Job Title

Development Officer Farm Rescue Horace, ND Full-Time ABOUT FARM RESCUE Farm Rescue is a nonprofit organization founded by Bill Gross in North Dakota in 2005. It supports farm and ranch families facing major illness, injury, or natural disaster by providing essential, time-sensitive services such as planting, harvesting, haying, commodity hauling, and livestock feeding free of charge. Since its inception, the organization has mobilized thousands of volunteers and delivered critical assistance to over 1,200 farm and ranch families. Guided by a steadfast belief in community cooperation, Farm Rescue has expanded its operations across nine states, leaning on a dedicated network of volunteers, donors, and partners to preserve family farming legacies. Every dollar invested in Farm Rescue yields more than ten dollars in direct and indirect impact for rural communities. As Farm Rescue celebrates its 20th anniversary, it stands poised to grow even further, with a clear vision of ensuring that family farms continue to thrive for generations to come. ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY Farm Rescue is seeking a strategic, relationship-driven, professional who brings energy, creativity, and credibility to every interaction, representing Farm Rescue's mission with authenticity and enthusiasm. It is a responsibility to stand with farm and ranch families, safeguarding their livelihoods when it matters most. The primary objectives for the Development Officer are to: Generate Funding, Retain and Steward Donors and Partners, and Establish and Grow a Community Engagement Initiative. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS The Key Accountabilities for the position include but are not limited to the following: Fundraising & Sponsorship Development Cultivate and secure financial support from businesses, corporate partners, foundations, and major donors. Retain and expand a robust base of existing sponsors, sustaining Farm Rescue's 85% annual retention rate. Develop new donor and sponsor leads and manage a complete funding pipeline from prospecting to stewardship. Develop your own leads and manage completely through marketing and sales pipeline. Use Farm Rescue's Salesforce CRM to track all activity ofa prospect in the marketing/sales funnel as well as communication and touch points with existing sponsors, partners and major donors. Community Engagement Lead the Community Engagement (CE) program in Upper Midwest territory to increase awareness of Farm Rescue's mission to create more funding leads and to increase farm cases. Recruit, train, and support sponsor, partner and volunteer ambassadors to represent Farm Rescue at state, regional and community events and tradeshows. Brand Ambassadorship & Present Farm Rescue's mission, programs, and outcomes to diverse audiences with professionalism and heart. Represent the organization at tradeshows, conferences, industry events, and meetings. Develop and deliver compelling presentations using A/V and digital tools. REQUIREMENTS OF THE POSITION The ideal candidate for the position will match as many of the qualifications as possible listed in the bullets below: Background in agriculture: raised or worked on a farm, with the ability to relate to farmers of all ages and operations. • Proven fundraising or sales experience, achieving $500K+ in fundraising and/or $1.0M+ in annual sales. • Competence with logging all activity in Salesforce and using it to manage the pipeline and regular reporting. • Strong network within the agricultural community, with ability to generate leads, ideally with 10+ years of industry experience. • Grant writing and reporting experience, including foundation prospecting. • Skilled public speaker with experience engaging large audiences. • Trade show and marketing experience, including direct engagement and presentation skills. • Demonstrated success in building a pipeline of prospects, with good sales processes to convert into closed deals. • Charismatic and persuasive communicator who can inspire action and build trust. • Entrepreneurial, energetic, and comfortable working independently in a small, dynamic nonprofit environment. • Deep belief in the mission of Farm Rescue and a commitment to serving farm families in crisis. • Must be able to travel in the Upper Midwest for key tradeshows, events and/or key donor meetings, at times up to 50%. TOTAL COMPENSATION This position offers a competitive salary, inclusive of additional compensation intended to offset healthcare and benefit costs, providing you with the flexibility to select the coverage or savings options that best meet your needs. THE SEARCH Sagency, an executive search and leadership consulting firm, has been retained for this Development Officer search. Sagency consultants will review and evaluate all interested parties to help the hiring team review a final group for consideration. The search will be conducted in a professional manner and all potential candidates will be given consideration. Candidate conversations and information will be handled with great discretion and confidentiality. Sagency and Farm Rescue are equal-opportunity employers. If, after reviewing this Opportunity Profile, you believe your experience, capabilities, and passion align with the mission of the organization and the requirements of this role, we welcome your interest. The application and selection process will proceed as follows: Step 1: Submit Your Application Complete the online application and upload your resume. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Step 2: Interview with Sagency Qualified candidates may first be contacted for a brief phone conversation, followed by a 60-minute video interview with a Sagency Executive Search Consultant. Step 3: Client Interviews Top candidates will be invited to participate in the first round of interviews with the client organization. Thank you for your time and interest in this role.