Position Summary: The Leadership Annual Giving Officer reports to the Director of Annual and Reunion Giving.  His/her primary responsibility is to monitor, track, analyze and grow the leadership giving program as part of the Annual Giving program. Travel as necessary to conduct face to face visits and participate in networking and stewardship events. Works in coordination with AG team members, prospect development and major gift colleagues to discover, cultivate, solicit and steward leadership level donors.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work with the Director of Annual and Reunion Giving to develop a strategy for growing leadership gift outcomes through face to face meetings, direct mail solicitation and event fundraising.
• Manage a portfolio of individuals capable of making gifts of $1,000 – $25,000; responsible for moving prospects through all stages of qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship
• Meet clearly defined annual giving metrics including 100 face to face visits, 200 substantive contacts and a dollar goal based on the overall Annual Giving goal
• Prospect and cultivate young alumni and others to leadership giving status using reunion giving as a platform for engaging in conversations about philanthropy
• Leverage campaigns, such as Day of Giving to secure leadership level support for matching gifts and donor participation challenges
• Collaborate with Donor Relations and Events Management to ensure proper stewardship of leadership donors

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required; Masters preferred
• Strong analytical and problem- solving skills
• Able to work independently overseeing projects and managing competing priorities
• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication and organizational skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in higher education fundraising working for an Annual Giving team
• Three or more years of full-time fundraising experience cultivating, soliciting and closing $1,000+ gifts
• Proficient in database software (i.e. Raiser’s Edge, NXT)

This is a full-time position with a generous benefits package, retirement plan and a competitive starting annual salary based on qualifications and experience.

Founded in 1839, Virginia Military Institute is the nation’s oldest state-supported military college.  The Institute’s mission is to prepare honorable and dedicated leaders ready for the challenges of 21st-century citizenship.    Consistently ranked among the top public liberal arts colleges in the nation by both U.S. News and World Report and Money magazine, VMI offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 14 majors. VMI adjoins the campus of Washington and Lee University, the nation’s ninth-oldest institution of higher learning. Both colleges are within walking distance to historic downtown Lexington, a popular tourist destination. The town of Lexington has approximately 7,000 residents.

The VMI Alumni Agencies inform, engage and inspire VMI alumni, family and friends to support the Institute.

Qualified candidates should email a cover letter and resume, to:  [email protected] with the subject line: “Leadership Annual Giving Officer– VMI Foundation.” Applications will be accepted until the position is filled; however, those received by 8 AM EST December 13, 2019, are assured full consideration.

VMI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against anyone because of race, color, religion, national origin, political affiliation, sex, age, or disability.