Department Description:

The Kroc School of Peace Studies trains the changemakers and peacebuilders of today and tomorrow.  Kroc is the first stand-alone school of peace in the United States. Innovation in learning and programs is at the center of what we do and who we are. We combine theory and practice not just to understand crises and world issues, but also to imagine new possibilities and develop solutions to humanity’s urgent challenges from increasing inequality and violence to climate change. At Kroc, people discover new ways of building more peaceful and socially just communities through a multidisciplinary lens and experiential learning. We look for passionate individuals who believe in the power of university learning to transform the world for the better.

Job Description: 

The Assistant Director of Development is a key member of the Development and Alumni Relations staff of the Kroc School. The Assistant Director (AD) reports directly to the Dean of the Kroc School, with a dotted reporting to University Advancement, and is responsible for managing a portfolio of gift prospects with a giving capacity of $1,500 or more. The AD must excel at managing relationships, conducting regular meetings to cultivate and solicit support to meet Kroc School fundraising priorities and goals. The selected candidate must be able to effectively communicate the Kroc School’s unique story, its vision, and impact and reflect the organization’s culture as a whole. The AD will also be assigned a variety of projects and responsibilities that support the long-term development goals of the Kroc School.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Fundraising

• Develops and manages a portfolio of gift prospects with a giving capacity of $1,500 or more to cultivate and to solicit support to meet Kroc School fundraising priorities and goals
• Identifies, cultivates, and solicits philanthropic support by developing and maintaining relationships with alumni and other potential donors to the Kroc School
• Works effectively with University Advancement and academic leadership to identify and research new qualified gift prospect alumni, parents, friends, faculty, corporations and foundations in order to support the School’s fundraising priorities
• Develops fundraising strategies and activities to ensure proper acknowledgement, recognition and stewardship of donors
• Draft a variety of development related correspondence, gift proposals and stewardship reports to prospective and current donors
• Tracks and report key performance measurements in Advance database
• Builds data-driven strategies leading to growth of annual fundraising over time

 Kroc School Advisory Boards and other External Advisor Group

• Identifies prospect for the School’s Board of Advisors, working with the Dean in running effective board meetings and leading follow up steps
• Prepares materials for Board of Advisors meetings including preparation of meeting materials and completion of meeting minutes
• Assists the Board with recommending and researching potential new members
• Assists Kroc School units and programs in their engagement of advisor groups, helping identify prospective donors/supporters and guiding unit leaders through the recruitment and asking process

Miscellaneous

• Training other staff on office operations and procedures as needed
• The position involves attendance to some events related to the duties described herein that require the ability to travel off campus and out of the city and the ability to work evenings and/or weekends.

Job Requirements: 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Minimum of three years development experience at an administrator or professional level in higher education or non-profit setting.  Development experience may be substituted for equivalent roles in areas like sales or business development.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with good project management skills and the ability to exercise good judgment in advancing projects toward completion.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
• Strong people-skills, with capacity to meet and engage diverse group of people with giving potential.
• Demonstrated ability to build effective working relationships with volunteers, donors and colleagues.
• Strong organizational and management skills for achieving success in multiple campaigns and tasks.
• Leadership in use of data, including operating and understanding donor database systems.
• Ability to understand and demonstrate an extremely high level of sensitivity to customer relations and embrace a donor-centric philosophy.
• Effective problem solving skills and decision-making.
• Demonstrated computer skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Excel.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of higher education fund raising preferred.

Special Conditions of Employment:

The University of San Diego is requiring all employees to follow our Covid-19 vaccine requirement process.

Background check:  Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes.

Posting Salary: Commensurate with experience; Excellent Benefits

The University of San Diego offers a very competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, a retirement contribution given to you by the University (with three year vesting period), and access to on-campus Fitness Centers.  Please visit the benefits section of our website to view all of the perks and benefits that USD has to offer.

The University of San Diego is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion and is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the campus community.