The University of Iowa Center for Advancement (UICA) seeks a Director of Development to serve as the strategic lead and supervisor of two major gift officers covering the "Great Lakes" region (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio) on the Health Sciences Regional Gifts team. In addition to management responsibilities, this alumni specialist development officer will build a portfolio of major gift prospects comprised of medically trained alumni. The ideal candidate will develop and oversee the implementation of a comprehensive outreach strategy for their regional team, working closely with colleagues in the Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health to engage alumni donors throughout the fundraising cycle. Building trusting, collaborative relationships with their direct reports and other internal colleagues will be crucial to success as they work together to solicit gifts from alumni.
Position allows for telecommuting/work from home (up to 5 days per week depending upon business need and leader approval). Candidate must be within driving distance of office located in Iowa City, IA.
Please submit a cover letter with your application.
Responsibilities
- Advises Prospect Management staff in the identification of prospects (based on capacity, giving history, and affiliation) from among pools that may include alumni, fans, patients, or other supporters of the university.
- Works with Prospect Management staff and supervisor to develop strategy for managing prospects.
- Efficiently conducts proactive outreach calls and messages in order to secure face-to-face qualification meetings.
- Provides strategic input into the design and implementation of engagement events and referral programs designed to build long-term relationships and attract major gifts.
- Optimizes qualification pool of potential major gift prospects with the goal of growing a continuous pipeline of donors capable of making gifts of $50,000+.
- Skillfully adapts structured questions to validate prospect’s capacity and inclination and understand strength of affinity.
- Uses gathered information to independently determine whether prospects should be disqualified or moved into the portfolio.
- Models the role of a trusted philanthropic advisor, using transparent communication and educating donors about the giving process.
- Manages a self-made portfolio of active major gift prospects and develops their readiness to advance.
- Builds travel plans demonstrating judicious use of time and resources, including strategic meetings with active prospects and additional qualification and stewardship meetings.
- Develops and implements donor-centric cultivation strategies, collaborating with colleagues as needed.
- Manages deliberate sequence of interactions with each prospect, intended to build engagement and move them through the steps of an established donor process.
- Works with supervisor and colleagues to identify meaningful ways for donor to achieve their desired impact while meeting funding needs.
- Maintains expert knowledge of funding priorities within and beyond the UI Health Sciences colleges and UI Health Care, consulting with UICA colleagues and campus partners as needed.
- Facilitates prospects’ decision-making process; helps them understand next steps and articulate the link between their personal objectives and institutional priorities.
- Maintains expert knowledge needed to ensure donors are fully informed about the full range of planned giving options.
- Meets expectations for solicitations, gifts closed, and average gift size (goals established annually with the supervisor in alignment with organization-wide metrics).
- Knows where prospects fall in the donor process and plans next steps accordingly.
- Employs and models the use of communication and meeting preparation tools in order to achieve stated objectives for each step of the process.
- Ensures documentation reflects donor intent and sets expectations for recognition and stewardship.
- Develops, implements, and participates in appropriate stewardship activities (e.g., acknowledgement letters, personalized gifts, publicity events) for donors as relevant, working with stewardship staff as needed.
- Maintains integrity of constituent database through timely submittal of stewardship plans and contact reports for all significant interactions.
- Partners in the development of strategic fundraising priorities for the unit.
- Clearly articulates the vision and priorities of the unit in a compelling and broadly understandable way.
- Contributes to the ongoing success of events, volunteer structures, and industry partner programs that aim to increase engagement and private support of the unit.
- Leverages strong relationships with campus partners/leaders as well as external groups with ties to the unit.
- Prepares partners/leaders as necessary for donor meetings and guides their critical role in the giving conversation and donor engagement process.
- Collaborates with all UICA colleagues as relevant to identify and cultivate major gift prospects for assigned unit.
- Provides input on annual giving strategy and partners with communications staff on the development of fundraising materials for assigned units including mailings, brochures, donor recognition, reports, etc.
- Manages all aspects of the employee lifecycle from recruitment and onboarding through separation.
- Empowers employees to take responsibility for their jobs and prioritizes trust and transparent communication as the basis for a productive relationship.
- Supports employees in developing meaningful goals aligned with those of the UICA unit and UICA and in achieving/surpassing those goals.
- Inspires performance through clear expectations and ongoing feedback.
- Supports employees struggling to meet expectations for productivity, quality, and goal attainment.
- Identifies and anticipates competency gaps within individuals and the UICA unit as a whole.
- Motivates, develops, coaches, and rewards employees for growth in competencies over time, leading to new opportunities for subject matter expertise or leadership.
- Partners with Talent Management to achieve optimum results for employees, self, UICA unit, and UICA.
- Creates a work environment that is consistent with UICA mission/vision and that emphasizes our organizational culture and values.
Please submit a cover letter with your application.
Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years of related experience required, preferably in a fundraising, nonprofit, or higher education setting.
Education
- Bachelors or better in Any Major
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