Associate Director, Principal Gifts

The Hotchkiss School•Lakeville, CT

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Director, Principal Gifts, is an integral part of the Principal Gifts and Leadership Giving teams, cultivating mutually beneficial relationships with alumni and parents to secure leadership and ultimately transformational support for The Hotchkiss School. Reporting to the Senior Advisor, Principal Gifts, the Associate Director is engaged in all activities in the comprehensive engagement, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of principal gift-level donors and prospects, defined as prospects capable of making gifts of $1M or more over five years. The Associate Director, Principal Gifts, works cooperatively with a wide variety of colleagues, including School leadership, faculty, staff, and volunteers, to help execute donor engagement and stewardship strategies. The Associate Director is a strategic partner to frontline fundraisers, cultivating and soliciting prospects by designing and implementing highly personalized donor engagement, cultivation, and stewardship experiences, while also supporting the strategic vision of the principal gifts program. The position delivers exceptional service to our donors and plays a central role in setting and delivering principal gifts fundraising and engagement strategies, and meeting program goals. This is a full-time, on-campus role for someone who thrives on direct, personal interaction. Working closely with the Head of School and gift officers, the Associate Director acts as the on-the-ground resource for major donors, parents, and alumni. This position handles highly confidential information daily and uses discretion when sharing it with internal and external stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor's or equivalent combination of education and experience.
7–10 years of experience in fundraising; or equivalent professional experience in high-net-worth relationship management, wealth management, institutional insurance, or client relations.
Understanding of and appreciation for the philanthropic process and individual giving behaviors, combined with relationship management experience.
Demonstrated writing experience, preferably in the creation of donor communications.
Exemplary written and verbal communication and negotiation skills
Strong customer service orientation and interpersonal skills.
Exceptional planning, administrative, and organizational skills, ability to take initiative, manage time efficiently, meet deadlines, and manage competing priorities.
Exceptional customer service skills.
Demonstrated ability to work in a consistently positive and productive manner – including donors, alumni, and colleagues.
Flexibility and creativity.
Ability to work both independently and in a collaborative team environment.
Ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with discretion and to manage internal conflict in ways that lead to enhanced teamwork.
Brings joy and a sense of humor to work.

Nice To Haves

Preferred experience with Raiser’s Edge or similar CRM, as well as the suites of Office and Google products.
Writing and communications experience in higher education or a non-profit environment preferred.

Responsibilities

Supporting and helping to develop personalized cultivations and solicitations of principal gifts, aligned with the overall donor strategy.
Helping to implement gift plans with all gift officers assigned to principal gift prospects and donors.
Developing tailored stewardship plans for principal gift donors that illuminate the impact of their gifts and ensure a high-quality donor experience.
Meeting with the Senior Advisor, Principal gifts and other internal stakeholders as needed to discuss and strategize cultivation and stewardship opportunities for the entire pool of principal gift prospects.
Supporting the strategic engagement plan for identified principal gift prospects.
Writing and submitting contact reports and compiling other pertinent information following donor contacts.
Providing high-level, personalized support for the identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of Hotchkiss alumni and parents.
Drafting, editing, and tracking pledge agreements, gift agreements, and endowment terms.
Monitoring the movement of donors through the gift pipeline, ensuring cultivation and stewardship strategies set by leadership are implemented.
Collaborating with Research to identify high-net-worth individuals and prepare background dossiers for upcoming meetings.
Traveling as needed to support the principal gift program at various events and engagement opportunities.
Creating and providing input on gift proposals to support donor solicitation and yield gifts toward institutional priorities.
Reviewing and finalizing briefing documents for leadership that articulate donor strategy to ensure goals for prospect development are clearly defined, and leadership is prepared for donor conversations.
Researching, writing, and editing collateral, various donor communications, and endowment reports for principal gift donors, coordinating with colleagues, faculty, and leadership to create personal and accurate communications.
Helping to design, create, and proactively track cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship deliverables.
Collaborating with key personnel to source information needed for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship requirements related to prospect management and donor gifts.
Coordinating and managing Principal Gift projects and events.
Performing other duties as assigned.