Donor Engagement Officer

Are you a relationship builder who thrives on creating meaningful experiences for donors? The NFA Foundation, Inc. is seeking a mission-driven and collaborative Donor Engagement Officer to elevate how we connect with supporters and expand a culture of giving throughout Norwich Free Academy’s alumni and our donor community.

This role focuses on fostering lasting relationships with alumni and friends of the Academy, ensuring each donor feels valued, informed, and inspired to give. You’ll lead engagement and stewardship strategies for midlevel and major donors, manage key giving programs, and be an ambassador for NFA Foundation’s mission and impact.

What You'll Do:

• Own a portfolio of midlevel and major gift prospects and build personalized strategies to engage, cultivate, solicit, and steward each individual
• Invest in relationships by spending the majority of your time connecting with donors through in-person visits, phone calls, emails, and events
• Qualify and onboard new donors through thoughtful outreach, assessing their interests and capacity to give, and crafting tailored strategies that lead to impactful support
• Lead reunion giving efforts, collaborating with alumni volunteers to energize class campaigns and achieve fundraising goals
• Serve as the point person for scholarship donors, providing timely reporting, meaningful stewardship, and alignment between donor intent and student support
• Collaborate across campus with faculty, volunteers, and campus leaders to identify new donor prospects and foster a community of giving
• Ensure thoughtful stewardship by working closely with the Foundation team to acknowledge and meaningfully recognize donors
• Stay organized and data-driven by tracking donor activity and engagement using the NXT database
• Represent the Foundation at events, both on and off campus, as a visible and enthusiastic ambassador of our mission
• Contribute to the team, jumping in where needed and supporting shared goals

What We’re Looking For:

We’re seeking an organized, relationship-focused professional with a passion for connecting donors to purpose. The ideal candidate is a strong communicator, a strategic thinker, and a self-starter who thrives in a collaborative, mission-driven environment.

Key Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 3–5 years of experience in fundraising or advancement
• Proven track record of personally soliciting and securing gifts from individuals
• Proficiency in Windows-based systems and donor management tools—experience with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge is strongly preferred
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire trust, build relationships, and engage diverse constituents
• Strong organizational and project management abilities, with attention to detail and follow-through