Job Description
Department:
Annual Giving
Pay Rate Type:
Salary
Employee Type:
Job Summary:
The College is seeking a highly motivated leadership annual gift officer at an exciting and defining moment in Colby’s history. Reporting to the Executive Director of Annual Giving, the leadership annual gift officer is responsible for the qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of Colby College constituents (primarily alumni) capable of making gifts to the Colby Fund between 2,500 and 99,999 dollars for current use funds. The leadership annual gift officer will solicit prospective donors and will collaborate regularly with prospect managers across the division to ensure prospects are solicited comprehensively. The leadership annual gift officer carries their own portfolio of approximately 250 individual prospects within specific geographic regions and functions with an emphasis on discovery and qualification. A highly visible representative of the College, the leadership annual gift officer has a deep appreciation for the liberal arts college experience and a strong personal commitment to Colby’s core values with a comprehensive understanding of best practices for annual giving engagement.
Essential Functions
To perform successfully in this position, an individual must be able to perform essential duties satisfactorily as well as possess education/experience, employ the knowledge, skills, and abilities as listed in representative fashion. Colby College actively supports the Americans with Disabilities Act and will consider reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. This listing of essential duties is not all-inclusive, but representative; other duties may be assigned.
- Portfolio Management
- Manage a portfolio of 225–275 donors and prospects giving between $5,000 and $99,999.
- Qualify new prospects entering the leadership pipeline and assess fit for major gifts referral.
- Maintain accurate and timely contact reports and portfolio hygiene.
- Donor Engagement & Solicitation
- Conduct regular outreach through personal emails, digital messages, phone calls, video messaging, and in-person meetings (regional or on-campus).
- Solicit leadership-level gifts aligned to the Colby Fund and institutional priorities.
- Develop personalized touchpoint plans for stewardship and annual retention.
- Pipeline Development
- Identify and elevate high-potential donors to major gifts.
- Work closely with MGO colleagues on hand-offs and joint strategies.
- Build early-stage donor journeys for newly identified capable prospects.
- Donor Engagement & Solicitation
- Conduct regular outreach through personal emails, digital messages, phone calls, video messaging, and in-person meetings (regional or on-campus).
- Solicit leadership-level gifts aligned to the Colby Fund and institutional priorities.
- Develop personalized touchpoint plans for stewardship and annual retention.
- Pipeline Development
- Identify and elevate high-potential donors to major gifts.
- Work closely with MGO colleagues on hand-offs and joint strategies.
- Build early-stage donor journeys for newly identified capable prospects.
- Digital Engagement Strategy
- Use GiveCampus GO and other digital-first tools to build automated cadences, deliver personalized outreach, and increase touchpoint frequency efficiently.
- Support annual giving campaigns (e.g., True Blue, CYE, etc.)
- Collaboration & Cross-Team Work
- Collaborate with colleagues across Advancement to support key fundraising priorities and donor engagement strategies.
- Coordinate outreach and share donor insights to strengthen the donor pipeline and ensure smooth referral and handoff processes.
- Partner with Advancement Operations to maintain accurate donor data, portfolio assignments, and reporting.
- Work with internal campus partners to understand program priorities and incorporate them into donor conversations.
- Support campus-wide campaigns, events, and initiatives through consistent, donor-centered communication and engagement.
- Perform additional duties as assigned; duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Position Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in education and experience
- Previous fundraising experience with demonstrated success in making direct solicitations and an understanding of the moves management process, preferred
- Strong written, oral, and digital communication skills required.
- Comfort with using new technology.
- Organizational and time management skills are essential, as is the ability to work effectively both as part of a team and independently
- Professional conduct and appropriate handling of confidential information is required
- Availability to work hours outside the normal working day (i.e. nights and weekends)
- Ability to travel frequently.
- Valid driver’s license required and must meet the College’s Fleet Safety Policy requirements
- Appreciation of Colby’s mission and the ability to effectively communicate it
Physical/Mental Demands
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this position and/or may be encountered while performing essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- To successfully perform the essential functions of this position, an employee must be able to maintain appropriate confidentiality with regard to employee data, documents, issues, etc., and respect privacy needs of employees and past employees with regard to the same.
- The ability to comply with highly inflexible deadlines is required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position; there will be multiple occurrences of sudden, urgent task completion required.
- There may be occurrences of employees, past employees, members of the general public, and others who express opinions, may exhibit strong emotions, which will require the employee to interact professionally, diplomatically, and appropriately in such situations.
- While performing the essential duties of this position, an employee would frequently be required to move around the office space as well as within hallways, meeting rooms, and other parts of the campus facilities.
- There may be multiple/daily instances of prolonged personal computer use which would include keyboard and/or mouse usage as well as viewing a computer monitor.
- An employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 pounds to perform essential position functions.
- Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.
- The overall work environment requires the mental ability to shift focus quickly due to interruptions; an employee must be able to mentally track multiple projects and tasks as well.
- The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate; however, there may be unexpected instances of somewhat loud sounds.
To Apply:
Interested candidates should apply electronically by clicking the “Apply Now” button on the Colby College website. Please upload a cover letter and resume to your application.
