Interim Director, Pomona Plan

Job Posting Location:

Claremont, CA

Job Posting Title:

Interim Director, Pomona Plan

Job Description:

ABOUT POMONA COLLEGE: 

Located near Los Angeles, California, Pomona College is widely regarded as one of the nation's premier liberal arts colleges. Established in 1887, Pomona College is known for small classes, a challenging curriculum, close relationships between students and faculty, and a range of student research and leadership opportunities. Pomona is a member of The Claremont Colleges.

JOB PURPOSE: The Interim Director, Pomona Plan (the “Interim Director”) provides interim technical and operational support to the Pomona Plan team, serving as a subject matter expert in life income gifts, gift planning, and complex asset philanthropy. The position reports to the Senior Director, Pomona Plan and provides strategic consultation, technical guidance, and operational support to the College’s gift planning efforts. 

The Interim Director provides day-to-day support for the administration of the Pomona Plan – the “flagship” charitable life-income program of the College – working with investment and finance offices as well as outside financial institutions and advisors as assigned. This interim position requires experience working with frontline life-income gift officers and beneficiary services, the ability to facilitate a healthy team environment, commitment and track record of excellence, and expertise with maintaining the quality, high-touch and personalized customer service that is the hallmark of the Pomona Plan, leading by example.

This interim position also provides gift planning expertise for the Advancement division in support of the most aspirational, comprehensive capital campaign in the history of the College, and beyond. The position requires exceptional judgment and the ability to act independently to plan and accomplish goals.

The Interim Director will inspire to maintain and innovate the Pomona Plan’s commitment to quality customer service. As a gift planning fundraising strategist and thought leader, the Interim Director will play an important role in shaping revenue support of the Pomona Plan, largely from unaffiliated donors and to aggressively increase the pipeline of Pomona Plan gifts for future growth and to ensure that targeted annual and multi-year campaign goals are met. The Interim Director will collaboratively intensify the team’s overall understanding of donors’ motivations and intentions to ensure that all potential life-income gifts are thoroughly vetted for potential “conversion” to a direct philanthropic gift, in benefit to the College and related to mutuality of interests between the donor and the College. Working closely with beneficiary services, the Interim Director will provide oversight and facilitate quality control for life-income gift calculations and proposals, receiving and processing life-income gifts and information into College and outside administrator databases, coordinating with the Investments Office, preparing life-income agreements and tax letters, handling ongoing communications, account updates, and tax matters with annuitants and beneficiaries, and welcoming life-income donors into the appropriate honorary societies for life-time membership and stewardship. The position requires the ability to facilitate a healthy team-environment and inspire staff toward excellence, leading by example.

The Interim Director provides strategic support on Pomona Plan life-income agreements (annuities and trusts) and special projects concerning Pomona’s nationally recognized life-income program as assigned. Working closely with the Senior Director, the Interim Director will advise on life income agreements, including gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts, and other issues related to gift planning fundraising conversations as needed.

Working closely with the Advancement Communications Team, the Interim director will also support in-flight national marketing campaigns to support Pomona Plan life-income giving, and working closely with the Stewardship Office, advise and support any donor-centric communications and initiatives to engage and retain members of the Allen F. Hawley Society for life-income donors and provide overall excellent stewardship of Society members if applicable during the interim coverage period.

The Interim Director will be an inspiring leader, good listener, and an effective advocate for the value of a liberal arts education.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Reporting directly to the Senior Director of the Pomona Plan, the Interim Director performs the following essential duties and responsibilities:

1. Provides day-to-day gift planning support for the Office of the Pomona Plan.

2. Helps support the pipeline of Pomona Plan gifts for future growth thro