Advancement Officer, School of Law

Advancement Officer, School Of Law (Open)

The Advancement Officer – School Of Law will serve as a front-line fundraiser leading efforts to raise funds to support the law school, cultivate existing donor relationships, and discover new donors and partners to build a pipeline and culture of support to benefit the law school. The Advancement Officer will report to the Vice President of Advancement and External Relations and be part of the Office of Advancement and External Relations (OAER) team but will be solely devoted to law school development efforts. This position also works under the direction of and in close partnership with the law school Dean and maintains an office in the John and Frances Angelos Law Center. The role also works in close partnership with the law school's Associate Dean for Administration, External Relations team, and other law school partners to ensure coordinated and mutually supportive efforts to raise the profile of the law school and create a culture of support. The Advancement Officer will maintain a portfolio of identified law school prospects and be responsible for coordinating law school major gifts, as well as other development activities that include discovery calls, cultivation touches and stewarding relationships with existing donors, alumni, university friends, and community partners to secure donations and help meet the fundraising goals for the law school. The role will continually assess efforts to ensure donor and stewardship opportunities are maximized in adherence to best practices. The position will primarily be on-campus with occasional remote work.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain a law school portfolio of donors and prospects with an annual fundraising goal of $ 1,500,000 +.
• Engage and solicit prospects identified by the Prospect Researcher to meet the school's philanthropic needs and priorities.
• Schedule visits and communications with donors and prospects for the purpose of discovery, cultivation, solicitation, sponsorship and stewardship.
• Assist in identifying annual fundraising priorities and opportunities for the law school and communicate them with the OAER team, specifically the Prospect Researcher, Annual Giving Officer and Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations.
• Plan and coordinate opportunities for the Dean and other senior University leaders to meet with prospects and donors, as needed.
• Serve as a primary contact for and manage the activity of the Dean's Development Circle (DDC), including managing membership, planning content and leading meetings and events. Ensure the annual DDC commitments are fulfilled.

Communication & Collaboration

• Work closely with other External Relations and law school team members and OAER/Foundation partners to ensure that all are properly informed about development work and that all fundraising and alumni communications efforts are coordinated with proper constituencies. Ensure and maximize information sharing with close internal partners, as appropriate, to ensure proper coordination and effectiveness of efforts.
• Ensure gift documentation for all solicited donations is provided to OAER/Foundation with clear explanation of any restrictions needed for proper recording and management.
• Ensure managed prospects are thanked by the school, receive regular follow-up and facilitate continued engagement.
• Complete substantive donor and prospect communications and cultivation/stewardship steps such as preparing proposals, updates on program developments that may be of interest, expressing appreciation, and program reports in coordination with OAER's Donor Relations team and the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations.
• Work with External Relations and OAER teams to execute communications for information and engagement.
• Communicate constituent information updates to the Database Administrator in a timely manner to help ensure the office's continued ability to reach/contact donors.

Data Collection and Planning

• Document communications for prospects in Raiser's Edge. Prepare contact reports documenting communications, meetings, and other interactions with constituents and add them to the database.
• Assess yearly development efforts to understand impact and identify areas for improvement or growth and find ways to improve.
• Work with the law school's Sr. Business Manager and the Chief Financial Officer of the Foundation to understand, monitor and maximize the use of existing Foundation funds and identify ways partners can best use donor funds for law school needs.
• Work with other key partners like the law External Relations team, Associate Dean for Administration, and the OAER team to develop and execute plans for the evaluation, cultivation and solicitation of major and other gift prospects. Create personalized engagement plans where appropriate.

Other Duties

• Other duties as assigned to further law school goals and objectives.
• Attend and/or contribute to OAER and External Relations initiatives, such as donor and alumni activities and events.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education:

Bachelor's degree

Experience:

5 years of work related to development and/or donor relations, alumni relations, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications:

Education:

Master's Degree

Experience:

7 years' work experience in development, donor relations, and/or alumni relations fields in higher education.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Proven track record of success in annual giving, major gifts, or alumni engagement.
• Demonstrated understanding of fundraising rules, principles, and best practices.
• Excellent writing, editing, organizational, oral and written communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with all internal and external constituencies.
• Ability to successfully multitask and keep track of several varying responsibilities and timelines at once.
• Strong organizational and event planning skills.
• Strong strategic and analytical thinking skills coupled with the ability to solve problems and lead decisions.
• Ability to work across divisions (within the law school and throughout the university) to complete tasks and accomplish goals.
• Ability to work collaboratively and with the highest degree of professionalism with a range of stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, university colleagues, alumni and the general public.
• Traditional media as well as social media proficiency (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, etc.).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office programs as well as graphic design software.
• Understanding of constituent management software.
• Commitment to the mission and values of the University of Baltimore and its School of Law.

Requires occasional evenings or weekends for events and donor visits. May require travel regionally (including DC) and national travel.

We offer a competitive benefits package, including health, life, prescription, and dental plans, tuition remission benefits, paid leave (22 days of annual, 15 days of sick, 3 days of personal, and 14-15 holidays) and retirement plans with employer contributions. You can see more details on our benefits here.

Additional Job Information:

The University of Baltimore ("UBalt" or "University") does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, race, religion, age, disability, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other legally protected characteristics in its programs, activities or employment practices. UBalt is an Equal Opportunity/ADA Compliant Employer & Title IX Institution.