Assistant Director, Discovery Officer

Department
 

ARD Individual Giving & Arts

About the Department
 

The primary focus of the Regional Advancement and Individual Giving Team at the University of Chicago is raising significant philanthropic support for the University’s top priorities, academic units, and the faculty and students across the campus ecosystem. In preparation for a new major campaign, the team collaborates with academic divisions and colleagues across the Alumni Relations and Development (ARD) office. They are responsible for executing the University’s regional advancement program strategies, aiming to build a robust and sustainable donor pipeline through personal interactions and curated engagement opportunities.

As part of the University of Chicago’s Regional Advancement and Individual Giving Team, Discovery Officers (D.O.s) are responsible for high-volume prospect discovery and qualification activity, focusing on building new relationships with the university's community of alumni, parents, and friends. D.O.s manage and cultivate a portfolio of several hundred prospects through in-person meetings, engagement at local events and activities, and personal touchpoints leveraging various forms of communication, including email, phone, social media, video conferencing, and texting. Uniquely positioned to rapidly strengthen UChicago’s donor pipeline, D.O.s raise funds for all units and priorities in the short term while curating longer-term relationships to create the foundation for future significant philanthropy. This externally facing, front-line fundraising role prioritizes a holistic approach to donor cultivation and engagement, managing programs designed to meet University fundraising goals for contributed income.

We seek to fill Discovery Officer roles on each of the regional teams, West Coast, Central, East Coast, and International. Roles can be based in their region or Chicago.

Job Summary
 

This position implements programs designed to meet fundraising goals for contributed income with moderate guidance. Helps build relationships with alumni, faculty, administrators and organizations with potential to make gifts at the instruction of others. Executes communication strategies for projects.

Responsibilities

• Executes a regionally based strategy to engage and qualify as many prospects as possible.
• Identifies when a donor or prospect expresses significant interest and hands-off active referrals to regional gift officers or school/unit fundraising teams.
• Cultivates, solicits, and or renews gifts, as appropriate.
• Champions the University of Chicago regionally, provides information on University developments and programs relative to constituent’s interests, and proactively shares information about opportunities to attend events, volunteer, participate in alumni association activities/services, or otherwise deepens their engagement with the University.
• Delivers timely and effective follow-up in various forms to prospects and donors, including customized fundraising proposals.
• Generates timely contact reports in the prospect database following prospect or donor visits.
• Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance, including building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions.
• Writes timely and strategic correspondences to advance relationships.
• Works with others to maximize prospective donor cultivation.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

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Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Advanced degree.

Experience:

• Minimum two years of professional work experience in nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, public relations, sales or similar professional work experience.
• Knowledge of managing gift prospects.
• Soliciting and closing gifts of $100 or more.

Technical Knowledge or Skills:

• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to the Office of Alumni Relations and Development, including the University's donor relationship management system and Microsoft Windows computer environment, Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.

Preferred Competencies

• Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and