Position Title:  Development Officer, Strategic & Legacy Gifts

Department:  Development

Reports to:  Strategic and Legacy Gifts Manager

FLSA:  Exempt

Position Type:  Full-Time, 40 Hours

Job Grade:  15

Who We Are:

Are you ready to join a team where your talent creates lasting change? At Northern Illinois Food Bank, every day is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our Neighbors, so that everyone in Northern Illinois has the food they need to thrive! Together we are a dedicated and innovative team committed to ending hunger in Northern Illinois. We embrace diverse perspectives, collaboration, and continuous learning, we celebrate successes, learn from challenges, and foster a culture of growth, optimism, and teamwork.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

Northern Illinois Food Bank will embrace opportunities to stand in solidarity with our community, and center the voices of those most impacted by systematic injustices. We affirm our commitment to anti-racism, to gender equity, to allyship, and to fairness as we work towards a hunger-free future and to create a better and more just world.

The Opportunity:

The Northern Illinois Food Bank seeks an extraordinarily motivated candidate to join our team as a Development Officer, Strategic Gifts, and managing a portfolio of qualified prospects with capacity to make midlevel and major gifts to the Food Bank. Responsibilities will include identifying prospects, developing individual donor strategies, meeting face to face and soliciting prospects and working cross functionally across the organization to understand the funding needs of all departments.

This full-time position is based out of our West Suburban Center (Geneva) or our North Suburban Center (Lake Forest) locations, generally Monday through Friday during core-work hours 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Some nights and weekends may be required.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Actively manage a segmented portfolio of current and potential individual donors (i.e. $2500+) to help our donors accomplish their philanthropic goals and ambitions through a meaningful relationship with our organization.
• Through research and best practices, identify, cultivate and solicit individuals for general operating support, program support and endowment.
• Utilize interpersonal communication skills to externally share our mission and values, rooted in our organizational case for support.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with Strategic and Legacy Gifts team members, the Chief Philanthropy Officer, and other Food Bank volunteers and staff.
• Assist Strategic & Legacy Gifts team in setting and meeting annual goals and performance measures.
• Utilize our donor CRM software, RE NXT, to track, monitor donor moves management plans and analyze portfolio performance.
• In conjunction with Strategic Gifts team, prepare proposals, solicitation letters and stewardship outreach communications.
• Collaborate with the Individual Giving Team to thank and steward individual donors.
• Attend donor stewardship and fundraising events.
• Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as needed.

Who You Are:

You’re driven, compassionate, and excited to bring your unique skills to a purpose-driven organization. You have a strong commitment to our mission and:

• College degree or equivalent experience.
• Three to five years successful experience in fundraising specifically from individuals, including major and planned gifts.
• The ideal candidate should have successful experience in developing cultivation and solicitation strategies and analyzing results of fundraising initiatives.
• Must have excellent interpersonal skills and eager to build meaningful donor relationships.
• Experience participating in a Move Management/Prospect Review process, including pipeline development and measuring success.
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication and listening skills, writing samples may be requested.
• Self-starter, collaborative and a demonstrated record of completing assignments.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail are required.
• We welcome applicants who are bilingual
• Proficiency with MS365 and Raiser’s Edge NXT preferred.
• Able to handle sensitive and confidential information appropriately and with discretion.

Why Join Us:

• Make a Difference: Every role at Northern Illinois Food Bank directly impacts the lives of those we serve.
• Flexible Work Environment: We value work-life balance and support hybrid work models.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Enjoy medical, dental, vision, paid time off, and more. This starting range for this position is $54,892 - $68,615/annually, based on skills and experience.
• Growth Opportunities: Invest in your career with professional development, career mapping, and leadership training.
• Inclusive Culture: Join a diverse, collaborative team that values equity and belonging.

How to Apply:

Are you ready to make a difference? Apply online at https://solvehungertoday.org/about/join-our-team/. Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter that highlights your passion for our mission and your relevant skills.

Northern Illinois Food Bank is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Our goal is to attract, develop, retain, and promote a talented diverse workforce where all employees feel a sense of belonging and contribute to a culture that values differences, ideas, and experiences. We intentionally seek out diverse perspectives and skills on our teams, knowing that it makes us stronger as an organization and better equipped to serve our neighbors in need. We encourage individuals from historically under-represented communities and individuals with lived experience of hunger to apply.