Associate Director, Philanthropy (Leadership Annual Giving)

Special Instructions to Applicants:

All interested applicants should attach a cover letter and resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Philanthropy and Pipeline Discovery (Annual Giving), the Associate Director, Philanthropy (Leadership Annual Giving) is a forward-thinking, highly innovative fundraiser who supports building an inclusive leadership giving and pipeline program to identify, engage, qualify, solicit, and steward the next generation of donors for Rice University. This role focuses primarily on growing the leadership giving donor program with special emphasis on total dollars raised and growth in unrestricted giving for Rice University at the $10,000+ level. In support of the donor pipeline, the Associate Director will work collaboratively within the Individual Giving team to ensure newly identified major and principal giving prospective donors have a seamless experience, either as a joint solicitation or as a referral to another fundraiser. As a fundraiser who balances both front-line and digital engagement with donors, this position is responsible for the high-level cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of philanthropic individuals in his/her portfolio and will be responsible for annual fundraising revenue and commitment goals, qualifications, referrals, and visits.

Ideal Candidate Statement

The ideal candidate will have experience soliciting leadership-level gifts from $10,000 to $99,999 and qualifying current and future donors to understand their philanthropic passions for Rice. This person cares deeply about building a sustainable donor pipeline with the aid of emerging digital technologies in conjunction with traditional fundraising practices.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. This position currently has a hybrid work arrangement with a minimum of two days per week in the office. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change. 

Must possess (or have the ability to obtain one within 30 days of hire) and maintain a valid Texas driver’s license with no more than three moving violations and/or at fault accidents within the past 36 months, and no convictions or deferred dispositions for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) or Driving Under the Influence (DUI) within the past five years.

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime. 

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 3+ years of progressive digital or frontline fundraising experience, including experience qualifying individual donor prospects and developing a donor pipeline 

Skills: 

• Ability to learn new strategies
• Ability to develop and initiate new strategies
• Advanced problem-solving skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work well under pressure and manage projects simultaneously
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office suite
• Strong data analysis skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet expected deadlines and schedules
• Collaborative and dexterous at influencing fundraising outcomes across teams
• Adept at problem-solving, creating contingency plans and handling issues when necessary
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