Development Officer

Development Officer Location: Washington, D.C. Status: Full-Time, Exempt Reports To: Katie Feldman Like to talk on the phone? Prefer a coffee meeting to another Zoom call? Enjoy getting to know people—and hearing the stories behind why they care about animals? About the Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) For more than 150 years, the Humane Rescue Alliance has championed the protection of animals, support for people, and service to the community. With campuses in the District of Columbia and New Jersey, along with the nation’s leading pet transport initiative, HRA stands as one of the largest and most comprehensive animal services providers in the region. Each year, HRA transforms the lives of tens of thousands of animals through rescue and adoption, humane protection, access to veterinary care, innovative community programs, transport partnerships, and legislative leadership. Job Summary As a Development Officer at the Humane Rescue Alliance, you’ll spend your days building genuine relationships with people who want to make a difference for animals and the people who love them. You might meet a longtime donor for coffee and hear about their dog’s latest vet visit, give a prospective donor a tour of our campus, call a supporter to thank them for a recent gift, meet with a company about sponsoring an HRA event, or sit down with a donor to talk about making a larger gift. You’ll manage a portfolio of approximately 120–150 donors, corporate partners, and prospective supporters, getting to know what matters to them and finding meaningful ways for them to connect with HRA’s work. You’ll build relationships over time, make thoughtful asks, bring donors closer to our mission, and help turn their generosity into lifesaving care. This is a hands-on, relationship-driven fundraising role for someone who is naturally curious, organized, comfortable picking up the phone, and genuinely enjoys talking with people. You don’t have to have every conversation figured out in advance—you just need to know how to listen, build trust, follow through, and recognize when it’s time to ask. The Role: What You’ll Do Individual Giving & Portfolio Management Manage and grow a portfolio of approximately 120–150 individual donors, corporate partners, and qualified prospects. Develop personalized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies based on donor interests, capacity, and engagement. Conduct regular donor meetings, calls, campus tours, cultivation visits, and other meaningful relationship-building activities. Solicit significant philanthropic gifts and prepare written proposals or donor materials in partnership with internal teams when needed. Identify opportunities to retain, upgrade, and deepen relationships with existing donors. Qualify new prospects and build a strong pipeline of donors with the potential to increase their philanthropic support. Identify principal or transformational gift opportunities and partner…