Assistant Director of Development, Harvard College Fund, Leadership Giving

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

19h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Assistant Director of Development is a full-time, exempt frontline fundraising position on the Harvard College Fund (HCF) team. Reporting to the Director of Development, Leadership Giving, Harvard College Fund, the Assistant Director manages a portfolio of approximately 75 or more qualified leadership prospects and qualifies new prospects, securing four-, five-, and six-figure commitments for the HCF and other Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) priorities. The role collaborates with HCF and Donor Development colleagues, Gift Planning, other Alumni Affairs and Development teams, volunteers, and members of the Harvard community to encourage leadership-level gifts of $5,000 annually or multi-year pledges of $25,000 or more. At maturity, the role is expected to generate more than $1 million annually.

The position includes donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship; prospect qualification and strategy; collaboration on gift planning; accurate prospect-management documentation; and contributions to team and departmental goals. It also directs and mentors a shared, full-time Development Assistant. Travel is expected on approximately 35% of working days, and attendance at meetings, events, campus activities such as spring reunions, and on-campus department retreats in Cambridge, Massachusetts is expected.

The role is hybrid. The department determines the work schedule and location based on operational needs. When working away from a Harvard or Harvard-designated location, employees in hybrid positions must work in a Harvard-registered state, subject to university policy and any applicable visa or funding restrictions.

Requirements

• BA/BS degree required.
• At least 4 years of experience in development or directly related transferable experience; development work during college may count toward the minimum.
• Travel approximately 35% of working days in the assigned territory or region.
• Attend meetings, certain events and campus activities such as spring reunions, and department retreats on campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• Proven success as a fundraiser or in a closely related field such as sales, account management, or relationship management.
• Strong command of fundraising principles, particularly reunion, annual, and unrestricted/current-use fundraising.
• Ability to qualify prospects by assessing capacity and inclination to make significant gifts and identifying new leadership- and major-gift donors.
• Strong active listening and discovery skills, including the ability to ask sensitive questions tactfully, uncover interests and objections, and exercise sound judgment.
• Comfort making solicitations and, when appropriate, asking during initial prospect meetings.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build trust with donors, volunteers, and colleagues while demonstrating tact, diplomacy, discretion, and confidentiality.
• Strong team orientation and ability to contribute to broader team success.
• Ability to persuasively communicate the case for unrestricted and current-use support.
• Organized, detail-oriented self-starter able to prioritize and manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced, complex environment.
• Collaborative approach, high emotional intelligence, ability to lead through influence, and comfort working through ambiguity in a matrixed organization.
• Commitment to excellence, including humility in acknowledging mistakes and generosity toward colleagues.
• Experience with Advance or another fundraising/CRM system.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and ability to learn and use other relevant software applications.

Nice To Haves

• Four or more years of direct solicitation experience preferred.
• Experience working within a complex academic institution and/or staffing senior leaders in development work preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage, cultivate, solicit, and steward a targeted portfolio of 75 or more qualified leadership prospects.
• Develop and execute multi-step prospect strategies using donor interests, programmatic and stewardship opportunities, HCF volunteer involvement, academic leadership, faculty, and other members of the Harvard community to cultivate and secure four-, five-, and six-figure gifts.
• Identify and qualify new prospects with the capacity and inclination to support Harvard at leadership, major, or principal gift levels, and add them to appropriate assignment pipelines in consultation with Prospect Management and Research partners.
• Prioritize prospect strategies to meet and exceed revenue goals, upgrade donors, maintain an active presence in assigned territories, and secure new leadership-level commitments for the HCF and other FAS priorities.
• Partner with the Office of Gift Planning to incorporate gift planning into donor conversations, identify John Harvard Society households, and structure proposals that use gift planning opportunities where appropriate.
• Follow prospect-management processes and policies, including timely and accurate contact reports, proposals, and moves management documentation.
• Partner with Major Gift and Gift Planning colleagues to identify prospects and volunteers and support increased unrestricted and lightly restricted FAS giving.
• Provide timely feedback from donor conversations to help shape and refine the case for current-use support.
• Build knowledge of Harvard and fundraising skills through campus relationships, events, activities, and training.
• Participate in group strategy discussions, lead projects when requested, share information with colleagues, and contribute to Harvard University's overall goals.
• Direct and mentor a shared, full-time Development Assistant by setting priorities and providing feedback and guidance.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off, including parental leave.
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one.
• Retirement plans with university contributions.
• Wellbeing and mental health resources.
• Support for families and caregivers.
• Professional development opportunities, including tuition assistance and reimbursement.
• Commuter benefits, discounts, and campus perks.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager