Senior Development Officer - R4459

World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, seeks a Development Officer. The Development Officer will manage a portfolio of individual and family donor relationships to secure significant philanthropic support for WWF-US’s strategic priorities. This role focuses on cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors through a relationship-based approach, contributing to sustained revenue growth and long-term donor engagement.

Responsibilities

Manage a portfolio of approximately 75–100 individual and family relationships, prioritizing donors with capacity and inclination to give at the $100K+ level; Develop and implement individualized engagement strategies to cultivate, solicit, and steward donors in alignment with WWF’s fundraising priorities; Achieve and maintain a three-year rolling average of $1M–$2M in new and renewed philanthropic revenue, with a focus on securing and growing gifts at the $100K+ level; Maintain an average of 8-10 meaningful interactions per year with each assigned donor or qualified prospect, encompassing cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities; Submit at least 12–18 tailored proposals or solicitations annually, with an emphasis on securing major gifts of $100K and above; Demonstrate consistent progress in identifying, qualifying, and advancing new prospects, with a focus on building a pipeline of $100K+ opportunities; Ensure effective stewardship, timely follow-up, and accurate documentation of donor engagement in CRM; Partner with colleagues across Development and program teams to align donor strategies and support broader fundraising goals; Work closely with program staff and leadership to align donor interests with WWF’s highest-priority initiatives and funding opportunities; Actively participate in team strategy discussions, contribute to a collaborative fundraising environment, and support shared learning and best practices; Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Communicating Effectively: Translates WWF’s work and messaging to internal and external audiences to secure buy-in and inspire action; Adaptability/Flexibility: Embraces change by quickly learning and iterating new engagement tools and methodologies; treats emerging challenges as opportunities; Diplomatic Communication and Organizational Savvy: Includes discernment, sound judgement with confidential and sensitive information, and desire to understand history and relationships that impact processes and behaviors; Interpersonal insight: ability to accurately understand and interpret other people’s thoughts, feelings, motivations, and behaviors; A Bachelor's degree with 6+ experience in major gifts fundraising; Demonstrated knowledge of principles and best practices of non-profit major gifts development (or closely related relationship management process); Strong customer service and sales skills; Passion for WWF’s mission and knowledge of conservation issues; Must be flexible, responsible, and able to balance a variety of activities and work as an effective member of a team; Ability to succeed within a consensus-building culture: self-motivation, collaboration, and strong written and verbal skills are essential at WWF; Proven ability to manage projects, set priorities, and work within deadlines; Ability to travel approximately 40% of the time; Committed to building and strengthening a culture of inclusion within and across teams; Identifies and aligns with WWF’s core values: Courage, Integrity, Respect, and Collaboration; Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.; position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship.

Nice to have

Intellectual curiosity; sense of humor