Director of Development, School of Foreign Service

Georgetown University • Lexington, MA

31d • $66,783 - $126,720 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Development, School of Foreign Service (DOD, SFS) is a vital member of the school’s frontline fundraising team and will play a critical role in building connectivity, engagement, strategy and philanthropic support for the School of Foreign Service. This position holder will be joining Georgetown during a pivotal moment at the University, with federal support for universities being challenged, in general, and the need for private external support being key to our future growth ambitions, especially in the final year of our Called to Be capital campaign. The DOD, SFS, will be responsible for building and managing a portfolio of donors with a capacity of making gifts in the six to seven-figure range, executing engagement activities for fundraising efforts and managing fundraising priorities in support of the school’s fundraising strategy. These donors and potential donors are successful undergraduate and graduate alumni, parents, and friends, and are leaders at top organizations around the world. This work may also include close partnership with SFS-centered centers, institutes and programs; board and principal management may also be required.
The DOD, SFS, will collaborate with fellow gift officers, senior SFS leadership, Georgetown faculty, and colleagues throughout the university to help ensure that outreach to top-level constituents and donors is coordinated and effective. The DOD, SFS, is responsible for independently growing and managing a portfolio of approximately 125-150 prospects composed of top-tier major gift donors and prospects with giving abilities of $100,000 and above. The DOD, SFS, will be responsible for meeting key metrics throughout the year to measure their performance, including an agreed upon number of current and prospective donor visits, proposals/asks, and dollars raised. Moving prospects through the complete giving cycle—qualification, cultivation, solicitation, gift negotiation, and stewardship—the role will be tasked to raise $1,000,000-$3,000,000+ annually as the portfolio matures. Oversight of this work will occur in collaboration with the Revenue Management Team and Senior Leadership. The DOD, SFS will travel to meet prospective and current donors, and will need to staff principals or faculty members when required. This travel will, at times, require evenings and weekends. Additionally, this position will help ensure the continued development of a strong SFS community across key regions as part of Georgetown University’s current $3B comprehensive campaign, and future campaigns. The position will work with an existing portfolio, but the incumbent will need to conduct a degree of prospecting to find new donors, building a healthy pipeline, with the ultimate goal of discovering and soliciting those who will support the school. Finally, this position will coordinate with other Advancement teams as needed to cultivate and steward donors and prospects.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and work experience is required
• A minimum of 5-7 years of professional fundraising experience, preferably in a higher education or non-profit environment
• Superior organizational skills, excellent attention to detail, and proven experience working independently
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills, including writing, editing, and proofreading
• Diplomatic skills are essential
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously, and consistently meet all deadlines
• Ability to effectively manage projects that are both data-driven and relationship-driven
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite and Google Workspace

Nice To Haves

• Successful fundraising track record– qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding 6 and 7-figure gifts
• Experience working across different levels of donors
• Familiarity with fundraising databases or the Salesforce platform
• Knowledge of Georgetown University
• Experience with board management and effective engagement with individual board members
• Skill with upward management and engagement with principals

Benefits

• Georgetown University offers a comprehensive and competitive benefit package that includes medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, retirement savings, tuition assistance, work-life balance benefits, employee discounts and an array of voluntary insurance options.
• You can learn more about benefits and eligibility on the Department of Human Resources website.

What This Job Offers

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