Associate Director of Planned Giving

The Associate Director of Planned Giving drives plans and strategies that maximize planned gift opportunities across all University prospect pools. They maintain a select portfolio of planned gift prospects and donors while partnering with the Director of Planned Giving and major gift officers on pipeline development and supporting their work in active planned gift solicitations and cultivation moves. The Associate Director builds external relationships with financial advisors, works with attorneys and executors in settling estates where UNH or the Foundation is a beneficiary and assists in managing a gift planning training program for fundraising staff. The incumbent will possess proficiency in all areas of charitable giving, gift planning, and estate planning through continued education and professional development as well as independent inquiry.

The incumbent will embrace goal-oriented outcomes and be an entrepreneurial, strategic, and creative thinker who can build and expand relationships with constituents in ways that have a quantifiable impact on philanthropic achievement. They will have a proven track record in fundraising or a closely related field of expertise, and will possess outstanding interpersonal competencies, ability to effectively manage projects/priorities, and be highly motivated, organized and detail oriented. 

Duties/Responsibilities

Frontline Fundraising (80%)

• Maintain an active portfolio of 80-100 planned giving prospects capable of documenting five to six figure and above gifts.

• Use video calls and travel to meet personally with current and prospective donors, both locally and nationally.

• Identify prospective donors, solicit complex gifts, and using internal CSM tools develop plans for cultivating, monitoring and stewarding donors and prospects.

• Oversee the preparation of proposals for gift annuities, trusts, and other deferred gifts.

• Travel as needed to organize, cultivate, and solicit financial support from parents, alumni, and others.

Internal Relationship Management (10%)

• Act as a UNH subject matter expert in planned gifts.

• Partner with front line fundraising staff to devise solicitation strategies for major gift prospects where alternative gift vehicles should be considered.

• Advise on how best to execute complex gift arrangements including trusts, gift of estates other than cash or securities and other gift options.

• Participate in planning complex solicitation and gift closure strategies to ensure that planned gifts are properly recorded and are managed in a donor centric manner.

• Answer questions and resolve issues raised by donors and UNH staff regarding complex gifts.

• Maintain strong knowledge of applicable laws, rules, regulations and policies for planned gifts, including related CASE standards, IRS regulations, and gift and pledge processing, receipting and acknowledgements.

• Partner with Senior Director of Central Annual Giving on an effective direct marketing initiative including targeted emails and mailings focused on planned giving options.

External Relationship Management (10%)

• Build relationships with external financial advisors to encourage consideration of incorporating charitable giving to UNH in their clients’ estate plans.

• At times, work with, attorneys and executors in settling estates where UNH or the Foundation is a beneficiary.

Minimum Acceptable Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree and minimum of 4 years of fundraising experience or equivalent (sales, business development, account/relationship management, marketing and/or public relations).

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• A bachelor’s degree, or preferably master’s degree. 

• Proven success in managing a donor portfolio and closing gifts.  

• Demonstrated prowess supporting and translating the vision and direction of institutional leadership into actionable plans, goals, and strategies.    

• Orientation as a team player who champions efficiency while thinking audaciously about future achievement.   

• A metrics-driven, entrepreneurial mindset that thinks big and informs strategy and work.  

• Proven success leading a disciplined moves management strategy with a portfolio of major gift prospects.  

• Reputation for collegiality, collaboration, and utmost professionalism.  

• Success soliciting and closing principal and major gifts, blended gifts, and estate and planned gifts. 

• Familiarity with estate planning instruments, products, principles, and marketing programs, and success integrating gift and estate planning into a comprehensive major gifts program. 

• Thorough knowledge of development principles and a record of accomplishment in managing a major gift program. 

• Experience collaborating with academic and administrative leadership to define strategic projects and initiatives, drafting strong cases for support, developing engagement experiences and events. 

• Respect and support for reporting structures and lines of communication.  

• A high level of professional maturity, judgment, and decisiveness to motivate fellow staff and volunteers, and to inspire confidence among donor prospects. 

• Very strong verbal and written communication skills, organizational and analytical skills, and project management skills.  

• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team.  

• Openness to travel on behalf of UNH for donor visits or as the University’s representative.  

• Commitment to the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and advancement  

• Proficiency in database technologies and Microsoft Office  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of the fundraising profession, theories, and standards  

• Knowledge of philanthropy policies, practices, and systems  

• Familiarity with a university setting and fundraising campaigns  

• Experience with portfolio and/or volunteer management  

• Experience with portfolio and volunteer engagement 

About the UNH Foundation (UNHF) and UNH Development: Established in 1989, the UNHF exists to build private philanthropic support for the university with the goal of strengthening programs and supporting students, faculty and staff. The UNH Development team is the fundraising arm of the UNHF, working to advance the mission of the university by inspiring giving among alumni, parents/families, friends, employees, corporations, and foundations. Our donor-centered approach connects stakeholders’ passions and philanthropic goals to funding opportunities at UNH, resulting in meaningful and lasting impacts across the university. The Development team is structured to ensure every level of the donor pyramid is poised for growth and success in the short and long-term, with staff focused on annual giving, leadership giving, major giving, principal and planned giving, and foundation relations. Further, most team members are assigned to fundraise for a specific area of the university, supported by Development leadership and operations staff who work across the various teams. Our team is ambitious about the potential of our fundraising outcomes, embraces diverse perspectives, commits to professional growth, operates with integrity and collaborates in every way possible. Please join us!     

Hybrid Workplace Expectation: University Advancement has implemented a hybrid work model, and this is a hybrid position. The expectation is that employees reside within reasonable distance to the Durham, NH campus (under three hours) so they are available to come to campus as often as business needs dictate, which vary depending on the position and assigned areas. The hiring manager will clarify exact expectations of in-person versus remote working time for each specific position.  

Applicant Instructions

Applicants should be prepared to upload the following documents when applying online within the Resume/Cover Letter section of your application:

• Resume/CV

• Cover Letter

Applications that are missing any of the required items may not move forward for consideration. Additional uploaded documents not requested in the position announcement will not be reviewed.

The University of New Hampshire is an R1 Carnegie classification research institution providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs of distinction. UNH is located in Durham on a 188-acre campus, 60 miles north of Boston and 8 miles from the Atlantic coast and is convenient to New Hampshire’s lakes and mountains. There is a student enrollment of 13,000 students, with a full-time faculty of over 600, offering 90 undergraduate and more than 70 graduate programs. The University actively promotes a dynamic learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry.

EEO Statement

The University System of New Hampshire is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access employer. The University System is committed to creating an environment that values and supports diversity and inclusiveness across our campus communities and encourages applications from qualified individuals who will help us achieve this mission. The University System prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or marital status.

Compensation Pay Range:

$72,980.00 - $130,670.00

The pay range for this position is listed above. Actual offer will be based on skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity, in addition to relevant business considerations. More information on benefits can be found here:USNH Employee Benefits | Human Resources

Location:

Durham