Development Officer - Development New London Hospital

Frontline fundraising professional responsible for building and sustaining relationships with patients, families, and community members in support of New London Hospital (NLH) and Newport Health Center (NHC). The Development Officer recognizes the interdependency between NLH, a critical access hospital, and Dartmouth Health (DH), New Hampshire’s only academic health system, and will advance NLH’s fundraising priorities while partnering with DH colleagues to engage donors whose interests align with both organizations.

About the role

Reporting to the Director of Development, this full-time position works with donors and prospects across the hospital’s 15-town service area. In partnership with the Director of Development and NLH Senior Leadership, the Development Officer will design and implement a Philanthropy Champions program at NLH to advance donor engagement strategies, clinical partnerships, and philanthropic initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a major gift and planned giving officer for NLH and NHC, managing a portfolio of approximately 100-150 prospects and donors while regularly meeting with individuals to create and foster relationships.
• Identifies, qualifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards a portfolio of patients, families, and community members with the capacity to make multi-year gift commitments to NLH and NHC.
• Grows the pipeline of major gift donors through prospect identification and qualification to expand philanthropic support.
• Articulates the mission of NLH and NHC and effectively communicates fundraising priorities to donor audiences.
• Devises and implements donor-centric fundraising strategies to meet revenue metrics through portfolio planning and moves management.
• Partners with DH fundraising staff to coordinate strategy and solicitations for donors and prospects interested in supporting both NLH and DH.
• Prepares compelling and strategic major gift donor communications, including tailored proposals, correspondence, presentations, and briefing materials.
• Develops and executes a comprehensive cultivation and solicitation strategy for each qualified donor and prospect, aligned with individual philanthropic interests and NLH priorities.
• Develops working relationships with NLH’s Community Relations and Development team, DH fundraising colleagues, and leadership across the system.
• Designs and implements the foundational structure for the Philanthropy Champions Program, including program goals, participant selection, engagement pathways, and success metrics.
• Leads the planning, launch, and ongoing management of the Philanthropy Champions Program, engaging key clinical leaders and nurses in advancing NLH’s philanthropic partnerships.
• Serves as a strategic development partner to participating clinical leaders and nurses, fostering relationship-building skills through trainings, one-on-one meetings, and ongoing engagement.
• Monitors, evaluates, and continuously refines the Philanthropy Champions Program using feedback to strengthen clinical engagement and sustain long-term participation.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive fundraising experience, including major gift identification, cultivation, solicitation, and closing gifts from individual donors.
• Experience in capital campaign support strongly preferred.
• Prior experience at the major gift level preferred.

Skills

• Proven success securing major gifts ($25K-$100K+; higher preferred).
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to engage and build rapport across diverse audiences.
• Intellectual depth, sound judgment, maturity, and professionalism to earn the trust and confidence of hospital leadership and external stakeholders.
• Ability to thrive in evolving roles and dynamic environments, with flexibility and comfort managing change and ambiguity.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and competing demands in a fast-paced, results-driven environment.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain effective, collaborative relationships across internal teams, leadership, and external stakeholders.
• Commitment to the highest standards of ethical conduct, discretion, and professionalism.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office and Raiser’s Edge.

Schedule

This position is in-person, with candidates expected to be onsite at New London Hospital 5 days a week. Ability to travel locally and regionally is required.