Development Officer Job Description

Last modified by Patrick Masson on 2023/09/11 21:38

The Apereo Foundation seeks a part-time (20 hours/week) development officer to lead our ongoing fundraising needs. Reporting to the Executive Director, this professional must have an established background in coordinating nonprofit donation programs and managing volunteers.

This role involves organizing large-scale fundraising initiatives, working with board members, and building relationships with Apereo Foundation members, sponsors, staff, and volunteers. The development officer will also assist our projects, communities, and adopters with identifying and applying for funding, sponsorships, grants, etc.

Our ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of five years of non-profit fund development experience, preferably in the higher education (edtech) or open source software fields. They should also be familiar with CRM nonprofit software (e.g., CiviCRM), donor databases, and other fundraising technology to use in their daily job duties.

Please send application materials (resume, cover letter, references, and salary requirements) to ed@apereo.org

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Identify, cultivate, solicit, obtain, and steward a variety of funding activities for the Apereo Foundation, its projects, and communities.
    • Foundation Memberships (i.e., OSPO as a service, formerly Educational Organization Members) --institutions investing in / leveraging open source software or communities--not specifically Apereo-hosted projects (i.e., fiscal sponsorees)--accessing Apereo resources, support, and services to increase organizational (i.e., a campus) effectiveness, develop university/college policy and practice, manage campus resources, etc.
    • Institutional Affiliates (i.e., Foundation as a Service) --institutions supporting local (e.g., campus-based) or collaborative (e.g., system consortia, etc.) open source projects--not specifically Apereo-hosted projects (i.e., fiscal sponsorees)--accessing Apereo resources, support and services to increase local project awareness, adoption, and viability of such campus-run open source software in academics (education or research).
    • Community Sustainers (i.e., project donors and contributors, formerly "software subscriptions") --organizations providing dedicated financial support to Apereo projects or communities via Fiscal Sponsorship Agreements in order to advance development or sustain the community.
    • Corporate Partnerships (formerly, "commercial affiliates")--companies leveraging Apereo projects and other open source software or resources as part of their business' products and/or services.
    • Friends of Apereo (same a previous "Friends of Apereo") --individuals contributing to the Apereo Foundation's work to increase awareness, adoption, and viability of open source software in education.
    • Program Sponsorships (new) --organizations providing targeted sponsorship for Apereo's strategic initiatives or operational programs.
    • Grants (new) --an award, usually financial, given to the Foundation or a project or community by a company, foundation, or government to facilitate a goal or incentivize performance.
    • General Donations (new) --unencumbered contributions to the Foundation.
  • Travel as needed to build and advance relationships with educational institutions, corporations, and individuals engaged with Apereo projects and communities of practice and the broader open source edtech community.
  • Recruit, cultivate, and solicit annual fundraising volunteers and leverage volunteer relationships to expand the scope of the Foundation's annual fundraising efforts.
  • Prepare briefings, gift agreements, and other correspondence for prospects, collaborating with the Executive Director, accounting staff, and colleagues in across the Foundation.
  • Manage prospect and volunteer activity using CiviCRM and associated reporting tools, ensuring that data is entered in a timely and accurate fashion.
  • Maintain in-depth knowledge of the Foundation's fundraising priorities, including Apereo's open source software projects and communities, strategic initiatives, operating programs, and key community leaders.

Primary Tasks:

  • Identifying, planning, implementing, and evaluating fundraising campaigns and activities.
  • Maintaining excellent relationships and ensuring meaningful engagement with the Foundation's diverse community of donors.
  • Managing the unit’s budget and fundraising income programs.
  • Identifying, cultivating, aligning, and stewarding prospective donors with the most relevant programs and initiatives.
  • Recruiting and training fundraising staff and volunteer leaders.
  • Staying on top of fundraising best practices within nonprofit communities and abreast of current trends in higher education (edtech) and open source software communities of practice.

Day-to-day Activities:

  • Communicating with current and prospective donors and staff via email, phone, or social media.
  • Answering donor and staff inquiries in a timely fashion.
  • Using prospect research tools and donor databases to build donor relationships.
  • Creating solicitation materials relative to campaigns and activities.

Preferred Skills

  • Superb written, verbal, and interpersonal skills.
  • Time management and flexibility with job duties.
  • Fundraising software and tools expertise.
  • Creative, self-starter attitude.
  •  Donor and volunteer service mentality.
  • Organized and inspiring collaborator.

Salary and Benefits

This part-time position (10-12 hours/week) reports to the Executive Director and is fully remote (U.S. residents preferred).   $50-60 per hour annual budget of $30-35K (assumes some holiday or vacation weeks at lower hours)