Development Program Specialist, Wisconsin Medicine

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA)*, the private fundraising and alumni relations organization for the University of Wisconsin-Madison is seeking a Development Program Specialist to support the Wisconsin Medicine team. While employed by WFAA and reporting to the Development Operations Group Leader at WFAA, the Development Program Specialist will work in partnership with the Development Program Manager of Wisconsin Medicine to support programs such as the Grateful Patient and Families Program and the Initiative to End Alzheimer’s, along with departments and units including but not limited to the Department of Surgery, Neurosurgery, and Ophthalmology. This position is a hybrid role and will require you to work in the office at least two days weekly. 

About Wisconsin Medicine:

Wisconsin Medicine is a collaboration between two of the world’s leading medical institutions, UW Health and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH), who have worked together for more than a century on innovative treatments, trailblazing research, renowned education, and compassionate patient care.

This powerful combination is in a unique position to usher in a new era of medicine, one that builds on the cutting-edge breakthroughs and discoveries already achieved. There’s more work to be done — and more lives to be saved.

Wisconsin Medicine, the philanthropic brand for SMPH and UW Health, is an effort to fight debilitating diseases and solve some of the world’s most pressing health challenges through philanthropy. For the 12th consecutive year, US News & World Report ranked UW Health Wisconsin Hospitals as No. 1 in Wisconsin on its Best Hospitals list and the University of Wisconsin SMPH is a world-recognized research and education system. Now, Wisconsin Medicine is preparing for the extraordinary. It’s the Wisconsin Idea in action — making a difference in our state, throughout the nation, and around the world. Learn more about Wisconsin Medicine at

Essential Functions

Donor Relations and Stewardship

• In collaboration with campus, directors of development, development program manager and the WI Medicine stewardship team, assist with all aspects of comprehensive stewardship of donors, including gift acknowledgements, milestone special thanks, and impact reporting.
• Collaborate with gift fund administrators.
• Meet with development directors quarterly to review pending stewardship steps and determine next steps.
• Assist with creating custom stewardship materials for donors as requested by department directors.
• Document stewardship activity in the chart of account in 4Ward.
• Work with directors of development to assist in enhancing and implementing new opportunities for donor engagement.
• Coordinate stewardship programs within the unit.
• Collaborate with the Wisconsin Medicine and WFAA events team to plan, implement, and manage all aspects of events designed to identify and cultivate new prospects and build relationships with existing donors.
• Coordinate meeting logistics for the Initiative to End Alzheimer’s Board of Visitors.
• Assist directors of development with donor visits, including preparing materials in advance and helping with follow-up, handling on-site logistics, greeting and hosting guests, and responding to miscellaneous needs as they arise.
• Serve as a point of contact for donors, helping to make gifts and addressing questions.

Campus Partnerships

• Serve as an additional point of contact along with the development program manager for campus inquiries about policies and procedures at WFAA, working to build mutually beneficial relationships and share information on resources and best practices toward development goals.
• Participate actively in meetings and other activities with campus partners that support unit development efforts.
• Respond and/or triage campus partner questions regarding unit gifts and funds, identifying issues that require additional review and action.

CRM and Reporting

• Utilize and generate financial reports related to gift information requests from directors of development or campus partners.
• Work with the business intelligence team as needed to refine and customize lists for special mailings, invitations, donor recognition, etc.
• Maintain contact updates, donor biographic information, and other constituent management duties.
• Maintain advisory board memberships, donor recognition society memberships, and other affiliated groups within the constituent database.
• Serve as a resource for directors of development on database navigation and best practices.

Office Administration

• Schedule and coordinate complex meetings.
• Coordinate the direct mailing of stewardship projects, solicitations, announcements, and event invitations.
• Provide development support for advanced administrative needs.
• Suggest areas for process improvement and assist in improvement implementation.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 1 + year of relevant work / internship experience.

Other Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and strong attention to detail.
• Some experience with designing creative visual content using programs like Canva is desired.
• Ability to judge the relative importance of issues and act independently to address them, applying the appropriate level of urgency to achieve results.
• Strong customer service mentality.
• Curiosity, a proactive nature, persistence, flexibility, dependability, tact, poise, professionalism, and diplomacy.
• Ability to work effectively with a team in an entrepreneurial environment and interact well with all internal and external constituents.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure; prioritize and manage many, sometimes competing tasks, and maintain confidentiality.
• High degree of proficiency in Microsoft office (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint); previous experience with database reporting and constituent relationship management software preferred.

At WFAA, we are dedicated to creating an inspiring, creative, and respectful work environment for our employees. We offer competitive pay and an outstanding benefits program, including a generous 10% 401k contribution after just one year of service! Join us and be part of a team that values your growth and well-being. to learn more about our employee benefits ! 

Who is WFAA?
The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is a private, nonprofit corporation that encourages individuals and organizations to make gifts to the university and to connect with the UW. In 2014, the UW Foundation merged with the Wisconsin Alumni Association® to better serve a growing population of UW alumni and donors. We believe that private support grows out of good relationships between campus leaders, faculty and program staff who need support, and the alumni and friends who want to invest in UW–Madison. We provide important engagement opportunities to link UW–Madison alumni to each other and to their alma mater, building a strong community of Badgers. 

Diversity and Inclusion:

Just as the university community benefits from differing viewpoints, perspectives, and experiences, inclusion and diversity are imperative for the success of our mission. WFAA values people and the differences that they bring to the organization, and creates an environment in which all staff members and constituents feel respected and have opportunities to thrive.

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer *The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is the “doing business as” name of the merged organization comprising the University of Wisconsin Foundation (supportuw.org) and the Wisconsin Alumni Association (uwalumni.com). Its legal corporate name is registered as the University of Wisconsin Foundation.