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.
We're seeking motivated, high-potential candidates who are excited to grow their careers while helping solve hunger in Northern Illinois.
The Opportunity:
The Senior Development Officer is a senior individual contributor responsible for building and managing a portfolio of major-gift donors and prospects, generally at the $10,000+ level. The position develops personalized strategies to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors whose philanthropy can advance Northern Illinois Food Bank's mission and strategic priorities.
Working closely with the Chief Philanthropy Officer, CEO, philanthropy colleagues, program leaders, and volunteers, the Senior Development Officer translates organizational priorities into compelling donor opportunities. The position exercises a high level of independent judgment in developing donor strategies, strengthening relationships, and advancing major gift opportunities.
This full-time position is based out of our West Suburban Center (Geneva) location.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
-
Manage a defined portfolio of current and prospective major donors, maintaining an appropriate balance of qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activity.
-
Develop and execute written, donor-specific strategies with clear next steps, target ask amounts, timing, and internal partners.
-
Conduct regular donor visits and meaningful interactions in person, virtually, and by phone; document activity and next steps promptly in the donor database.
-
Qualify new prospects through research, discovery conversations, giving history, engagement, and philanthropic capacity, and recommend portfolio entry or disqualification as appropriate.
-
Solicit major gifts independently and in partnership with the Chief Philanthropy Officer, CEO, board members, volunteers, and other organizational leaders.
-
Prepare donor briefings, proposals, concept papers, solicitation letters, gift agreements, and stewardship reports in collaboration with philanthropy, finance, programs, and communications colleagues.
-
Partner across the organization to understand funding priorities, develop credible cases for support, and connect donor interests with measurable opportunities for impact.
-
Maintain accurate forecasts and a healthy pipeline; participate actively in moves management and prospect-review meetings and address stalled relationships.
-
Achieve annual goals for revenue, donor retention, portfolio movement, meaningful interactions, solicitations, and other agreed-upon performance measures.
-
Create thoughtful stewardship experiences that demonstrate impact, deepen trust, and position donors for renewed and increased support.
-
Identify opportunities for blended, planned, campaign, and principal gifts and engage appropriate internal or external expertise when needed.
-
Serve as a resource and mentor to gift officers by sharing effective practices, offering strategic counsel, and supporting a consistent donor-centered approach.
-
Represent Northern Illinois Food Bank at donor meetings, tours, community gatherings, and special events, including occasional evening or weekend commitments.
-
Protect donor confidentiality and follow gift acceptance, documentation, ethical fundraising, and data-management policies.
-
Perform other related duties and/or responsibilities as assigned or required.
Who You Are:
You're driven, compassionate, and excited to build a career that makes a difference. You're eager to learn, open to feedback, and ready to grow both personally and professionally. Additionally you have:
-
Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- Seven or more years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including a demonstrated record of securing significant gifts from individuals.
- Experience managing a portfolio and using a disciplined moves-management or prospect-review process.
- Demonstrated ability to develop cultivation and solicitation strategies, make direct asks, and close gifts.
- Exceptional relationship-building, listening, writing, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
- Strong project management, organization, follow-through, judgment, and attention to detail.
- Ability to work independently, prioritize competing demands, and collaborate effectively across teams and levels of leadership.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and a donor relationship management database; willingness to use data to guide strategy and maintain accurate records.
- Commitment to Northern Illinois Food Bank’s mission and to respectful, donor-centered, and ethical fundraising practices.
- Experience securing six-figure or larger gifts.
- Experience with planned giving, campaigns, principal gifts, or complex gift conversations.
- Experience in hunger relief, human services, healthcare, or another mission-driven organization.
Why Join Us:
- Make a Difference: Every role at Northern Illinois Food Bank directly impacts the lives of those we serve.
- Career Launch Fellowship: Build your career through mentorship, leadership development, cross-functional learning, and career coaching.
- Growth Opportunities: Invest in your future with professional development, career mapping, and leadership training.
- Comprehensive Benefits: Enjoy medical, dental, vision, retirement plans, paid time off, and more. Starting pay is $73,744 - $86,757/annually based on skills and experience.
- Work-Life Balance: Monday-Friday schedule with local routes, allowing you to be home each day.
-
Inclusive Culture: Join a diverse, collaborative team that values equity and belonging.
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.
