Updated: Mar 18, 2025 - The Development Officer conducts visits with prospective and current donors to cultivate relationships and enhance giving through the donor cycle. This role involves setting annual goals for donor contacts while becoming proficient in estate planning to generate significant gifts. Additionally, the officer collaborates with campus partners, builds relationships with local officials and businesses, and meets KPIs to drive successful fundraising activities.


Tips for Development Officer Skills and Responsibilities on a Resume
1. Development Officer, Greenfield Community Foundation, Greenfield, IN
Job Summary:
- Develop and implement a strategic plan to build a robust alumni relations program to engage alumni and develop a donor pipeline.
- Identify and manage a portfolio of alumni to encourage them to stay connected, informed and involved and encourage annual giving.
- Schedule meetings with constituents, virtually or in person.
- Plan and execute meaningful engagement, cultivation and stewardship programs for alumni, friends and donors.
- Collaborates with the development director and marketing team to develop a communications strategy and deliverables to keep alumni, friends, faculty, and staff informed and connected.
- Coordinates planning and implementation of fundraising campaigns and events, including annual employee giving, year-end appeals and the annual Runway to Success event.
- Maintains alumni database records to ensure metrics are being achieved and to evaluate effective strategies.
- Acts as the primary GateWay staff liaison and content expert for the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation Alumni Advisory Council.
- Provides general department support and fundraising counsel while performing other duties as assigned.
- Assist with fundraising event management and planning
- Create and maintain pitch documents for industry involvement
- Assist with company research and prioritization of outreach to potential partners
Skills on Resume:
- Strategic Planning (Hard Skills)
- Alumni Engagement (Soft Skills)
- Fundraising Management (Hard Skills)
- Event Planning (Hard Skills)
- Communication Development (Soft Skills)
- Database Management (Hard Skills)
- Relationship Building (Soft Skills)
- Research Prioritization (Hard Skills)
2. Development Officer, Pine Valley Conservation Trust, Pine Valley, CA
Job Summary:
- Conduct prospective research on potential local high-net-worth individuals
- Support the team with determining links within the Trustees and Development Board with prospects
- Ensuring that the CRM system (Salesforce) is updated and accurate across the team
- Support with putting together applications for funding where appropriate
- Support the Head of Fundraising with the management of engagement events throughout the year
- Support the team with donor communications, including using Salesforce to track donor journeys
- Support the team with the organization of school visits
- Putting together reports on funding to keep donors engaged
- Contribute to the management of the Development Board by supporting the organization of meetings
- Take accurate minutes of meetings
- Co-ordinate follow-up with individual members on pending actions
- Support local events organized by the Development Board
Skills on Resume:
- Prospect Research (Hard Skills)
- Networking Support (Soft Skills)
- CRM Management (Hard Skills)
- Funding Applications (Hard Skills)
- Event Management (Hard Skills)
- Donor Communication (Soft Skills)
- Reporting (Hard Skills)
- Meeting Coordination (Soft Skills)
3. Learning and Development Officer, Riverbend Health Services, Riverbend, TX
Job Summary:
- Ensure effective procedures are in place to manage, recruit and support the FA Casual workforce.
- Uphold the quality parameters and lead the prioritization of quality development resources to support the delivery of FA Education's courses by the affiliate workforce.
- Support the evolvement of delivery policies and procedures for the FA casual workforce to ensure minimum standards and clear consistent processes across FA Education.
- Review feedback relating to workforce delivery and implement interventions to ensure high levels of learner experience are delivered.
- Develop a pipeline of coach developers and practitioner developers, ensuring recruitment is inclusive and the workforce is representative of the community they support.
- Report and manage disciplinary or performance concerns relating to the casual workforce.
- Report against performance indicates quality, identifying improvement areas and appropriate interventions.
- Work with discipline leads for coach development, medical and safeguarding to ensure alignment across workforce processes, practice and quality expectations.
- Ensure strong relationships are maintained with all course delivery stakeholders to enable effective delivery of courses.
- Regularly report to the Learning Development and Evaluation Manager on all relevant matters that emerge through the role
- Execute additional tasks to meet FA Group/FA Education's changing priorities.
- Take part in key promotional activities
- Perform industry and market analyses to identify areas of opportunities
Skills on Resume:
- Workforce Management (Hard Skills)
- Quality Assurance (Hard Skills)
- Policy Development (Hard Skills)
- Feedback Implementation (Soft Skills)
- Inclusive Recruitment (Soft Skills)
- Performance Reporting (Hard Skills)
- Stakeholder Relationship Management (Soft Skills)
- Market Analysis (Hard Skills)
4. Development Officer, Mountain View Animal Rescue, Mountain View, CO
Job Summary:
- Work from a board-approved fundraising plan to implement and build on organizational strategies to expand individual donor and institutional grant portfolios.
- Proactively identify new funding prospects, develop cultivation opportunities, manage acknowledgment processes and create ways to steward and engage donors in BKBW’s work.
- Support the Executive Director and board’s engagement with key stakeholders, individual donors, and foundations including crafting solicitation and cultivation materials and correspondence.
- Work with the Executive Director to engage the board in fundraising activities and support and encourage Board participation.
- Work with the Board, host committee, and event consultant to design and carry out an annual spring fundraiser.
- Draft grant proposals, reports and correspondence to funders and prospects that are responsive to donor priorities and craft strong arguments for organizational support.
- Oversee the organization’s calendar of proposals, reports, funding obligations, events, publications and public outreach activities to ensure timely submission of proposals and reports.
- Support marketing and communications efforts by attending/leading relevant Board committee meetings and developing regular correspondence that supports campaigns, appeals, and cultivation efforts.
- Manage the donor database (Little Green Light), including tracking and evaluating performance, and coordinating all correspondence through the database.
- Work with finance to reconcile fundraising income with Quickbooks monthly.
- Maintain quarterly KPI reporting to share with the Board and development committee.
- Assist with inbound official visits, trade mission programs, meeting arrangements, events, business seminars and exhibitions
- Provide administrative support associated with the business development portfolio
Skills on Resume:
- Fundraising Strategy Implementation (Hard Skills)
- Prospect Identification (Soft Skills)
- Stakeholder Engagement (Soft Skills)
- Event Planning (Hard Skills)
- Grant Writing (Hard Skills)
- Proposal Management (Hard Skills)
- Database Management (Hard Skills)
- Administrative Support (Soft Skills)
5. Development Officer, Willow Creek Educational Institute, Willow Creek, FL
Job Summary:
- Conduct prospects research, and build and cultivate relationships with major donors and foundations.
- Manage the major donor's database and touchpoint calendar, prepare grant proposals, write acknowledgment letters for large gifts, and execute other components of the organization’s fundraising strategy
- Support and advise the senior communications officer in aligning materials with the fundraising strategy, and in preparing reports for major donors
- Support the president in planning fundraising events to maximize major donor engagement and giving, and participate in events for the same purpose
- Prepare an annual private donor fundraising plan and annual update report for the board and senior management
- Ensure compliance with the departmental code and conduct and other applicable policies
- Facilitate and strengthen the capacity of individuals to work together and form a community
- Equip individuals and communities to identify their combined skills and resources so that they can work together
- Support diverse models of community-led development and action.
- Facilitate and strengthen the capacity of communities to form networks that increase collaboration, enable resource sharing, facilitate joint advocacy, and cultivate social cohesion
- Develop a targeted approach to raise physical activity in low-participating groups and settings
- Raising the awareness of the health and well-being benefits of physical activity to partners, settings, and communities
- Support the development and delivery of relevant local and national physical activity campaigns/programs to reduce inactivity and increase participation
Skills on Resume:
- Prospect Research (Hard Skills)
- Relationship Building (Soft Skills)
- Database Management (Hard Skills)
- Grant Writing (Hard Skills)
- Event Planning (Hard Skills)
- Fundraising Strategy Development (Hard Skills)
- Community Engagement (Soft Skills)
- Campaign Development (Hard Skills)
6. Development Officer, Cedar Springs Habitat for Humanity, Cedar Springs, MI
Job Summary:
- Designing provision - including timetabling
- Communicating effectively with schools and tutors
- Managing the tutors who deliver music education in primary and special schools
- Take responsibility for dealing with procurement
- Keeping detailed records of activity to report to Creative Scotland
- Managing tutors' HR requirements including contracts and salaries
- Designing and delivering in-service training to tutors
- Designing and delivering professional learning to teachers
- Developing resources to support provision
- Foster and grow relationships within and between communities.
- Acts as a resource for and directs community development outreach initiatives in markets
- Delivers accurate, responsive and courteous customer service to every customer (internal and external) every time.
- Adheres to internal guidelines, policies and regulatory standards.
Skills on Resume:
- Program Design (Hard Skills)
- Effective Communication (Soft Skills)
- Tutor Management (Soft Skills)
- Procurement Management (Hard Skills)
- Record Keeping (Hard Skills)
- HR Management (Hard Skills)
- Training Delivery (Hard Skills)
- Community Engagement (Soft Skills)
7. Development Officer, New Horizons Youth Services, New Horizons, OH
Job Summary:
- Apply for and manage applications including rezoning, subdivisions, development permits and building permits
- Work with planners and city administration on all city processes and approvals.
- Ensure administrative and regulatory duties such as rezoning, development permits, and building permits are managed efficiently
- Research municipal and provincial policies and municipal bylaws including zoning bylaws and local regulations
- Liaises with city or government agencies and community groups on property matters related to the Company
- Attend relevant meetings representing company interests
- Establish and maintain excellent working relationships with all city and administration staff
- Develop an annual plan of work
- Gain the trust of work groups by being honest and consistent, keeping commitments, exchanging ideas openly, and providing support.
- Inspire high levels of group performance by communicating and modeling the organization’s Mission and Values.
- Establish plans to execute organizational strategy by prioritizing and assigning tasks, resources, and accountabilities.
- Make customers’ needs the primary focus when executing strategy.
- Analyze information, generate alternatives, and commit to daily decisions that are consistent with the organization’s strategies.
Skills on Resume:
- Application Management (Hard Skills)
- City Process Coordination (Soft Skills)
- Regulatory Compliance (Hard Skills)
- Policy Research (Hard Skills)
- Stakeholder Liaison (Soft Skills)
- Relationship Building (Soft Skills)
- Strategic Planning (Hard Skills)
- Decision Making (Soft Skills)
8. Senior Development Officer, Harbor Light Community Center, Harbor Light, WA
Job Summary:
- Identify, cultivate, and solicit prospective donors with a specific focus on major gift prospects in SPH.
- Take full responsibility and accountability for all agreed-upon goals.
- Develop and maintain a thorough working knowledge of SPH and philanthropic priorities to effectively and compellingly present its case to prospects and donors.
- Build and manage a portfolio of no more than 150 major gifts ($50,000 and above) prospects.
- Take timely and strategic steps in moving prospects through the major gift cycle of identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
- Utilize various giving methods such as current, deferred giving, and non-cash gifts.
- Manage and lead specific fundraising projects about areas of focus.
- Clear and coordinate prospective donors through appropriate University of Minnesota Foundation (UMF) procedures to ensure effective solicitation of the donor
- Serve as a member of the overall development team by collaborating with colleagues across disciplines and other Foundation staff on donor strategies.
- Work with UMF development research to continue to identify new potential major gift prospects for future gift opportunities.
- Initiate and oversee the development of proposals and written material in support of specific major gift fundraising initiatives.
- Complete, file, and maintain accurate, relevant and timely reports and records of donor/prospect contacts
- Utilize a database, and employ discretion while recording information of relevance to appropriate individuals.
Skills on Resume:
- Donor Identification (Soft Skills)
- Goal Accountability (Soft Skills)
- Philanthropic Knowledge (Hard Skills)
- Portfolio Management (Hard Skills)
- Major Gift Cycle Management (Hard Skills)
- Fundraising Project Leadership (Hard Skills)
- Proposal Development (Hard Skills)
- Database Management (Hard Skills)
9. Development Officer, Blue Ridge Art Society, Blue Ridge, NC
Job Summary:
- Work in collaboration with the ASU Foundation’s Annual Giving Office to coordinate annual giving solicitations and messaging.
- Develop virtual stewardship opportunities to connect donors and prospects to the college
- Manage the Health Innovators Society annual giving program.
- Responsible for identification, solicitation and stewardship.
- Manage a portfolio of 50-75 individual prospects to develop and execute strategies leading to a solicitation of annual gifts of $1,000+.
- Work with the Events Manager – coordinate Dean’s Circle board meetings and their annual philanthropic commitments.
- Work with the director of development to implement donor recognition programs and processes.
- Team liaison for Parent Engagement at ASU Foundation.
- Create and implement parent engagement strategy.
- Using the alumni donor database, Salesforce, maintain current and confidential information on development activities
- Work in collaboration with the director of development, ASUF and college leadership on the development and cultivation of individual, corporate, and foundation relationships and funding requests on behalf of the college.
- Perform general development administrative tass related to assigned development program components, such as tracking event attendance, gift administration, mini-campaign oversight, and development of marketing collateral.
Skills on Resume:
- Collaboration (Soft Skills)
- Stewardship Development (Soft Skills)
- Annual Giving Management (Hard Skills)
- Prospect Solicitation (Soft Skills)
- Event Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Donor Recognition (Hard Skills)
- Parent Engagement Strategy (Soft Skills)
- Database Management (Hard Skills)
10. Development Officer, Lakeside Family Services, Lakeside, VA
Job Summary:
- Conduct face-to-face visits with prospective and current donors for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship purposes, including selected visits with advisors to donors.
- Develop and cultivate relationships with Olivet alumni and friends to encourage select donors to increase their giving, and to move through the giving cycle from annual fund donors to major donors and planned giving donors.
- Analyze and establish annual personal goals for the number of personal visits, phone calls and other donor contacts.
- Develop relationships with new donors and with prospects who have not yet contributed.
- Become adept at basic estate planning and planned giving practices, so that large and sophisticated gifts are regularly generated, and estate gifts become a significant source of university income.
- Contact select regular donors or major donors to promote planned giving opportunities including gift annuities, charitable trusts, living trusts and wills.
- Assist with campaign fundraising activities and other Institutional Advancement and Development activities
- Commit to ongoing personal and professional training in the areas of fundraising and development through continued reading and education.
- Build a team approach of strategic campus partners in developing donor relationships and sharing mission opportunities
- Meet or exceed all established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Core Value metrics.
- Conduct research and analysis on trade and investment opportunities
- Build strong relationships with local government officials and business communities
- Handle requests for information from businesses and internal departments
Skills on Resume:
- Donor Engagement (Soft Skills)
- Relationship Building (Soft Skills)
- Goal Setting (Soft Skills)
- Estate Planning Knowledge (Hard Skills)
- Campaign Fundraising (Hard Skills)
- Professional Development (Soft Skills)
- Research and Analysis (Hard Skills)
- Community Relations (Soft Skills)
11. Development Officer, Silver Maple Public Library, Silver Maple, NM
Job Summary:
- Manages a portfolio of up to 125 donors and prospects - contributes to discussions around rating of prospects.
- Initiates contact and meets with existing and prospective donors.
- Develops cultivation strategies for prospects and donors, and engages staff and/or other organizational supporters as appropriate.
- Identifies opportunities to network with donors and prospects and engages members of the staff and volunteers as appropriate to leverage opportunities.
- Consistently maintains and tracks quality communications with prospects and donors in coordination with the Advancement Director.
- Tracks contacts and activities in Raiser's Edge database following established protocols.
- Plays a lead or supporting role in drafting content for and/or submitting grant proposals for foundation and corporate donations, and in some cases government agency grants.
- Represents NSCAD positively in the public at all times by acting as a professional representative and ambassador.
- Actively participates in NSCAD internal and external events to become a knowledgeable advocate for the university community.
- Represents the organization in various aspects of outreach to assess community needs
- Promote awareness of CHNHC lending products designed for targeted markets and improve business development efforts that strengthen the organization’s compliance with CRA regulations.
- Leverages relationships with community organizations and real estate professionals to generate CRA mortgage leads and opportunities for organization involvement in community development services.
- Interview mortgage applicants to determine appropriate mortgage loan options
Skills on Resume:
- Donor Portfolio Management (Hard Skills)
- Relationship Building (Soft Skills)
- Cultivation Strategy Development (Hard Skills)
- Networking (Soft Skills)
- Communication Tracking (Hard Skills)
- Grant Proposal Writing (Hard Skills)
- Public Representation (Soft Skills)
- Community Outreach (Soft Skills)
12. Development Officer, Autumn Leaves Cultural Center, Autumn Leaves, AZ
Job Summary:
- Plan development projects and coordinate activities with representatives from a wide variety of private business, community, and government agencies
- Develop a sustainable partnership model in keeping with the provincial award-winning cooperative partnership strategy.
- Plan and develop local communication strategies in consultation with the Marketing and Communications Team, and begin to gather support materials for the communications team at Head Office.
- Assess business opportunities and develop strategies to attract sponsorship, mentorship and other relationships
- Support the Summer Emerging Artist, Pre-Professional, No More Starving Artist and other programs
- Respond to inquiries from local business owners, community stakeholders, and municipal authorities concerning the Co-op, its goals, and its deliverables.
- Review and evaluate proposals for partnership alignment and related next steps, in consultation with the Managing Director.
- Participate in strategic planning (including meetings, note-taking, and self-conducted research) related to Regional Development, with other RDOs, Corporate Services members, and the Leadership Team.
- Evaluate, survey and document performance environments.
- Design, pilot, and deploy surveys and market research questionnaires.
- Conduct social or economic surveys on local, regional or national areas to assess development potential and future trends.
- Prepare and present reports to the Council of Officers, Board of Directors, and other parties
- Inputs application data into the mortgage origination system and obtains necessary documentation for processing and underwriting purposes.
- Maintains knowledge of public programs aimed at supporting and/or subsidizing CRA lending efforts, counsels and responds to inquiries
Skills on Resume:
- Project Planning (Hard Skills)
- Partnership Development (Soft Skills)
- Communication Strategy (Hard Skills)
- Business Opportunity Assessment (Hard Skills)
- Stakeholder Engagement (Soft Skills)
- Proposal Evaluation (Hard Skills)
- Market Research (Hard Skills)
- Report Preparation (Hard Skills)
13. Development Officer, Sunshine Wellness Coalition, Sunshine, NV
Job Summary:
- Builds and runs queries to create donor lists from the database to mail merge for appeals campaigns, event invitations, pledge reminders, and weekly acknowledgment mailings.
- Acts as liaison for the Institutional Giving Consultant to coordinate the creation of requirements for the grants calendar and manages the editing process and submission of grant materials.
- Responsible for all contributed income gift entries including working with the Accounting Manager to create funds for designated gifts, correct coding for temporarily restricted funding, noting gifts with benefits, and stock gifts.
- Processes and maintains up-to-date donor records and gift entries through the Tessitura database.
- Works with the Director of Development to oversee the fulfillment of donor benefits to provide exceptional donor experiences (individual and corporate).
- Serves as liaison to the Board of Trustees to manage development holds, reserve tickets, coordinate committee meetings, and take RSVP’s.
- Participates in preparation, coordination, and execution of donor cultivation events including Opening Nights, the annual Gala, and other fundraising events.
- Prospecting and stewardship of individual donors below 5K, including thank-you letters.
- Along with the Director of Development, serves as an ambassador for CAPA Connecticut functions, receptions, meetings, and performances.
- Call on and develop relationships with assigned list while working to grow portfolio and outreach for Lifeline.
- Manage existing donor relationships as well as new relationships delegated from the Executive Director and Director of Development within assigned states
- Recruit, train, and manage volunteer leadership and committees for Lifeline initiatives including plans for recruiting new volunteers within assigned states
- Creating opportunities to involve new potential donors, adoptive parents, (un)adopted partners, foster parents, etc within assigned states
Skills on Resume:
- Database Management (Hard Skills)
- Grant Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Gift Entry Processing (Hard Skills)
- Donor Experience Oversight (Soft Skills)
- Event Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Donor Stewardship (Soft Skills)
- Relationship Building (Soft Skills)
- Volunteer Management (Soft Skills)