Development Officer for Diversity Initiatives

Posted on 03/11/2021

University of North Carolina Wilmington

Wilmington, NC

Brief Summary of Work for this Position

The Development Officer for Diversity Initiatives will function as a member of a team of development and alumni relations professionals who are part of the Division for University Advancement. This work involves developing and executing initiatives that engage diverse alumni and other constituents to foster a culture of giving. Reporting to the Associate Vice Chancellor for University Advancement, this position will identify, cultivate and solicit and steward prospective donors.

The Development Officer for Diversity Initiatives will design and execute meaningful opportunities to increase participation,volunteerism and philanthropic giving among underrepresented constituents and allies to support UNCW diversity initiatives. Philanthropic opportunities to support diversity initiatives include but are not limited to scholarships, applied learning awards, fellowships, and program support.

This position’s primary purpose is to develop programs that engage diverse alumni and other constituents in meaningful ways that inspire them to give to the university. This role will be responsible for the development and execution of both engagement and fundraising strategies. Engagement initiatives may include but are not limited to in-person and virtual events, mentorship and career opportunities, and assisting with admissions initiatives. Solicitations will be multi-channel including, but not limited to, phone calls, direct mail, digital solicitations and personal visits. It is anticipated that this role will manage a portfolio of approximately 100 prospects.

Effective candidates must be able to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate both engagement and solicitation strategies to determine the successful return on investment in support of the division’s strategic goals and fundraising targets.

The Development Officer for Diversity Initiatives will serve as a diversity advocate within the division and, therefore, provide counsel to colleagues on strategies for events, programs, gift proposals, communications, and stewardship activities to improve these activities’ inclusiveness. It is anticipated that this position will often lead these efforts but may also engage respective colleagues’ expertise.

Successful candidates must also be able to recruit, train, manage, engage, and inspire volunteers to ensure they are poised to amplify the Division for University Advancement work and support UNCW’s renewed commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

This position will be responsible for managing the African American Graduate Association (AAGA), an official, chartered chapter of the UNCW Alumni Association. This responsibility includes upholding and adhering to the chapter bylaws and regular reporting to the UNCW Alumni Association’s Board of Directors on the chapter’s activity.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

  • A bachelors’ degree is required as well as broad knowledge of development best practices related to communications, engagement, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
  • High level of cultural competence, an inclusive approach to customer service, and comfortable building awareness of diverse individuals and groups.
  • Understanding of critical issues, challenges and opportunities relative to diversity in higher education.
  • 2-4 years of relevant work experience, in alumni relations, annual giving, higher education or comparable environment.
  • Professional experience with volunteer management, event planning and developing annual giving strategies and messaging.
  • Ability to coordinate, compose, deploy and evaluate annual giving solicitations.
  • Ability to request, analyze and interpret complex data.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to quickly build rapport and trust with constituents. Must demonstrate a high level of diplomacy, discretion and influence and have a strong ethical character.
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently and interdependently in a collaborative environment is vital. Must be able to set short and long-term priorities, organize workload, and collaborate with colleagues to prioritize competing demands effectively.
  • Experience using Customer Relationship/Database Management systems.
  • Demonstrated success with building effective, collaborative relationships with colleagues and diverse constituents and leveraging those relationships for successful outcomes.
  • Ability to translate thought leadership into actionable strategies and effectively collaborate with co-workers, campus and community partners, alumni and other constituents to achieve shared objectives.

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills & Experience

  • Familiarity with UNCW’s history and culture is highly desirable
  • Knowledge of Raiser’s Edge preferred
  • Conflict Management Training is preferred

EEO Statement

At the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW), our culture reflects our values of inclusion, diversity, globalization, ethics and integrity and innovation and we are committed to providing equality of educational and employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, sex (such as gender, gender identity, marital status, childbirth, and pregnancy), age, color, national origin (including ethnicity), religion, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, veteran status, military service member status, genetic information, or relationship to other university constituents – except where sex, age, or ability represent bona fide educational or occupational qualifications or where marital status is a statutorily established eligibility criterion for State-funded employee benefit programs. UNCW believes that embracing the unique contributions of our faculty, staff and students is critical to our success and paramount in being recognized for our global mindset.

To apply for this job please visit jobs.uncw.edu.