Assistant/Associate Director - Skidmore Fund

Summary

The Assistant/Associate Director, Skidmore Fund will be responsible for dollar growth, setting strategy and facilitating team efforts to secure leadership-level gifts and build a pipeline for major-gift level donors. Reporting to the Senior Director, Skidmore Fund, they manage the President’s Society (PS) and the Young Alumni President’s Society (YAPS) – leadership giving societies, in addition individually soliciting Skidmore Fund prospects. Duties include developing and implementing overall plans, setting metrics, partnering for meaningful donor stewardship, and helping to manage PS volunteers. Collaboration is critical as the Associate Director works closely with colleagues on building relationships and soliciting President's Society gifts. Finally, they develop relationships with alumni volunteers and prospective donors; identifying capacity, interests, and inclination, educating and cultivating these individuals, soliciting gifts, and stewarding donors and volunteers appropriately.

Primary Job Duties

• The Assistant/Associate Director is responsible for overseeing Skidmore’s leadership giving program for the Skidmore Fund, including management of the overall program, coordination of an effort that involves multiple staff and programs within the Advancement team.
• Develops overall strategy and annual work plan, ensuring the PS and YAPS programs meet or exceed annual goals. Focus is on developing solicitation and stewardship plans, working with key volunteers, campus partners and working closely with colleagues in Advancement to increase leadership giving at Skidmore.
• Analyzes trends and best practices in leadership giving to strengthen and grow Skidmore’s efforts
• Responsible for developing philanthropic relationships with an assigned group of volunteers and prospects (75 ); identifying capacity, interests, and inclination, educating and cultivating these individuals, soliciting gifts, and stewarding donors and volunteers appropriately.
• Set goals and projections for overall dollars raised and participation from assigned pool
• Serves as primary contact for the Chair of the President's Society and partners with class managers to manage the relationship with class President's Society Chairs
• Ensures that all alumni scheduled for a President's Society ask are solicited as personally as possible. Assesses prospects not assigned to relationship managers for a short-term staff or volunteer assignment.
• Collaborates with Major Gifts team, Gift Planning, Alumni Relations and College Events, Parent and Family Giving, Donor Engagement and Stewardship, as well as Advancement Operations staff.
• Responsible for directly supporting fundraising in key reunion classes, including volunteer recruitment and management, developing relationships, goal setting (both dollars and donors), planning, prospecting, donor cultivation, and direct solicitation as necessary.
• Develop overall strategy and ensuring each class meets and surpasses individual donor and dollar goals. Focus is on managing class leadership, volunteers, and 18-month outreach efforts leading up to Reunion.
• Identify, recruit, and train class leadership volunteers and class agents.
• Demonstrate proficiency of planned giving options for appropriate classes.
• Develops and executes an annual giving effort focused on Skidmore’s faculty and staff, including a focus on direct marketing, stewardship, staff outreach, and recruitment of volunteers to help support this annual campaign.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree required

Experience: Fundraising within a higher ed or non-profit setting. Recruiting, developing, and motivating volunteers. Willingness to personally develop philanthropic relationships with prospective donors and volunteers.

Skills/Knowledge/Abilities:

• Well-refined organization and project management skills, 
• The ability to manage multiple projects and partners simultaneously and to work collaboratively with all fundraisers and other members of the Advancement staff, campus-wide partners, and large numbers of donors and volunteers.   
• Strong written and communication skills, 
• Ability to manage and adhere to deadlines.  
• Understanding of the complexity and nuance of working with multiple volunteers of various experience levels.  
• A valid driver's license is required 
• A familiarity with technology and social networking platforms is also expected. 

If hired at the assistant level - minimum required experience 1-3 years.  

If hired at the associate level - minimum required experience 3-5 years.  

Salary range:  

• Assistant level: $62,400 - $68,000
• Associate level: $70,000 - $78,000

Required documents needed to apply:

• On-line application
• Cover Letter
• Resume
• List of Three References

Employment at Skidmore College is contingent upon an acceptable post-offer background check result.

No Visa Sponsorship is available for this position

EEO STATEMENT

Skidmore College is committed to being an inclusive campus community and, as an Equal Opportunity Employer, does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, domestic violence victim status, familial status, dating violence, or stalking, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.


CREATIVE THOUGHT MATTERS.