Philanthropy Officer

Background: The Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) is a nonprofit organization focused on partnering with philanthropists to build opportunity and advance equity in Delaware. Our mission is to improve the lives of the people of Delaware by empowering and growing philanthropy through knowledge and relationships, now and in the future. At the DCF, we help people give with impact to the causes they care about and to build assets for long-term support of communities statewide. We celebrate the joy of philanthropy and honor the instinct in all of us to give back to our communities. Opportunity: The DCF seeks an enthusiastic, experienced fundraiser to join our organization as Philanthropy Officer. The individual filling this new position will have a key role in identifying, stewarding and soliciting donors to support an exciting period of expansion and growth for the DCF. The ideal candidate is a seasoned development professional who is passionate about connecting donors with important issues affecting Delaware, and who will successfully work with the Philanthropic Services team to increase the impact of philanthropy throughout the state. They must also exemplify the DCF’s commitment to excellent donor service and inspire fulfillment of our Donor Promise, to help people give with joy and confidence, throughout the entire organization. Position Description: The Philanthropy Officer, Northern Delaware plays a key role in the foundation’s efforts to grow the assets of the DCF in order to increase the impact of philanthropy in the state. The Officer works closely with the Director of Advancement to provide high-level stewardship and support for fundholders and supports the development strategy for the organization that aims to lead to significant growth of assets through current and planned giving. The primary, though not exclusive, focus for this position is on the geographic region above the C&D Canal. This position assists on delivering expanded donor services, tracking major prospects, and executing the DCF’s annual appeal campaign. This position is based in the DCF’s Wilmington headquarters. DCF staff are currently working in a hybrid in-office/remote model. Each employee of the DCF is expected to embody and pursue the core values of the DCF, including serving with joy, engaging inclusively, pursuing excellence, and leading with integrity. Specific Responsibilities Include: Donor Services - Manage Donor Service Initiatives and Requests, both donor-initiated and internally initiated queries, including assistance with DCF’s online portal, grantmaking, gift receipt confirmation, scheduling, event assistance, and other tasks. - Play Lead Assist Role in Annual and Special Fundraising Campaign, Events and Activities aimed at cultivation and stewardship of donors and inspiring increased giving through our demonstrated impact in the community. - Support Fundraising Campaign Planning and Development, including campaign for endowment, capacity building and other strategic philanthropy initiatives aimed at increasing the DCF scope of work and impact in our community. - Manage Donor Prospects, including individual and organizational fundholders for stewardship, cultivation and solicitation of gifts to establish or grow funds at the DCF for the benefit of the community. - Collaborate with other Members of the Philanthropic Services Team to develop and achieve annual and multiyear fundraising goals to support discretionary grantmaking, special projects and other initiatives. Administration - Execute sponsorship solicitations to support organizational events and operations. - Collaborate with Donor Services Coordinator and Finance Team on fundraising reporting, analytics and metrics aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of our strategies and tactics. Responsibilities and priorities may be added or removed from time to time. Skills and Competencies: - 5+ years direct fundraising experience in building and stewarding donor relationships to meet and exceed fundraising goals - Strong network and understanding of unique philanthropic landscape in Delaware - Excellent communication and writing skills - Prior success working in a major gift and/or endowment campaign strongly preferred. Salary range depends on experience and education: $68,000-$75,000. Benefits include no-cost coverage for employees for health; 100% employer-paid premium for vision and dental insurance; option to add additional family members at a low cost; 403B retirement contribution with 100% vesting on day 1; employer-paid short-term and long-term disability, life insurance; 9 core holidays plus 4 floating holidays; generous paid time off. Don't check off every box? Apply anyway! DCF is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging. If you're excited about this role and passionate about our mission, but your experience does not align perfectly with every requirement below, we encourage you to still consider applying. Your lived experience is valued and recognized, and we look forward to considering you for this or a future role! To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume and three references in Adobe format to search@delcf.org by 5:00 p.m. on March 7, 2025. Only complete applications will be considered. All applications will be strictly confidential. The Delaware Community Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, religion, ethnicity, sex, marital status, age, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability.