Senior Director of Development, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters

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Position Summary:

Florida Atlantic University is seeking a Senior Director of Development, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters – Boca Raton, FL.

The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters is home to the largest number of academic departments at FAU, providing degrees in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Communication and Multimedia Studies, Architecture, and Public Administration. The dedicated faculty of distinguished scholars, researchers, and artists across 18 academic programs offer 26 bachelor’s degrees, 17 minors, 12 certificate programs, and 20 graduate degrees that combine the best of a traditional and liberal arts education with cutting-edge instruction in emerging fields.

The College of Arts and Letters is also a vibrant source of cultural and artistic programs, offering over 150 diverse programs to almost 50,000 community patrons annually.

The Senior Director of Development for the College of Arts and Letters works collaboratively with the Dean, Associate and Assistant Deans, and faculty, and under the supervision of the Vice President and/or an Assistant Vice President for Institutional Advancement. The Director plans, articulates, and implements a comprehensive strategic fundraising plan to meet the educational and research missions and creative activities of the College of Arts and Letters and its programs and areas. The Director qualifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards a portfolio of donors and prospective donors with the inclination and capacity to make significant major gifts ($100,000 and greater) to the College of Arts and Letters at FAU.

The successful candidate will experience a commitment to development at the very top from the President; a seasoned, dynamic Vice President of Institutional Advancement with a winning track record; and an innovative and committed Dean at the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters.

Summary of Responsibilities includes:

• Develop and implement comprehensive cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for assigned individual major and principal gift prospects. Work both independently and in concert with Institutional Advancement colleagues to implement strategies leading to direct solicitation of gifts of $100,000 and more, including experiences with closing gifts at the $1M+ level.

• Build a strong pipeline of alumni and other prospects to expand the portfolio of qualified prospects for gifts of $100,000 and more.

• Develop solicitation and closure strategies for major gifts aligned with the College of Arts and Letters and University fundraising priorities, and measured against the metrics associated with the position.

• Collaborate with the Dean, department chairs, and faculty to identify funding priorities, assess relevance and feasibility for proposed project/priority, and develop and manage comprehensive strategies to secure gifts for selected priorities and

  ensure that the most highly rated prospects receive the most attention.

• Partner with Institutional Advancement’s Gift Planning Office to devise an overall strategy for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding planned gift donors.

• In concert with Institutional Advancement colleagues, oversee the preparation of necessary materials, including concept papers, funding proposals, briefings for FAU leadership and board members when necessary, and scheduled stewardship reports, for all assigned prospects.

• Identify volunteers to participate in boards, committees, or other programs that promote the cultivation process.

• Partner with the Donor Relations Office to ensure appropriate stewardship is provided to donors on existing endowment and current-use funds.

• Facilitate effective communication between the College of Arts and Letters and the Division of Institutional Advancement.

• Participate in signature events at the University, within the