Position Title: Development Officer

Office: Development, Alumni Relations, and Communications

Reports to: VP of Development, Alumni Relations, and Communications

Background

International House (I-House) is an interdisciplinary residency program in New York City for graduate students and young professionals from around the world. Founded in 1924, I-House was built on the simple yet radical notion that living in a diverse community instills a lifelong dedication to cross-cultural understanding. Through an intentional admissions process, and both informal and targeted programming aimed at building core competencies in social and cultural intelligence, I-House is leading the way in creating a more secure, peaceful, and collaborative coexistence across the globe.

I-House is celebrating its centennial year in 2024-25 and will be planning a comprehensive capital campaign to position the organization for success in its next century.

Position Summary

International House is seeking a Development Officer to focus on the qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individual donors and family foundations. Reporting to the VP of Development, Alumni Relations, and Communications, the Development Officer will build relationships with I-House alumni and solicit their support for priority areas including the Annual Fund, financial aid, programs, and capital projects. Through a combination of face-to-face visits, interaction at events, and outreach by phone and email, the Development Officer will be entrepreneurial and work to build and maintain a portfolio of donors, increase annual giving, expand I-House’s donor base, and establish strong and enduring relationships with alumni and other donors. The ideal candidate will be proactive and take initiative; have excellent communication skills; have a positive, can-do attitude; and embody I-House’s core values of respect, empathy, and moral courage.

Responsibilities

• Identify, qualify, and cultivate new and existing relationships with both international and US-based alumni.
• Conduct outreach to alumni and other donors and/or prospects through phone calls and emails.
• Directly solicit gifts through individual, in-person, or virtual solicitation meetings.
• Build and manage a portfolio of approximately 150 donors capable of making four and five-figure gifts.
• Meet annual fundraising and prospect engagement activity goals.
• Draft proposals and other materials to support fundraising efforts.
• Develop donor-centric strategies to leverage donors’ interests and increase philanthropic support.
• Track cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities in Raiser’s Edge; regularly monitor progress to ensure timely follow-up and closure of gifts as well as meaningful donor relations.
• Contribute to moves management strategy development and overall fundraising strategy of the Development, Alumni Relations, and Communications team.
• Collaborate with leadership and team members to build a pipeline of major gift prospects and prospective board members.
• Support writing projects, prospect research, events, and other relevant activities within the department and across the organization.
• Acquire a deep understanding of I-House’s mission, history, programming, and key stakeholders to develop donor messaging and identify new engagement opportunities and areas of support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 2-4 years of experience in development. Experience fundraising from alumni is preferred.
• Successful track record of making introductory phone calls, securing in-person meetings, and directly soliciting and closing gifts.
• Proven ability to build donor relationships and work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Familiar with best practices and industry standards in development and donor relations.
• Proficient in Raiser’s Edge or similar donor database.
• Technologically savvy with a strong command of Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to distill and accurately convey complex information to a variety of audiences.
• Demonstrated team player with the ability to collaborate with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
• Exceptional problem-solving and organizational skills, with the ability to understand priorities, manage time effectively, juggle multiple tasks at once, follow-through on projects, and use data to inform strategies and decisions.
• Ability to work occasional evening and weekend hours.
• Occasionally lift up to 20 lbs.