Associate Director of Development, Annual Giving

American University•Washington, DC

13h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director of Development in the Office of Annual Giving serves as a leadership annual giving officer for American University. The Associate Director is responsible for achieving aggressive solicitation, commitment, qualification, cash, and visit goals, which are set annually. This position manages a prospect portfolio of at least 200 active prospects, including parents, alumni, and friends, with giving capacities from $10,000 to 100,000. The Associate Director is expected to personally manage these relationships to identify and qualify new prospects, cultivate, solicit, and close gifts, and steward donors. In each of these capacities, the Associate Director will be required to collaborate with colleagues in Annual Giving, across each of the schools and colleges, and with other members of the central development team including close partners in Research, Prospect Management, Alumni Relations, and Donor Relations. The Associate Director is a resource and liaison to the schools, colleges, and units across campus and serves as a pipeline for unrestricted giving and major gift prospects.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
4 - 6 years of relevant experience.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills are required (a writing sample may be required).
Proven track record of successful project management, strong customer/client support is required.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree.
Experience with front-line fundraising is strongly preferred.
Experience with volunteer management is preferred.
Proficiency in current on-line and social media platforms (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn), and e-communications strategies is preferred.

Responsibilities

Prospect Cultivation/Solicitation Conduct 120+ strategic, in-person visits per year to qualify new prospects, cultivate and solicit lead annual gifts of $10,000+, and recruit and engage volunteers. Leverage university and development and alumni relations events, giving days, and targeted direct response marketing to increase year-over-year giving for portfolio prospects. Deliver 175+ personalized solicitations for annual and lead annual gifts to meet specific solicitation, commitment, major gift referral, and cash goals.
Prospect Identification/Qualification In consultation with Annual Giving, Research, and Prospect Management colleagues, create and hone a call list of 500+ lead annual giving prospects in 5-10 major metro areas in the U.S. Conduct desktop research using various electronic resources; execute mail, phone, and email outreach to assess capacity and qualify inclination; build and constantly refine a portfolio of 200 promising lead annual gift prospects.
Prospect Stewardship Prioritize intentional stewardship and donor relations to retain and upgrade annual gifts from portfolio prospects. Develop and implement a sustainable lead annual gift stewardship program with a focus on cultivating lead annual and ultimately major gifts from previously unknown, unrated, or unqualified prospects.
Collaboration Work closely and collaboratively with development and alumni relations and university partners to maximize productivity. Meet regularly with cross-campus partners to identify fundraising opportunities and share information with Annual Giving colleagues. Identify prospects for potential engagement through committees, volunteer activities, giving days, and events. Meet with divisional colleagues to facilitate major gift hand-offs and develop solicitation strategies for specific prospects.
Other Duties as Assigned Assist in the fulfillment of the broader objectives established by the Vice President of University Advancement.