for corporate, foundation, government and individual funding sources.
• Have responsibility for targeted grant research, planning and managing a master grants calendar, completing letters of intent, preparing grant proposals and formal grant applications, stewarding foundation relationships, and ensuring that grant compliance and reporting requirements are met.
• Keep accurate records to maintain integrity of donor database.
• Mobilize Board members to be successful fundraisers through major donor engagement, solicitation, and stewardship; help recruit, train, coach, and motivate Board members and other volunteers to engage in effective solicitations and other coordinated cultivation/stewardship activities.
• In partnership with the COO, develop and manage fundraising budgets; be accountable for KPIs related to fundraising and revenue goals; supervise gift accounting and processing; and ensure best practice use of analytics, data, and metrics to forecast and track progress and success of fundraising goals, strategies, and tactics.
• Partner with program directors and staff to ensure efficient flow of communication about key program goals and fundraising opportunities.
• Collaborate with the Chief Marketing Officer and team to ensure an integrated and compelling approach to communications and marketing strategies to support fundraising outcomes, including events, annual reports, presentations, press releases, newsletters, etc.
• Work jointly with executive leadership and the communications team to create strategic events and thought leadership initiatives to enhance organizational standing and brand with key stakeholders.
• Ensure that fundraising activities are carried out in keeping with the organization’s mission and values
• Other general administrative duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Commitment to the mission of WIT
• Demonstrated experienced creating, directing and actively monitoring the strategic implementation of philanthropic revenue generation, including annual giving, grant-seeking from government, corporate, and private sources, fundraising and cultivation events, major and planned gifts, and corporate giving.
• Experience in grant writing
• Demonstrated experience in soliciting five-figure gifts and above from grants and donors.  Must be creative and resourceful—capable of producing compelling fundraising pitches and related materials.
• Experience in setting strategy for donor communications
• Preparation of detailed plans and budgets
• Sustained success leading, coaching and developing people in a team environment
• Ability to work strategically, set priorities, define goals and outcomes, detail tactics, and achieve results.
• High energy, flexible, collaborative and proactive
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to develop strong individual donor relationships.
• 3+ years of donor development experience with at least 2 years of proven success in major gifts, or financial planning preferred.
• A commitment to accuracy, transparency and accountability
• Exceptional organization and record keeping, communication and interpersonal skills are essential.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading ability is a must
• Strong interpersonal, verbal communication, and presentation skills. Must be able to communicate effectively with all levels
• Proven 3+ years’ experience in a leadership role in a fast-paced and evolving or company
• CRM/database proficiency with the ability to create reports, analyze donor data, and make strategic decisions based on that data (Sales Force)
• Database and spreadsheet proficiency
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook)

About WIT

Women in Technology (WIT) empowers girls and women to excel in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math (STEAM) from the classroom to the boardroom. We do this by providing female students in middle school, high school, and college with education, exposure and experience. By sharing the stories of successful professionals across the STEAM fields, we encourage all generations of girls and women to write their future. Our team of more than 250 volunteers delivers professional development and networking opportunities to our more than 14,500 professionals, and programs at no charge to more than 2,450 students. WIT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and we are committed to making Georgia the state with the highest percentage of women in the STEAM workforce by partnering with our community to provide opportunities that champion women throughout their education and career.