JOB DESCRIPTION: The Director of Development will be an innovative development professional responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and securing major individual gifts for Newberry College. The Director of Development works closely with the President and Chief Development Officer, and works collaboratively and strategically with and in support of the College President, faculty, other campus leaders, volunteers, and other development and advancement staff to develop and implement strategies for individual major gift donor relationship management and cultivation to meet the short and long-term fundraising goals of the department and the College. The primary objective of the Director of Development is to develop long-term relationships with alumni, donors and prospects, built on a firm understanding of donors’ interests, passions and values, to cultivate, solicit and close five-, six- and seven-figure gifts. We are seeking an experienced and highly professional individual responsible for developing and implementing a strategy for gift solicitation to generate major gifts from high-level donors and prospects.
JOB FUNCTIONS:
- Act as primary manager for a portfolio of up to 150 prospects, in order to move potential donors in an appropriate and timely fashion toward solicitation and closure, maintaining a balance between discovery, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
- Identify, cultivate and play lead role in soliciting and closing major gifts and from that, generate donations of $25,000 and up primarily from individual friends and alumni as well as corporations.
- Recommend and implement short, intermediate and long-term individual major gifts cultivation and solicitation strategies for individual prospects (e.g., alumni, parents, trustees, friends of the college, current students, board members, faculty and staff), working with administration, faculty, board members, volunteers (as appropriate) to identify and engage new prospects for purposes of meeting established personal and college fundraising goals.
- Plan and implement events and activities (volunteer experiences, tours, receptions friend-raisers, etc.) for individual major gift donors, using existing activities as appropriate, engage in networking activities or other opportunities to generate potential prospects for cultivation.
- Cultivate and expand annual fund giving opportunities with new and existing donors, and integrate annual fund gift objectives into major individual donor requests in collaboration with the Chief Development Officer.
- Work closely with advisory Board members, academic leaders, faculty, staff and other volunteers to identify and engage new prospects.
- Work with Advancement office staff to develop major gift materials (e.g., research, briefing memos, proposals and stewardship materials), and request information on college alumni, parents, friends to qualify interest and giving potential.
- Monitor weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual activity to achieve individual performance measures (e.g., meetings, proposals, major gift revenue).
- Assist administrators and faculty in the recognition and prioritization of instructional and departmental funding needs in particular for any assigned schools, departments, units or programs; keep abreast of institutional and departmental priorities, college programs, personalities and events.
- Track and report relationship management activity using Raisers Edge constituent relationship management, including identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, proposal submission and stewardship of prospective and current individual major donors; assist with review and verification of major gift donor recognition lists.
- Maintain knowledge of current tax laws, investments and planned giving opportunities; use knowledge in prospect cultivation and solicitation as appropriate.
- Develop and maintain strong collaborative working relationships with other team members.
- Participate in regular departmental staff and organization-wide meetings and develop and maintain strong collaborative working relationships with other team members.
- Know and follow the CASE Code of Ethics for Fundraisers.
- All other duties as assigned by the President and Chief Development Officer.
EDUCATIONAL OR OTHER HIRING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE POSITION
Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university is required. Individual must have three to five years successful, demonstrated experience in major or planned gift fundraising, preferably in higher education or non-profit environment. Comparable work in sales, marketing or other client-management professions will be considered. Must possess strong written, oral and presentation communications skills, and have experience in developing clear and concise funding proposals. Must have a demonstrated ability to meet financial goals for major gift giving, with proven track record of cultivating and securing five-figure gifts and above, and successful experience in making cold calls, as well as developing cultivation and solicitation strategies. Individual must be able to think strategically and creatively, must have excellent interpersonal skills and a demonstrated record of completing assignments, multi-tasking, meeting deadlines, and working with minimal supervision. Attention to detail and strong project management skills, ability to work as part of a team and professional attitude and appearance are required. Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Office Suite computer skills are required. Experience with constituent relationship management system, such as Raisers Edge, is preferred. Position requires travel (local and occasionally out of state), and at times work in the evenings and weekends.
APPLICATION
Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references. References will not be checked without candidate permission. Electronic application materials should be emailed to [email protected] with the subject line: “Director of Development.”
