Full Time Position
Location: Tallahassee, FL (in-office)
Schedule: Monday – Friday from 8:30am – 5:00pm with occasional evenings or weekends for events
Compensation: Annual salary between $50,000 – $60,000 plus comprehensive benefits package
Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s degree required.
- Experience: 3–5 years of related experience in fundraising, donor cultivation, or event management; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Availability: Must be availability for occasional overnight travel, as well as occasional evening and weekend events.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; experience with fundraising CRMs is a plus.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to create reports, write correspondence, and present information to a range of audiences.
- Ability to work with percentages, proportions, and other standard business math.
- Ability to pass Level 2 background check.
- Valid license and acceptable driving record.
About Us: Through rent-free housing and cooperative living, Southern Scholarship Foundation (SSF) supports students who lack financial resources, demonstrate excellent academic merit, and exemplify good character while attending institutions of higher education. Since 1955, SSF has helped students achieve their dreams of attending their choice university through our partnerships at Florida Gulf Coast University, University of Florida, Santa Fe College, Florida State University, Florida A&M University, and Tallahassee State College. While SSF does not provide monetary-based scholarships, we offer rent-free homes located near our partner institutions. We currently have 26 homes statewide and serve 470 students.
Position Summary: The Development Officer will be responsible for managing annual giving, stewardship, donor engagement programs, and supporting all development initiatives.
We think the ideal candidate is someone who is:
- Donor-Focused: Demonstrates professionalism and a strong commitment to building lasting donor relationships.
- Organized & Detail-Oriented: Maintains precise records and efficiently manages multiple fundraising efforts and events.
- A Collaborative Team Player: Works well across departments and with volunteers to meet shared objectives.
- A Strong Communicator: Capable of presenting ideas clearly and connecting with diverse stakeholders.
- Ethical & Accountable: Upholds SSF values with integrity while working toward measurable goals.
- Event-Savvy: Comfortable leading events, coordinating logistics, and engaging with donors in-person and virtually.
- Adaptable & Dependable: Available for occasional travel, evenings, and weekends; thrives under shifting priorities.
- Positive in Attitude: Approaches challenges with optimism, motivating team members and volunteers alike.
Key Responsibilities
Fundraising & Donor Engagement
- Design, direct and manage a comprehensive annual fundraising program with two broad campaigns and several smaller, targeted campaigns.
- Develop and implement strategies to secure annual donations from current, lapsed, and prospective donors.
- Plan and implement donor prospecting, cultivation and stewardship events, including alumni events and engagement opportunities.
- Accountable for achieving annual fundraising goals and benchmarks.
- Manage the stewardship program, ensuring timely donor acknowledgment through personalized letters, phone calls, emails, and other engagement activities
Community & Event Coordination
- Coordinate the House Champion (community engagement) program.
- Manage the football parking fundraiser during all FSU home games.
Representation & Outreach
- Represent SSF at external events, conferences, civic clubs, and donor meetings, actively promoting the organization’s mission and impact.
- Team Collaboration & Volunteer Management
- Collaborate closely with colleagues across departments to achieve fundraising and engagement goals.
- Manage and coordinate volunteer engagement and activities.
- Assist with general office functions, including greeting visitors and answering phone calls.
Administrative & Operational Tasks
- Maintain accurate records of all donor interactions and fundraising activities in tracking systems.
- Implement gift recording process for online and offline donations.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
- Annual salary of $50,000 – $60,000 commensurate with experience
- Performance-based bonuses
- 100% employer-paid individual health insurance premiums
- Individual dental and vision insurance plans offered at group rate
- Short- and long-term disability insurance
- Retirement plan with 3% employer contribution match
- 15 paid vacation days
- 12 paid holidays
- Separate sick leave of 96 hours/12 days annually
- Additional office closure the week between Christmas and New Years
- Employee Assistance Program
If you think you’d be a good fit, we’d love to see you apply!
SSF is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, sex, gender, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.