[Hiring] Development Officer, Major & Institutional Giving @Our Childrens Trust

Role Description

The Development Officer, Major & Institutional Giving will play a key role in growing sustainable philanthropic support for Our Children’s Trust by:

• Cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual donors, family foundations, institutional funders, and high-capacity prospects.
• Managing a portfolio of donors and prospects.
• Supporting foundation and institutional funder relationships.
• Developing individualized engagement strategies.
• Helping move supporters toward deeper investment in OCT’s youth-led, science-based constitutional climate litigation.

This role will focus on relationship-based fundraising across both individual and institutional giving, including:

• Donor cultivation, solicitation, stewardship.
• Proposal development, funder communications, grant reporting.
• Donor briefings and moves management.

The position requires:

• Excellent relationship-building skills.
• Strong writing and communication abilities.
• Sound judgment and comfort with complex legal and climate issues.
• The ability to translate OCT’s litigation, youth leadership, and trauma-informed approach into compelling philanthropic opportunities.

As the development team grows, this position is expected to assume increasing responsibility for:

• Supervising and mentoring development staff.
• Coordinating day-to-day fundraising workflows.
• Helping strengthen development systems and processes.

OCT has a strong preference for candidates based on the West Coast or in another strategic donor market, but location is not an absolute requirement.

Qualifications

• 7 years of fundraising experience -OR- Associate’s degree and 5 years of fundraising experience -OR- Bachelor’s degree and 3 years of fundraising experience -OR- Master’s degree and 2 years of fundraising experience.
• Demonstrated success cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors, funders, or high-capacity prospects.
• Experience managing a donor or funder portfolio and using moves management practices to grow engagement and revenue.
• Strong writing skills, including experience drafting proposals, funder updates, donor communications, reports, or other fundraising materials.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to work effectively with donors, funders, board members, volunteers, organizational leaders, and colleagues.
• Ability to translate complex work into clear and compelling donor- and funder-facing communications.
• Experience using donor databases or CRM systems to track activity, manage portfolios, and support fundraising strategy; experience with Neon is a plus.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple relationships, deadlines, proposals, reports, and priorities.
• Ability to exercise discretion, sound judgment, and confidentiality in donor, funder, and organizational matters.
• Commitment to OCT’s mission, youth-centered advocacy, climate justice, and trauma-informed organizational practices.
• Ability and willingness to travel for donor meetings, funder engagement, events, and organizational priorities, especially in priority donor markets.

Requirements

• Manage a portfolio of individual donors, family foundations, institutional funders, and high-capacity prospects.
• Develop individualized donor and funder strategies using moves management principles.
• Prepare for and participate in donor and funder meetings, solicitations, briefings, and follow-up communications.
• Maintain accurate donor records and monitor donor trends.
• Support and manage relationships with foundation and institutional funders.
• Draft and coordinate proposals, grant reports, and other institutional giving materials.
• Identify new institutional funding prospects aligned with OCT’s priorities.
• Build and deepen relationships in priority donor markets.
• Support the Senior Director of Donor Development and other leaders in donor cultivation.
• Develop fundraising materials and donor communications.
• Use donor data and reporting tools to support portfolio management.
• Collaborate with Operations and Finance on donor data and fundraising systems.
• Maintain accountability and compliance with fundraising ethics and organizational policies.

Benefits

• Flexible work schedule with the possibility of remote work.
• Opportunities for professional development and growth.
• Supportive work environment focused on diversity and inclusion.

Working Conditions/Work Schedule

• Work is primarily performed in a standard office setting.
• Monday through Friday during regular business hours; evening and weekend hours may be necessary.
• Some travel will be expected, primarily within the United States.

Physical Working Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 20 pounds.