Assistant Director of Development, Health Sciences Regional Gifts

University of Iowa Center for Advancement•Iowa City, IA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The development officer (DO) hired for this role will advance the University of Iowa (UI) by building a portfolio of major gift prospects and working collaboratively with their supervisor and other UI Center for Advancement (UICA) fundraisers to move prospects through the steps of an established donor process. They will build relationships with campus partners and develop an understanding of university programs and funding priorities. They will serve as a trusted philanthropic advisor, educating donors about giving opportunities that would enable them to achieve their desired impact on University of Iowa Health Care and beyond. This position is part of the Health Sciences Regional Gifts team and serves as a generalist, raising funds by engaging primarily with health science and medically trained alum of the University of Iowa, including the five health sciences colleges: Carver College of Medicine, College of Dentistry, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, and College of Public Health. This role will travel to and fundraise in Florida and the Northeast region of the US. Expected travel is a minimum of 25% with 15 – 20 out of state trips expected per year (most occur during the work week, i.e. leave Tuesday morning and return Friday afternoon). While it is not important that candidates have a health care or University of Iowa background, it is important that they are able to effectively communicate university broad-based initiatives, and more specifically, funding priorities of the health sciences colleges and UI Health Care. Position allows for telecommuting/work from home (up to 2 days per week, depending upon business need and leader approval). Our office is located in Iowa City, IA.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree
1-3 years of related experience required
Preferably in a fundraising, nonprofit, or higher education setting

Nice To Haves

Health care background
University of Iowa background

Responsibilities

Assist Prospect Management staff with identification of prospects (based on capacity, giving history, and affiliation) from pools that may include alumni, fans, patients, or other supporters of the university
Complete significant volume of proactive outreach in order to secure face-to-face qualification meetings
May assist with the planning and implementation of engagement events and referral programs designed to build long-term relationships and attract major gifts
Conduct all activities, particularly those involving donor and patient data, according to established laws, policies, procedures, and standards
Build qualification pool of potential major gift prospects, with the goal of building a continuous pipeline of donors capable of making gifts of $50,000+
Learn and apply the processes of active listening and structured questioning to validate prospect’s capacity and inclination and to understand strength of affinity
Use gathered information and input from colleagues to determine whether prospects should be disqualified or moved into the portfolio
Serve as a trusted philanthropic advisor, practicing transparent communication and educating donors about the giving process
Manage portfolio of active major gift prospects and work with supervisor to develop their readiness to advance
Build travel plans that include qualification meetings, stewardship meetings, strategic meetings with active prospects, and opportunities to learn from colleagues
Work with supervisor and colleagues to implement donor-centric cultivation strategies
Manage deliberate sequence of interactions with each prospect, intended to build engagement and move them through the steps of an established donor engagement process
Facilitate prospects’ decision-making process; help them understand next steps and articulate the link between their personal objectives and institutional priorities
Build knowledge of funding priorities within and beyond assigned unit, consulting with UICA colleagues and campus partners as needed
Build knowledge needed to facilitate solicitation of planned gifts; know when expert consultation is required
Meet expectations for solicitations, gifts closed, and average gift size (goals established annually with the supervisor in alignment with organization-wide metrics)
Know where prospects fall in the donor engagement process and plan next steps accordingly
Identify meaningful ways for donor to achieve their desired impact while meeting funding needs
Know how to employ communication and meeting preparation tools in order to achieve stated objectives for each step of the process
Ensure documentation reflects donor intent and set expectations for recognition and stewardship
Develop, implement and participate in appropriate stewardship activities (e.g., acknowledgement letters, publicity events) for donors as relevant, collaborating with stewardship liaison as needed
Maintain integrity of constituent database through timely submission of stewardship plans and contact reports for all significant interactions
Develop strategies to identify donors and increase private gift support for the unit
Build comprehensive understanding of programs and priorities and works to communicate them to others
Attend programs and events to build knowledge and relationships and support special projects related to fundraising for unit priorities
Cultivate working relationships with campus partners
Collaborate with Corporate and Foundation Relations staff, as relevant, to identify and cultivate corporate and foundation gift prospects for assigned unit