Senior Director of Development

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Development - Schools & Colleges

Time Type:

Full time

Job Type:

Regular

FLSA Status:

ExemptHybrid 01 (On Campus 3-4 Days/Week)

Summary:

Working in and reporting to the University Office of Advancement, the Senior Director of Development for the School of Communications (“SOC”) is the principal fundraiser for SOC at American University.  The Senior Director works on behalf of the Dean of SOC, shaping and executing plans for fundraising to advance the mission of SOC and fulfill the Dean’s academic priorities for the school.  The Senior Director of Development works primarily in major gift fundraising for SOC and participates in the Dean’s senior management team to understand fully and discuss implications of academic programs for development.  The Senior Director of Development plans, implements, and oversees the major gift fundraising program ($50,000 and higher) for SOC with emphasis on gifts of $100,000 to $1,000,000+.

The Senior Director serves as a key member of Dean’s management team and as an ambassador of SOC.  The Senior Director of Development supervises the activities of an additional fundraiser (Associate Director of Development, SOC), and they work as a collaborative team in support of donor cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, alumni programming, and planning of special events.  In coordination with the Dean, the SOC Development team strategically cultivates and recruit’s members for the SOC Dean’s Council.  The Senior Director of Development and SOC Development team strive to maximize the Council’s effectiveness, working closely with the Dean’s office to establish agendas and programs for meetings and communications.

Essential Functions:

• Work with the Dean of SOC to engage the Dean in donor/constituent specific Development strategies, secure dates and plan for the Dean’s development activities, including local and regional constituency events, travel for cultivation and solicitation, correspondence and regular contact with donors.

• Coordinate closely with the Annual Giving to ensure messages and priorities are consistent for the mail and phone programs; as well as with directors in other areas (Planned Giving, Regional Advancement, Strategic Partnerships, other units) on mutual interest prospects and programs.

• Management and strategy development of a portfolio of prospects generally rated $100,000-$1,000,000+.

• Meaningful contact or consistently demonstrated attempted contact of 100% of the assigned portfolio during any six month period;

• Regular maintenance of prospect pipeline (i.e., planned and executed solicitations) to reflect a minimum of 15 major gift solicitations per year.

• Work in concert with Advancement colleagues, including particularly close collaboration with the Principal Gifts Team, Planned Giving Team, and Office of Prospect Research & Management to conduct entrepreneurial prospect identification and qualification.

• The Senior Director of Development’s annual performance goals and financial objectives will be established collaboratively and with close review of the capacity and readiness indicators of the pipeline and in consultation with the Assistant Vice President of Advancement.

• Collaborating with Dean independently, aggressively work major and principal gifts portfolio, actively defining and executing strategies on assigned major and principal gift prospects, meeting or exceeding established benchmarks for proposal development, solicitations, and securing philanthropic investments that support the academic priorities of the Dean, other units, or the University as a whole.

• Develop, execute, manage, fundraising strategies, priorities, schedules and tactics for the Dean of the School of Communication.

• Identifying and engaging prospects around the Dean’s academic priorities for the School.

• Planning travel and individual meetings.

• Managing regular communication with key prospects.

• Adding a development perspective to relevant matters that emerge in the School or on the Dean’s leadership team.

• Managing all aspects of the Dean’s Advocacy Council, including developing strategy to cultivate and solicit council members for leadership giving at SOC.

• Manage, motivate, and evaluate the School of Communications team: Associate Director of Development, SOC and Development Coordinator, SOC.  Develop major gift strategies and revenue expectations, donor stewardship initiatives, and special event plans.

• Delegate and assign associated tasks, including creation and design of related publications. 

• Work with AU’s Annual Giving team to effectively manage annual giving techniques and messages utilized in AU’s direct marketing and phone programs, assuming responsibility for making sure the information about the School of Communications used in these programs is accurate, up to date, and in line with the School’s current fundraising objectives. 

• Work closely with the Director of Development, Annual Giving, on annual Dean’s letter or other equivalent solicitation pieces, insuring that they occupy a reasonable and productive spot in AU’s direct marketing calendar.

• Other duties as assigned in support of the objectives of the Vice President of Development & Alumni Relations.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• Associate Director of Development, SOC.

• Development Coordinator, SOC.

Competencies:

• Collaborative Leadership.

• Thinking Broadly.

• Building and Supporting Teams.

• Leading and Inspiring People.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

• Full-Time.

• 35 hours per week.

• Position also requires occasional evening and weekend work.

Salary Range:

• $120,000-$140,000 annually.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited educational institution.

• 8-10 years of relevant experience.

• Eight or more years progressively responsible advancement experience required, with at least four years in demonstrated success in securing major gifts of $100,000+.

• Supervisory experience.

• Familiarity with and experience following guidelines of an established Prospect Management System.

• Computer literacy with MS Office suite or equivalent and familiarity with fundraising systems.

• Superior written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Master's degree or equivalent.

• Master’s degree preferred with experience in higher education, working with high-level executives/academics/leaders, managing volunteers, major gift solicitation and closure at the $500,000+ level. 

• Attention to detail, ability to analyze and articulate reasons for giving, strong priority setting, ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously in a deadline-oriented environment. 

• Maturity and diplomacy. 

• Analytical, research, and project management skills.

Travel Required:

• This position requires regular travel, and out of area travel approximately 25-40% of the time.

Additional Information:

• Employees in the School of Communication are required to work on campus in a full presence modality for the first month of their employment.

Benefits

AU offers a competitive benefits package including a 200% matching retirement plan, tuition benefits for full-time staff and their families, several leadership development certificates, and has been recognized by the American Heart Association as a fit-friendly worksite. Click here to learn about American University's unique benefit options.

Other Details

• Hiring offers for this position are contingent on successful completion of a background check.

• Employees in staff positions at American University must deliver their services to the university from either the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia, or perform work on-site at the university.

• Please note this job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

• American University is an E-Verify employer.

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Contact Us

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