Senior Advancement Officer

Posting Details

Dickinson College is a premier four-year residential liberal arts institution chartered in 1783 and widely recognized as a leader in global and sustainability education. Dickinson College is located in Carlisle, named a "most livable city" by Forbes and is minutes from the state capital of Harrisburg. The campus is connected to a vibrant downtown that offers eclectic dining, shopping and entertainment options. Within a two-hour drive are Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.; New York City is three hours away.

Dickinson College offers full-time employees a broad range of benefits, including a comprehensive medical insurance plan, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, generous time off, parental leave, homebuyer assistance, and tuition benefits for eligible employees and dependent children under the age of 24. Upon eligibility, the College contributes 8% of an employee's base salary to a retirement account with an additional .5% matching contribution; all money paid by the college into the employee's retirement plan is immediately and fully vested in the employee.

Below you will find the details for the position, including any supplementary documentation and questions you should review before applying for the opening. To apply for the position, please click the "Apply" for this job link button above.

Position Department

Advancement - Major & Planned Gifts

Job Summary/Basic Function

This senior-level gift officer engages alumni, parents, and friends to align their philanthropic interests with Dickinson's fundraising priorities. The role focuses on building and strengthening relationships through personal outreach, identifying donor passions, developing strategies that help donors achieve their philanthropic goals. The position will solicit gifts up to 7-figures, and also steward major and planned giving donors to deepen engagement and grow support over time. In addition to major gift fundraising, and regional engagement, the role may lead or support special fundraising initiatives in donor-aligned affinity areas as approved. Significant travel is required, as is the willingness and ability to maintain strong connections to the campus community.


Position Summary

Working with alumni, parents, and friends to facilitate their engagement with the college and to find a match between their philanthropic interests and Dickinson's fundraising priorities, the position expectations include meeting with these individuals in person. The position is focused on developing relationships, learning about potential donor passions and interests, and planning steps that will allow them to fulfill their philanthropic goals with Dickinson. Also, this position works with prior major and planned giving donors to Dickinson to continue to steward them, deepen the relationship, and increase their support over time. In addition to major gift work, this senior level gift officer position will facilitate special efforts as approved around viable affinity areas of interest to donors.

Essential Functions

• Solicit gifts of $100,000 or more from alumni, parents and friends.
  
• Manage the philanthropic relationship of alumni, parents, and friends who reside in assigned regions, that includes, but is not limited to, their identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
  
• Manage a portfolio of 125-135 prospects, performing all administrative work essential to keeping information current in the database (prioritizing prospects, writing strategies, completing reports, etc.).
  
• Collaborate with colleagues on the major gift team and the broader College Advancement staff to fulfill the identified goals of the department. These activities could include, but are not limited to, staffing events, supporting other gift officers in their indentification, cultivation and solicitation of donors, and soliciting gifts for the Dickinson Fund,
  

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Collaborate with colleagues within the department and across campus.
  
• Attend staff meetings.
  
• Other duties as determined or assigned.
  

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Not responsible for supervising others.
  

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required. Master's degree preferred.
  
• Valid driver's license for the operation of a company-owned, rented or leased vehicle.
  
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong relationships with prospective donors through effective one-on-one engagement.
  
• Advanced verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
  
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple prospects, meetings, and follow-up activities.
  
• Strong strategic thinking skills, including the ability to develop and execute donor cultivation and solicitation plans.
  
• Analytical skills to assess donor interests, giving capacity, and engagement opportunities.
  
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism in handling sensitive and confidential information.
  
• Strong intuition and emotional intelligence, with the ability to connect genuinely with individuals and understand their motivations and interests.
  
• Self-motivated and results-oriented, with the ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with colleagues and campus partners.
  
• Ability to plan, prioritize, and follow through on action items resulting from donor meetings and engagement activities.
  
• Flexibility and willingness to travel regularly for donor visits, events, and college functions.
  
• Availability to attend and represent the College at evening and weekend events as needed.
  

Minimum Work Experience

• 5-8 years
  

Independence of Action

• Results are defined and existing practices are used as guidelines to determine specific work methods and carries out work activities independently; supervisor/manager is available to resolve problems.
  

Equipment Used

• Standard office equipment.
  

Physical and Environmental Demands

• Office environment.
  
• No specific physical demands.
  

EEO/Diversity Statement:

The College is committed to building a representative and diverse faculty, staff, and student body. We encourage applications from all qualified persons.