Director, Major Gifts

Department: Kellogg Advancement
Salary/Grade: EXS/14

Job Summary:

Senior fundraising position with programmatic &/or staff management responsibilities. Designs and implements innovative programs to identify prospective major &/or principal gift donors for self and team. Devises and executes plans for specific industries and/or regions to qualify, cultivate, steward and solicit donors. Strategizes, directs, oversees, and works collaboratively on the creation, tracking & management of initiatives, projects, prospect activities, team strategies, prospect identification portals, and special events to ensure an emerging prospect pool and create new donors and philanthropic revenue. Builds and adapts sustainable fundraising programs and integrated processes. Creates and coordinates effective communications, collaborative efforts, and workflow processes with various teams and units (e.g. Alumni Engagement, Corporate Engagement, Reunions, Schools/Units), as well as deans, faculty, and internal colleagues. Represents and interacts, both individually and on behalf of team, with campus leadership, staff, and other colleagues to create successful working relationships that develop philanthropic and fundraising strategies and prepare for prospect meetings, solicitations, and other related initiatives.

Specific Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning

• Creates & leads a coordinated program of fundraising activities designed to increase the number and level of major &/or principal gifts donors.
• Develops & executes strategies to involve campus leaders, alumni, faculty, internal colleagues, friends and volunteers to identify and cultivate new individual, corporate, institutional &/or foundation prospects.

Collaboration

• Reviews & proposes strategic alliances, joint ventures & key collaborations with department and other University partners and units to identify opportunities to integrate team and unit goals.
• Oversees and coaches team members regarding department collaborations, team strategies, development best practices, approaches, and effective initiatives.
• Please bullet examples of key partnerships and work involved below:

Prospects & Gifts

• Manages staff &/or significant programmatic and team strategic initiatives based on industries, propsect portals, and/or within specific regions.
• Provides leadership, determines & evaluates individual goals, develops & implements training & mentoring, strategizes and monitors coverage of primary areas of focus ensuring that individual, team, and unit goals & objectives are attained.
• Identifies and personally solicits priority &/or extremely complex major gifts of $250k+ by managing a pool of 70+/- prospects annually.
• Oversees continuous research, development & up-to-date knowledge on prospects for self and team & works with other areas to coordinate contacts.
• Requires travel throughout the country and/or abroad.

Administration

• Oversees administration of several major and principal gifts operations.
• Ensures compliance with prospect management guidelines for tracking & maintenance of contact & progress reporting, as well as compliance with all other internal request processes
• Coordinates strategic meetings and prepares materials used by senior management, Board & volunteers for funding opportunity and budget development discussions, as well as visits, events or phone calls made to priority and top-level prospects and donors
• Oversees administrative support management to ensure effective team success and daily operations.

Supervisory

• Supervises 2 or more staff &/or provides work direction to others on behalf of manager or team.
• Provides training to staff within or outside of immediate dept or division in regard to function and on behalf of individual and team initiatives.
• Leads, coaches and evaluates performance of direct reports

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
• 10 years progressively successful major gift development, marketing, sales or other relevant experience is required.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Team, program and project leadership; analytical thinking, complex problem solving and planning; global/organizational perspective; ability to work successfully in fast-paced, highly matrixed environment
• Comfortable with change and associated ambiguity; resourceful, takes initiative to create and advance meaningful interactions and buy-in to advance aims; tolerant and adaptable; highly communicative and organized
• High degree of emotional intelligence, rapport-building, ability to understand and navigate conflicting perspectives, respectful in approach, demeanor, style and tone to all, empathetic

Target hiring range for this position will be between $145,000 - $175,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for people who can obtain them as a critical tool for minimizing severe illness. More information can be found on the COVID-19 and Campus Updates webpage.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.

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