Job Title: Development Officer  

Job Summary: The Development Officer is a part of the Development Team, managing the Library Foundation’s annual fund program, mid-level donor stewardship, and a portfolio of foundation, corporate, and individual donors. This position reports to the Vice President of Development.  

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana  

Terms: FLSA exempt. Full-time. Forty (40) hours per week Monday-Friday with occasional evenings and weekends. Hybrid schedule is available after the first 90 days of employment. 

Application Deadline: April 2, 2025

About Us: The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that raises private contributions to support The Indianapolis Public Library. The Foundation has assets of $23 million and raises $2.5 million in contributions per year. The Foundation strives to provide exceptional service to the Library and our donors.  

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:  

Act as the project lead of the Friends of the Library annual fund program (30%):  

• Develop schedules, content, and mailing lists for soliciting and stewarding Friends of the Library.  
• Coordinate printing and mailing needs with staff and vendors.  
• Use Raiser’s Edge to measure the success of the annual fund and reporting metrics to the Development Team. 
• Provide excellent stewardship to donors of the recurring giving program, Loyal Friends. 

Maintain and grow a portfolio of 25-40 foundation, corporate, and individual donors (35%):  

• Solicit gifts through donor visits, written presentations, grant applications, pledge forms, and other tools.  
• Maintain detailed records of all donor contact and moves-management, ensuring timely recognition is completed.  

Manage the mid-level giving program (25%): 

• Regularly generate lists of mid-level donors who have the capacity to increase giving. 
• Conduct targeted stewardship to identified mid-level donors, including visits, calls, emails, letters, and event invitations. 
• Coordinate with the Development Team to transition donors who reach a certain threshold to portfolio management. 
• Use prospecting tools and database to generate a pipeline of new prospective donors, coordinating with the Development Team to strategize outreach.  

Other Duties (10%): 

• Manage the annual Library staff campaign, which includes cultivation and stewardship of IndyPL staff donors. 
• Contribute to the Library Foundation’s annual fundraising event goal through sponsorship requests, silent auction item solicitation, and stewarding attendees.   
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of the Library Foundation’s fundraising priorities and programs. Participate in the annual review of proposed programs. 
• Support general board fundraising efforts and attend Development Committee meetings.
• Provide staff support at Foundation events.  
• Serve on the Library Foundation’s DEI Committee when needed.  

Qualifications:

• Commitment to the Library Foundation’s mission and values.  
• A bachelor’s degree.  
• At least 3 years of fundraising experience in a non-profit setting or the equivalent combination of education and experience; familiarity with direct mail/annual fund management and proposal writing preferred.
• The ability to secure gifts and meet fundraising goals; experience supporting board level volunteers in fundraising preferred.
• Excellent written/oral communication skills.  
• Ability to interact positively with diverse internal and external stakeholders.  
• Strong computer skills, including proficiency in MS Office Suite, database software, and internet research.  
• Experience working with donor database or CRM systems. Knowledge of Raiser’s Edge preferred. 
• Leadership, flexibility and collaborative work style 
• Attention to detail, organization, dependability, time-management, and problem-solving skills. Professionalism, discretion, and honesty in handling confidential information.  

Physical Requirements:  

• Prolonged sitting and computer usage. 
• Potential bending and lifting of items up to 20 pounds. 
• This position requires travel for business purposes within the Indianapolis metro area (approximately 25% of work time).