Director/Senior Director of Advancement

Classification Title: Director/Senior Director of Advancement Job Description:

The College of the Arts seeks a Director or Senior Director of Advancement to serve as the chief fundraiser for the College responsible for developing and executing the fundraising program to fulfill the financial needs as identified by the Assistant Vice President of Development and the Dean of the College and in alignment with the strategic initiatives of University of Florida Advancement (UFA).  Additionally, this role will serve as a strategic partner with the College and Advancement ensuring conformity with the central fundraising efforts and the overall university development and alumni programs and goals and in promoting a culture of philanthropy.

The successful candidate will possess a Master’s degree and six years of appropriate experience or a Bachelor’s degree and eight years of appropriate experience. The ideal candidate will also bring eight years or more of major gift fundraising experience with documented success in cultivating and soliciting major gifts of $100,000 and above from individual and corporate prospects with campaign experience; prior experience in a college or university setting, enthusiasm for fundraising in a comprehensive research university, and the desire to work collegially within a goal-oriented fundraising organization. 

The University of Florida College of the Arts intends to be a transformative community, responding to and generating foundational shifts in the arts and beyond.  As business and academic professionals, artists, scholars, advisors, and teachers, we, the staff of the College, embrace the complexity of our evolving human experience and seek to empower our colleagues, students, and faculty to respond to and shape that experience fearlessly through critical thinking, creativity, constructive questioning, and respectful dialogue. We seek a colleague who engages with openness and enthusiasm for the work and the mission of the college. We seek a colleague who possesses skills in designing and facilitating work that advances curiosity, inclusion, open intellectual discourse, and the well-being of all in an environment of complex diversity. We seek a colleague who identifies as a trusted steward of resources, balancing institutional requirements and the demand for innovative solutions.

The University of Florida is an equal opportunity institution dedicated to building a broadly diverse and inclusive faculty, staff and student body. 

Responsibilities:

Portfolio Management

• The primary responsibility of this position is to serve as the chief fundraiser for the College of the Arts, identifying, cultivating, soliciting and maintaining all major gift prospects for the College, strategically managing relationships through face-to-face visits to bring gift solicitations to closure, focusing on gifts of $100,000, and overseeing the College’s participation in the University’s annual fund activities.
• Develop and present major gift proposals and acknowledge and recognize gifts in ways that are meaningful to donors and appropriate to the vision, mission, and values of the unit and UFA.
• Develop support for the program by effectively involving stakeholders, such as volunteers, faculty, staff, and members of the advisory board.
• Responsible for articulating and communicating priorities within the context of the overall UF mission, goals and objectives.
• Strengthen alumni and donors’ awareness of, and interest in, giving opportunities and collaborate with academic unit-based development officers across campus.

Strategic Initiatives

• Work and advise the Dean, unit directors, Associate Deans and faculty in the analysis, formation and implementation of fund raising and alumni activities plans and policies, and identifying new prospects and establishing fundraising priorities for the College. 
• Assist in developing and implementing a comprehensive communications plan to inform constituents and identified markets about the mission, vision, and values of the unit, its funding priorities, and gift opportunities.
• Advise the Dean on strategic and annual fundraising and alumni affairs goals and prioritization of these efforts.
• Participate in recruiting experienced and diverse leadership on college volunteer boards and/or committees in order to ensure that these groups are representative of, and responsive to, the communities served.

Strategic Leadership

• Build collaborative, productive relationships with key leadership, colleagues, deans, department chairs and units and provide leadership to enhance strategic fundraising.
• Build, manage and lead a strong team of development professionals. Identify and recruit top talent and provide leadership, counsel on m