Associate Director, Wharton Fund

University of Pennsylvania•Philadelphia, PA

17d•$65,628 - $75,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is seeking an Associate Director for the Wharton Fund. This role is responsible for the fundraising and engagement of Wharton School graduate alumni from students to nine years out. The position will contribute to achieving annual Wharton Fund cash and participation goals. They will manage a portfolio of Young Franklin Society members ($1,000+ to the Wharton Fund) and oversee two Reunion classes conducting peer-to-peer solicitation. Additionally, this role manages the Alumni Fellows, a group of second-year MBA students responsible for their class gift, with a focus on participation. Frequent travel is expected to visit assigned alumni.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science and 3 to 5 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
Demonstrated ability to build and manage relationships with alumni, volunteers, and high-capacity donors, with a focus on engagement and long-term pipeline development.
Proven skill in frontline fundraising or sales, including the ability to confidently solicit gifts and meet or exceed performance goals.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage diverse stakeholders, including senior-level and international alumni.
Excellent organizational and project management abilities, including managing multiple priorities, tracking progress toward goals, and using data to inform strategy.
Ability to work independently with sound judgment while collaborating effectively across teams, including partnership with Alumni Relations and development colleagues.
Experience working with CRM or fundraising databases (e.g., Salesforce, Blackbaud, or similar), including data entry, reporting, and prospect tracking.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook), with the ability to manage communications and analyze data.
Ability to analyze reports and donor data to inform outreach strategies and track progress toward fundraising goals.
Comfort using digital tools to support volunteer management, communications, and engagement efforts.

Responsibilities

Responsible for personally soliciting Wharton Fund prospects at the Young Franklin ($1,000+) and Benjamin Franklin Society level ($2,500+) as well as visiting 100-125 prospects/donors.
Responsible for the full-time MBA class gift. This includes but is not limited to recruiting MBA student leaders, instilling a culture of philanthropy with this group, coordinating programming, and working with colleagues in MBA student affairs. The leaders will become a core part of the first reunion committee.
Work with Alumni Relations colleagues to recruit fundraising volunteers in two reunion years; manage those volunteers making sure they are trained and current in the use of the volunteer database; assign 10-20 classmates for these volunteers to solicit and oversee their progress; update the volunteers regularly regarding class progress towards goals.
Achieve annual Wharton Fund cash and participation goals through proactive donor outreach, solicitation, stewardship, and relationship management activities designed to increase both philanthropic revenue and donor engagement.
Identify and qualify prospective major gift donors through research, outreach, and relationship assessment, providing major gift colleagues with well-vetted prospects positioned for strategic cultivation and solicitation.
Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Benefits

Excellent healthcare benefits
Tuition benefits for employees and their families
Generous retirement benefits
Wide variety of professional development opportunities
Supportive work and family benefits
Wealth of health and wellness programs and resources
Comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits
Flexible spending accounts for health care and dependent care expenses
Tuition assistance for employees, spouses, and dependent children at Penn and other institutions
Generous retirement plans (Basic, Matching, and Supplemental) with pre-tax or Roth basis options and investment choices through TIAA and Vanguard
Substantial time away from work for relaxation, vacations, personal affairs, illness, or family time
Long-Term Care Insurance
Wellness and Work-life Resources
Professional and Personal Development resources
Access to a wide range of University resources, cultural, and recreational activities
Discounts on arts and entertainment, transportation, mortgages, goods, and services
Flexible Work Hours
Penn Home Ownership Services (forgivable loan for eligible employees)
Adoption Assistance