Associate Director of Development, Tippie College of Business

University of Iowa Center for Advancement•Iowa City, IA

8h•Hybrid

About The Position

Join our team supporting the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business and play a pivotal role in advancing our mission. Centered in the Hawkeye state, Tippie is consistently ranked as one of the top business schools in the country. This position involves optimizing a dynamic portfolio of major gift prospects, guiding them through a well-established donor engagement process. Collaboration with fellow UI Center for Advancement fundraisers and leveraging relationships with campus leaders will be key to supporting strategic fundraising priorities. As a trusted philanthropic advisor, this role educates donors on impactful giving opportunities that make a difference at the University of Iowa and beyond. This role will be the liaison between our team and the Business Analytics, Economics, and Marketing academic departments and their boards, One Day for Iowa, and the Tippie Young Alumni Board. This role will be responsible for managing Tippie College fundraising efforts in the Northwest Region and joint responsibility for fundraising in Chicagoland and the State of Iowa. This position is eligible for hybrid work (telecommuting) which includes working on-site at our office in Iowa City at least 1 day per week.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years of related experience required, preferably in a fundraising, nonprofit, or higher education setting

Responsibilities

Works with Prospect Management staff to identify prospects (based on capacity, giving history, and affiliation) from among pools that may include alumni, fans, patients, or other supporters of the university
Partners with Regional Gift and Corporate Foundation Relationship teams to refer and receive referrals of business prospects.
Works with Prospect Management staff and supervisor to develop strategy for managing prospects
Efficiently conducts proactive outreach calls and messages in order to secure face-to-face qualification meetings
Provides input and support for the implementation of engagement events and referral programs designed to build long-term relationships and attract major gifts
Conducts all activities, particularly those involving patient data, according to established laws, policies, procedures, and standards and with the full support of UICA, UI, and Tippie College of Business as relevant
Coordinates with college partners to receive and review prospect referrals from the advisory board members and faculty partners.
Manages qualification pool of potential major gift prospects with the goal of maintaining a continuous pipeline of donors capable of making gifts of $50,000+
Uses active listening and structured questioning to validate prospect’s capacity and inclination and understand strength of affinity
Uses gathered information to determine whether prospects should be disqualified or moved into the portfolio (consulting with supervisor as needed)
Serves as a trusted philanthropic advisor, using transparent communication and educating donors about the giving process
Manages portfolio of active major gift prospects and develops their readiness to advance
Builds travel plans demonstrating judicious use of time and resources, including strategic meetings with active prospects and additional qualification and stewardship meetings
Develops and implements donor-centric cultivation strategies with input from colleagues and supervisor
Manages deliberate sequence of interactions with each prospect, intended to build engagement and move them through the steps of an established donor engagement process
Maintains knowledge of funding priorities within and beyond assigned unit, consulting with UICA colleagues and campus partners as needed
Facilitates prospects’ decision-making process; helps them understand next steps and articulate the link between their personal objectives and institutional priorities
Maintains knowledge needed to facilitate solicitation of planned gifts and obtains expert consultation when required
Meets expectations for solicitations, gifts closed, and average gift size (goals established annually with the supervisor in alignment with organization-wide metrics)
Knows where prospects fall in the donor engagement process and plans next steps accordingly
Identifies meaningful ways for donor to achieve their desired impact while meeting funding needs, consulting with colleagues as needed
Employs communication tools and prepares appropriately for meetings in order to achieve stated objectives for each step of the process
Ensures documentation reflects donor intent and sets expectations for recognition and stewardship
Develops, implements, and participates in appropriate stewardship activities (e.g., acknowledgement letters, publicity events) for donors as relevant, working with stewardship staff as needed
Maintains integrity of constituent database through timely submittal of stewardship plans and contact reports for all significant interactions
Develops strategies to identify donors and increase private gift support for the unit
Maintains comprehensive understanding of unit’s programs and priorities and communicates them clearly to others
Supports unit programs and events and coordinates special projects related to fundraising for unit priorities
Maintains strong relationships with campus partners as well as external groups with ties to the unit
Prepares partners as necessary for donor meetings and guides their participation in the giving conversation and donor engagement process
Collaborates with Corporate and Foundation Relations staff as relevant to identify and cultivate corporate and foundation gift prospects for assigned unit
Partners with communications staff on the development of fundraising materials for assigned units including mailings, brochures, donor recognition, reports, etc.