Director of Development, University Strategic Initiatives

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Department:

University Strategic Initiatives

Time Type:

Full time

Job Type:

Regular

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Work Modality:

Hybrid 01 (On Campus 3-4 Days/Week)

Union:

Excluded

Job Description:

Summary:

The Director of Development, University Strategic Initiatives is a member of the University Strategic Initiatives Advancement team that is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive and aggressive fundraising strategy that aligns with the university’s mission, values and strategic goals for the Library, Arboretum, and Department of Student Affairs,  for which the Director will have primary responsibility. Within the Strategic Initiatives portfolio, led by the Senior Director, University Strategic Initiatives, the Director will also engage donors on behalf of programs including the University’s Scholarship program, the Civic Life Initiative, and Women’s Philanthropy Initiative. 

The position builds and manages a curated high-level prospect portfolio of 100+ current and prospective donors with a heavy emphasis on donors capable of making gifts of $100,000+ to $1,000,000. The Director will closely collaborate with faculty, staff, and senior administration officials to design and implement major and principal gift plans that strengthen the donor base, build the pipeline, and develop long-range plans for their portfolio of prospects’ involvement in the university. 

The Director reports to and works closely with the Senior Director, University Strategic Initiatives and is involved with fundraising strategy, goalsetting, communications, advisory board management, and development-centric events. Additionally, the Director will serve as development liaison for assigned academic departments, enters, and/or program areas interfacing with directors and department heads regularly to secure program support as well as maintain pipelines for fundraising and volunteer leadership. Concurrently, the Director will collaborate with other fundraisers in the department and across the university in overall relationship building between alumni and the school.  

The Director will also work with senior leaders to strategize and facilitate development trips and will coordinate all aspects of travel arrangements, event logistics, briefing, staffing, and follow-up correspondence. This position requires the ability to frequently travel up 50% of the time, as well as the ability to work occasional evenings and weekends when helping coordinate and staff regional cultivation and stewardship events. They will also be responsible for assuring that pertinent information and strategic moves for assigned prospects are properly recorded in the institutional database.  

Essential Functions:

1.) Major Gift Prospect Cultivation, and Solicitation

• Develop programs and strategies to identify, prioritize, cultivate, and solicit key prospects with capacity of $100,000+ to $1,000,000.

• Meet annual goals for personal performance, established in consultation with manager based on existing pipeline and overarching divisional goals. 

• Manage a portfolio of 100+ rated major gift prospects, including alumni, foundations, corporations, parents, and friends. 

• Communicate internally and externally in a timely, professional, and efficient manner as it relates to all ongoing cultivation and closure of gifts. 

• Follow established standards for the documentation and acceptance of gifts. 

• Record all contacts, strategies, and proposals in alignment with divisional expectations. 

2.) Major Gift Prospect Identification, Strategy, and Management

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