Assistant Dean of Advancement, WCL

American University•Washington, DC

24d•$185,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Assistant Dean of Advancement is the chief development officer for the law school, is a member of the Dean’s Executive Committee, and is a member of the university’s Fundraiser Leaders cohort. The Assistant Dean reports to the Associate Vice President of University Advancement, works in close partnership with AUWCL’s Dean, and manages a team of four full-time gift and engagement officers. In their role, the Assistant Dean strategically plans, directs, and coordinates all fundraising activities at AUWCL, including prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. The Assistant Dean is responsible for leading the law school’s component of fundraising campaigns by maintaining a personal portfolio of high-capacity prospects for major, planned, and principal gifts, managing the AUWCL major, annual, and corporate giving programs to meet or exceed annual and comprehensive fundraising goals, and managing a alumni relations program that activates and engages alumni both regionally and by shared affinity. The Assistant Dean is the liaison to the AUWCL Dean’s Advisory Council and various Program Advisory Councils representing alumni and friends who have been recruited for their expertise and their capacity to drive AUWCL in advancing its mission of service, scholarship, and teaching.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
8 - 10 years of relevant experience.
Demonstrated high-level expertise and success in soliciting and closing major ($100,000+) and principal gifts ($2.5M+) as well as involvement and experience in comprehensive campaigns.
Experience enhancing engagement and participation with a donor or alumni base comparable to WCL (22,000+ living alumni).
Commitment to and demonstrated experience in promoting an environment of inclusive excellence.
Technical understanding of and experience working with planned giving instruments and marketing of planned giving programs.
Successful, experienced leader with a record of managing collaborative work environments and growing a productive team.
Demonstrated experience building successful, productive relationships with top university administrators, deans, board members, and trustees.
Demonstrated experience working with faculty.
Demonstrated experience staffing high-end advisory boards and committees.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including public speaking.
Exceptional analytical, research, and strategic thinking skills.
Maturity, ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously in a deadline-oriented environment.
Passion for the University and AUWCL’s mission, vision, and values.
Familiarity with fundraising systems, relevant databases and technology platforms, and strong command of Microsoft Office suite of products.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or equivalent.
10+ years of relevant experience.
At least ten years of progressively responsible fundraising and alumni relations experience, preferably in higher education.

Responsibilities

Develop, execute, and manage fundraising strategies, campaign plans, priorities, schedules, and tactics for AUWCL including, but not limited to: (1) identifying and engaging prospects around the Dean’s academic priorities for the law school; (2) planning travel and individual meetings with Top 25 and other high-capacity prospects; (3) managing regular communication with key prospects during designated weekly Advancement holds; (4) adding a development perspective to relevant matters that emerge in the law school or on the Dean’s leadership team; and (5) managing the philanthropic component of the Dean’s Advisory Council, including developing strategy to cultivate and solicit council members for leadership giving at the law school.
With the Dean and independently, aggressively work a major ($100k+) and principal gifts ($2.5M+) portfolio following University Advancement policies and guidelines, actively setting and executing strategies on assigned major gift prospects.
Meet or exceed established benchmarks for strategic moves, portfolio management, and solicitations and secure gifts that support the academic priorities of the Dean, other AU schools and units, and the university as a whole.
Leverage the university’s CRM to evaluate performance and illustrate the impact of the AUWCL Advancement team’s efforts.
Manage, motivate, and evaluate the AUWCL Advancement team: the Senior Director of Advancement, Assistant Director of Advancement, Sr. Director of Alumni Relations, and Assistant Director of Alumni Relations.
Oversee the development of major gift strategies and revenue expectations, donor stewardship initiatives, and special event plans to be implemented by appropriate staff members. Delegate and assign associated tasks, including the creation and design of related materials.
Collaborate with colleagues in the AUWCL and the Office of University Advancement to advance the law school’s shared goals.
Other duties as assigned.