General Responsibilities:

Represent the Institute in constituent visits, or at events, with primary focus of building membership in the Annual Giving Leadership Circle (AGLC), which recognizes donors who support MIT through annual gifts of $2,500 or more. With mentorship from the Director of Annual Leadership Giving, the Associate Director engages existing and potential donors through extensive outreach efforts, progressing to increased prospect work for which they’ll manage, cultivate and solicit a regionally-based pool of prospects with annual giving potential of $1,000 to $100,000 annually. Specific attention will be applied to regional donors at these levels. Develop, manage and support a small portfolio of volunteers to aid in this process when applicable. A core expectation in this role is to engage annual donors in the compelling case for unrestricted support of the Institute.

Characteristic Duties:

Portfolio Management 85%

• Through high-touch engagement efforts, identify and manage prospects in a specified regional territory, with the objective of cultivating, soliciting and stewarding donors and prospects with the capacity to make a financial commitment of $1,000 to $100,000 annually. Develop and maintain a portfolio of 250 or more prospects.
• Conduct 12 visits monthly (130-150 annually) to meet, qualify, cultivate and solicit prospects for leadership annual gifts. Qualify prospects for major and planned gifts, and steward introductions to colleagues to build a major gift pipeline.
• Solicit each prospect for at least an entry-level gift into the AGLC ($2,500+). Encourage current AGLC donors to upgrade their support to higher levels, with emphasis on unrestricted support. • Invite prospects and donors to MIT events virtual or in person locally and regionally, and facilitate opportunities to visit campus to meet with appropriate MIT staff and faculty.
• Maintain strong communication links with various staff and colleagues across the institute to ensure a coordinated approach to prospect engagement. Arrange meetings, appointments and other contacts for prospects with Institute officers, as appropriate for cultivation and engagement purposes.
• Provide timely and constructive contact reports to all interested parties and deliver timely and effective follow-up to prospects and donors.
• Work collaboratively with the MIT Annual Giving Stewardship & Donor Relations and the Resource Development Department’s Office of Donor Relations & Stewardship, and other offices to maintain a strong stewardship strategy for portfolio donors.
• Create and promote a variety of giving opportunities and gift vehicles such as the Annual Giving Leadership Circle, recurring gifts, donor advised funds, life income funds, gifts of stock, online giving, and matching gifts in collaboration with staff from the Alumni Association and Resource Development to promote a culture of philanthropy.

Volunteer Management 10 %

• Work with the Class Giving and Reunion teams in the MIT Alumni Association to arrange specific prospect assignments among volunteers, supporting fundraising outreach for the AGLC. Review local volunteer assignments to ensure prospect strategies are implemented.
• Identify potential regionally-based or class-based volunteers to aid in the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of prospects and donors at the $1,000+ level, with an eye toward upgrading volunteers and others to the $2,500+ level.
• Work with volunteers on events ranging from class reunions, dinners, meetings and academic-related events in support of fund-raising objectives.
• Serve as a resource to volunteers, including the Annual Giving Board, by providing prospect research as required, arranging for proposals, etc.

Other Duties 5%

• Serve as an active participant in Annual Fund and Alumni Association committees as requested.
• Staff alumni events as requested, including Tech Reunions, Family Weekend and the annual Alumni Leadership Conference.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the value of creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. Actively support and engage in creating and sustaining a workplace that fosters creativity and innovation.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum 3 years of annual giving experience required, preferably in non-profit fundraising environments.
• Experience conducting donor solicitations, with a knowledge of best practices of the major gift process and planned giving vehicles desired.
• Higher Education Experience preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, specifically the emotional intelligence, authenticity, and credibility required to thoughtfully engage and build relationships with colleagues, faculty, alumni, volunteers, and donors.
• Exceptional communication skills (written, verbal, listening), with the ability to engage effectively with faculty, leadership, administrative staff, donors, alumni and other external constituents.
• Must be able to multi-task, prioritize assignments, and meet deadlines, without compromising quality, in a demanding, high-volume work environment.
• Must be detail-oriented, efficient, and able to handle diversified tasks concurrently while meeting deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and contribute positively to a collaborative environment.
• Must be self-motivated with a proven record of accomplishment in a position requiring independent planning and efficient utilization of time and resources.
• Highly professional and ethical standards for handling confidential information.
• Experience with Ellucian Advance Web, Evertrue or other enterprise fundraising system required.
• Proficiency with computers and standard applications (including Microsoft Word, Excel, outlook, Zoom, and PowerPoint).
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 40% and work evenings and weekends is required.