Essential Job Duties: 

• The Assistant Director of Leadership Annual Giving is responsible for identifying, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors with the capacity to give at the level of $1,000 – $50,000. They will be a highly motivated professional who will be deeply involved in the fundraising efforts in support of current operations and endowment from individual donors with an emphasis on new donor acquisition, upgrades, growing membership of the Chancellor’s Circle and developing a pipeline for major gifts. Solicitations will be multi-channel, including, but not limited to, phone calls, mail, emails, and personal meetings.
• Reporting to the Executive Director of Annual Giving, this position will serve as a part of the University Development’s Annual Giving team and will work to support all areas of the University in conjunction with the Think & Do the Extraordinary Campaign. Additionally, the Assistant Director will be assigned to work with one of the following Colleges: The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The College of Engineering, The College of Sciences or The Wilson College of Textiles. The Assistant Director will regularly meet with the Development staff of the assigned College to develop effective strategies for the College’s Leadership Annual Giving prospects.
• The Assistant Director will be expected to initiate, develop and cultivate relationships with individuals with the capacity to make gifts of $1,000-$50,0000 to fund programs and priorities defined by their assigned College.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Plan, design, implement, and evaluate strategies to obtain outright annual gifts and pledges.
  Identification, qualification, cultivation, and solicitation of mid level giving prospects to create and grow a pipeline of Chancellor Circle members and major gift ($50,000 and above) donors for the assigned college.
• Conduct at least 125 personal contacts monthly with a focus on the phone to prospects and donors annually to average 20 solicitations per month of at least $1,000 with a goal to close 80% of gifts.
• Strategic development and management of a portfolio with approximately 250 prospects and donors capable of making gifts of $1,000 – $50,000.
• Partner with the Advancement Research team as well as the Annual Giving team to identify prospective donors and strategically assess their philanthropic capacity and inclination.
• Be an active and collaborative team member in Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving and University Advancement.
• Make donor referrals to University Development and campus-wide gift officers, as appropriate.
• Provide timely post-visit follow-up, including tracking moves and solicitations, and sending personalized follow-ups to individual prospects.
• Collaboration with colleagues to help align donors’ philanthropic interests with various priorities across campus.
• Coordination of stewardship efforts as needed with appropriate University Advancement and other campus colleagues.
• Attend university-wide events and University Advancement related meetings.
• Serve as an active member of the Advancement team for the assigned College.

Minimum Experience and Education: 

• Post-baccalaureate credentials or Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and at least two or more years of professional-level experience in direct solicitation/fundraising or a closely related field (such as sales) are required.

Preferred Experience and Education: 

• Two or more years of successful experience in fundraising, annual giving or closely related field
• Knowledge of principles, practices, and ethics of fundraising
• Understanding of the development process and donor cycle
• Volunteer management experience
• Prior experience in a comprehensive capital campaign
• Experience in higher education fundraising
• An understanding of the land grant, research Tier One university environment
• Familiarity with NC State University and the Triangle

Required Skills and Qualifications: 

• Ability to work effectively as part of a dynamic team in a large and complex research university.
• Experience in cold calling, negotiating, and closing business deals.
• Ability to work independently, while maintaining consistent and transparent communication with a team and leadership.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills, with great attention to detail
• Self-motivated and self-starting, along with great listening skills.
• Optimism, perseverance and a positive attitude
• Ability to travel around the region.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as required.
• Computer literacy skills required.