Position Summary

Reporting to the President, the Director of Development is responsible for developing and managing a portfolio of individual donor and prospective donor relationships and for developing, implementing, and overseeing overall Advancement program and growth strategies. The Director’s focus is to achieve the College’s goal for philanthropic support, to expand the College’s donor base, particularly in Individual Giving, and to deepen engagement, enhance stewardship and solicitation activities with all constituents.

Managing three Advancement team direct reports, the Director will take the lead to manage and build an integrated fundraising program including major gifts, annual giving, alumni relations, special events and donor relations, as well as corporate, foundation and government support. The Director will also take steps to build the College’s Planned Giving function.

The Director of Development will serve as senior fundraiser for institution-wide targeted initiatives and will work closely with the senior leaders, trustees, faculty, and administrators to develop key fundraising strategies and activities. The Director will staff the Board Advancement Committee and serve as liaison to the College’s Board of Trustees.

Essential duties and responsibilities:

• Build and manage portfolio of donor relationships, including known major donors to the College: qualify capacity, engage, solicit, and steward both annual giving and multi-year major giving;
• Identify new prospective donors to build donor portfolio to a target total of 100-150; relationships: research, qualify potential donors with capacity to contribute $10,000 or more
• Manage Advancement Program staff, including three full-time employees working in annual giving and alumni relations, corporate and foundation grants-writing, events and special projects;
• Develop and maintain comprehensive understanding of College priorities to articulate the case(s) for supporting College priorities and effectively match donor interest with institutional funding need(s);
• Work with Advancement Team, CFO, President and Trustee Advancement Committee to develop annual and multi-year Advancement Plan(s), including strategies to achieve philanthropic goals;
• Work with team to develop and oversee comprehensive plan(s) for events as part of overall Advancement plan including clarity of purpose, goals, target constituency segment and follow-up plan for each event, whether to engage, steward, inform or build awareness;
• Develop action plans and briefing materials to support the president, trustees, and other institutional leaders in meetings with donors or potential donors;
• Work closely with Marketing and Communications to develop and implement strategic, integrated Advancement Communications plan, messaging, and collateral;
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• 7+ years of successful development experience including major gifts, preferably in higher education
• Track record of successful solicitation and securing individual major gifts
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues in a team environment
• Ability and drive to implement best practices for fundraising, donor communications, events, stewardship, and database management
• Discretion, ability to interact with high-level donors and maintain a high-level of confidentiality
• Ability to travel and work varied hours, including nights and/or weekends
• Excellent analytical, organizational, interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
• Self-motivated and demonstrates initiative, patience, and resourcefulness in adapting to change and responding to opportunity in an entrepreneurial environment
• Advanced degree, management experience and knowledge of planned giving are a plus

Application Instructions: Please apply by submitting your resume, cover letter, and list of three professional work references to Michelle Costa, Human Resources Recruiting Manger at [email protected].

Review of candidates will begin on a rolling basis; the position will be open until filled.