Director of Development, Upstate NY/Great Lakes Region

Director Of Development, Upstate Ny/Great Lakes Region

This role serves as a front-line fundraiser and member of the Regional Advancement Team. Primary duties include establishing and managing effective relationships with prospects and existing donors who have the capacity to make a major gift. The Director will identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, close and steward major gift prospects located throughout Upstate New York, in Chicago, and adjacent regions. He/She will play an important role in the success of the current Campaign by continuing to build, engage, and solicit gifts from new and current donors with an emphasis on increasing annual giving and gifts of $100,000 or more. He/ she will engage alumni, parents, and donors in the life of the University and will collaborate with school and college-based colleagues to align donor interests with funding priorities. The Director is expected to make gift asks at all levels including soliciting prospects in their portfolio for a minimum annual gift of $2,500 as they build towards a major gift solicitation. The Director will also facilitate the work of the Chicago Regional Council, a core group of University ambassadors whose primary purpose is to help identify and engage key donors and prospects.

Education and Experience - Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree a plus. Experience in fund-raising work in higher education or equivalent is required. A successful record of accomplishment in major gifts is necessary and experience within an academic setting is preferred. Possession of a valid driver's license and access to a reliable vehicle is required.

Skills and Knowledge - The ideal candidate must be highly collaborative and have a demonstrated ability to work successfully with external constituents such as alumni and parents, as well as internal constituents such as administration, fundraising colleagues, faculty and deans. At the same time, the ability to work independently and manage competing deadlines and objectives is important. The position requires enthusiasm, strategic thinking, exceptional communication skills, and the ability to problem solve challenging situations. Proficiency in Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, including the ability to produce presentation quality documents is required.

Responsibilities - Manage an assigned prospect/donor portfolio of approximately 80 alumni, parents, and friends to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit and close major gifts for the University with an emphasis on gifts at the $100,000+ level. Conduct all stages of the major gift solicitation process: identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, close and steward. Develop, implement, and drive fundraising strategies designed to maximize current giving potential for each individual prospect in the assigned portfolio as well as other prospects in the region by creating support and facilitating cooperation throughout the campus community in pursuit of the best strategy for each donor. Discover, identify, and qualify new major gift prospects throughout this vast region. Work in collaboration with Colleges/Schools/units and central AEA offices, including Central Giving Teams, Advancement Services, Research & Prospect Systems, Alumni Engagement, Corporate and Foundation Relations, Principal Gifts, and University Communications. Develop and maintain relationships with faculty, administrators, and staff volunteers associated with specific programs relevant to assigned prospects. Facilitate the work of the Chicago Regional Council, helping to develop alumni and parent volunteer leadership. Report results of all major gifts efforts in the Citrus database and to the Executive Director including, but not limited to: produce meeting calendar, generate development activity reports and system contact reports; coordinate and ensure the accuracy of data entry and maintenance of regional related development records, interactions, and donor/prospect files via Citrus in collaboration with AEA central units.