Development Officer

Job Description

Job Description

Kids In Crisis is seeking a warm, outgoing, relationship-driven fundraiser to join our Development team as a part-time Individual Giving Officer.

This is a frontline, community-facing role focused on building meaningful relationships with individual donors, prospects, volunteers, and community partners, and growing philanthropic support for Kids In Crisis. The Individual Giving Officer will cultivate a portfolio of donors and prospects, with a particular focus on supporters giving $500 and above, while helping expand our network of individual and community supporters.

The ideal candidate genuinely enjoys people and is comfortable walking into a room and introducing themselves, giving a donor a tour, speaking to a group, or telling the Kids In Crisis story to someone who has never heard it before.

The Individual Giving Officer will work closely with the Managing Director of Development and other members of the Development team to cultivate relationships, identify new opportunities, and represent Kids In Crisis throughout the community.

Primary Responsibilities

Donor Cultivation & Relationship Management

• Build and maintain relationships with individual donors and prospects, with a focus on supporters giving $500 and above.
• Conduct donor meetings, coffees, calls, tours, and other personal touchpoints.
• Develop thoughtful cultivation and stewardship strategies based on each donor's interests and history with Kids In Crisis.
• Re-engage lapsed donors and help identify opportunities to deepen relationships with existing supporters.
• Maintain consistent, personal follow-up with donors following gifts, meetings, events, and other interactions.

Prospect & Community Development

• Identify and develop new donor opportunities through research, networking, events, referrals, and community connections.
• Build relationships with civic organizations, community groups, volunteers, and other local partners who can introduce new people to Kids In Crisis.
• Attend community gatherings and networking opportunities throughout Fairfield County.
• Help turn new connections into meaningful engagement with Kids In Crisis.

Events & Community Engagement

• Attend and actively participate in Kids In Crisis fundraising, cultivation, and special events.
• Use events as opportunities to meet new people, strengthen donor relationships, and connect volunteers and community members to the organization.
• Help organize smaller cultivation opportunities.
• Build strong relationships with Kids In Crisis volunteers and help them stay connected to the organization's mission.

Ambassador & Public Speaking

• Serve as an enthusiastic and personable ambassador for Kids In Crisis in the community.
• Speak comfortably and compellingly about the organization's mission, programs, and impact.
• Help lead tours and share authentic stories about the impact of Kids In Crisis while maintaining appropriate confidentiality.

Development Team Support

• Work closely with the Managing Director of Development and other members of the Development team on donor cultivation and stewardship strategies.
• Offer direct special events support.
• Support donor and prospect research, portfolio reviews, event follow-up, and other individual giving initiatives.
• Maintain accurate records of donor meetings, interactions, interests, and next steps in the organization's CRM.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred, or equivalent professional experience.
• 2–3 years of experience in fundraising, sales, business development, community relations, nonprofit development, or another relationship-focused field.
• Experience with individual donors, community organizations, or volunteer engagement is strongly preferred.
• Warm, outgoing, and naturally personable communication style.
• Strong and genuine comfort speaking in front of groups.
• Comfortable meeting new people, making connections, and representing an organization in the community.
• Strong writing and communication skills, including the ability to write thoughtful donor correspondence.
• Highly organized with strong follow-through and the ability to work independently.
• Experience with a donor CRM such as Salsa Engage, EveryAction, Bloomerang, Blackbaud, Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, or similar.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends for donor meetings and all special events.

Hours & Compensation

• Approximately 15–20 hours per week. The schedule may shift around donor meetings, community events, and Kids In Crisis special events, including occasional evenings and weekends. $35 to 40 per hour.

A Typical Week Might Include...

• Collaborating with the Managing Director of Development and Marketing Manager on donor appeal ideas for year-end giving.
• Following up with a few donors to invite them to an upcoming Kids In Crisis event.
• Attending a community or civic organization gathering and making new connections.
• Hosting a donor or volunteer for a tour of SafeHaven.
• Attending a Kids In Crisis special event and connecting with donors and volunteers.
• Updating donor records and following up on new relationships.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a people person and a natural connector. They are warm, confident, curious, and genuinely enjoy meeting and talking with others. They understand that successful fundraising starts with relationships and are excited to build those relationships throughout the community.

Most importantly, they believe in the mission of Kids In Crisis and can help others understand why this work matters.