Advancement Officer

Description

The Advancement Officer serves as a frontline fundraiser responsible for managing a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors, typically at the $25,000 level and above. This position conducts national outreach through travel and virtual engagement to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward alumni and friends of the College in support of strategic funding priorities.

The Advancement Officer develops and executes data-informed strategies to drive philanthropic investment, advance donor relationships, and meet annual fundraising goals. The role reports to the Vice President for Advancement and contributes to overall campaign and advancement efforts.

Position Responsibilities

Major Gift Strategy and Revenue Generation

• Manage a dynamic portfolio of 80-100 major gift prospects, with responsibility for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual gifts of $25,000 and above.
• Develop and implement individualized solicitation strategies designed to maximize donor engagement and giving potential.
• Meet or exceed annual performance metrics, including the number of visits, solicitations, and dollars raised, as set with the Vice President for Advancement.
• Utilize data-informed decision-making, predictive modeling, and wealth screening tools to identify new prospects and upgrade existing donors.
  
  

Donor Cultivation and Engagement

• Conduct regular outreach, including in-person visits, virtual meetings, calls, emails, and handwritten notes to build meaningful donor relationships.
• Create compelling, customized proposals that align donor interests with College priorities.
• Travel regularly (up to 50%) to meet with donors and represent Stephens College in key regions.
  
  

Collaboration and Communication

• Serve as a strategic partner to faculty, staff, alumni, volunteers, community leaders, and College leaders to identify funding opportunities and engage donors.
• Contribute to donor strategy sessions, Advancement meetings, campaign initiatives, and special events as assigned.
• Maintain timely and accurate records of all prospect interactions in the College’s CRM system (DonorPerfect).
  
  

Stewardship and Donor Retention

• Partner with the Advancement team to ensure high-quality stewardship through reporting, impact updates, donor recognition, and personalized outreach.
• Support cultivation and stewardship events (virtual and in-person) as appropriate to donor strategies.
  
  

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 1–3 years of experience in relationship-focused work, such as client relations, sales, account management, customer service, student affairs, nonprofit engagement, communications, or related fields.
• Prior fundraising or advancement experience is helpful but not required; training and onboarding will be provided.
• Experience managing projects, coordinating outreach efforts, or supporting client- or donor-facing work is preferred.
• Willingness and ability to travel nationally.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to connect authentically with a diverse range of individuals, including alumni, parents, community members, and colleagues.
• Exceptional customer service orientation and a genuine interest in helping others feel valued and engaged.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to craft professional emails, brief proposals, and stewardship messages.
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple tasks, deadlines, and follow-up activities.
• Ability to learn and apply fundraising concepts such as donor engagement cycles, prospect strategy, and stewardship practices.
• Comfort working with data and tracking interactions in a database or CRM (training provided).
• Ability to collaborate across campus with faculty, staff, and community partners to support donor engagement and college priorities.
• Demonstrated initiative, curiosity, and a willingness to ask questions, learn new skills, and grow within the advancement profession.
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and ethical judgment when handling confidential information.
  
  

Characteristics & Competencies

• Warm, engaging, and relationship-centered approach.
• Strong active listening skills and the ability to understand individual motivations and goals.
• A proactive, self-directed mindset with the ability to take ownership of tasks and follow through.
• Positive, team-oriented attitude and commitment to contributing to a collaborative advancement culture.
• Mission-driven, with enthusiasm for supporting Stephens College students, faculty, and programs.
• Creative problem solver who can adapt to changing priorities and identify new opportunities for engagement.
  
  

Technical Requirements

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and comfort learning new software systems.
• Willingness to learn advancement-specific platforms such as DonorPerfect, donor research tools, and stewardship tracking systems.
• Ability to prepare concise reports, briefing notes, and outreach materials with strong attention to detail.
  
  

Additional Requirements

• Flexibility to attend occasional evening or weekend events as needed.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel regionally for donor visits (as assigned).
  
  

Founded in 1833, Stephens College is the second-oldest women's college in the United States, dedicated to providing innovative, experiential, and career-focused education across various disciplines. Located in Columbia, Missouri, Stephens College continues to be a leader in women's education, fostering a community where students are empowered to lead, innovate, and excel. The college also provides flexible, co-educational master’s degrees and certificates for working professionals, and is home to the co-educational Conservatory for the Performing Arts at Stephens College.

Ranked (over and over again) as one of the best college towns in America, Columbia, Missouri, is home to 36,000 college students and 118,000 residents. Columbia — conveniently located approximately 100 miles from both Kansas City and St. Louis — has it all: big-time college sports, film, music and arts festivals, a high-energy arts community, amazing recreation, and a great downtown with lots of places to eat, shop, snack and check out the latest bands. The Columbia community offers outstanding health care options, as well as excellent educational opportunities for every level of student (including our own Children’s School).

Stephens offers an attractive benefits package that includes health insurance, an Employee Assistance Program, Supplemental Retirement Annuity, Faculty/Staff Grants, tuition waivers and tuition paid undergraduate classes for dependents. Full-time staff work 36 hours and are paid for 40!!

Be a part of this amazing community of innovative thinkers, doers and dreamers.

Stephens is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will recruit and employ qualified personnel without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or status as a veteran.