Director of Leadership Giving and Philanthropic Partnerships- AZ- Development and Alumni Relations

Midwestern University•Glendale, AZ

13d•Onsite

About The Position

Midwestern University seeks a dynamic, innovative, and results-oriented advancement professional to serve as Director of Leadership Giving, Annual Giving, Stewardship and Philanthropic Partnerships. Reporting to the Vice President for University Advancement, this position is responsible for developing and executing revenue-generating philanthropic programs that strengthen donor engagement, expand donor participation, and build sustainable support for the University. The Director leads leadership giving, annual giving, donor stewardship and recognition programs, donor societies, alumni engagement initiatives, philanthropic partnerships, and foundational planned giving efforts. The position serves as a key driver of donor acquisition, retention, and pipeline development while creating meaningful opportunities that connect alumni, grateful patients, faculty, staff, parents, friends, corporations, foundations, and community leaders to Midwestern University's mission. The Director is responsible for developing and managing a year-round fundraising and engagement strategy, including Giving Day, Giving Tuesday, year-end campaigns, leadership giving initiatives, stewardship programs, and other fundraising activities designed to strengthen participation and philanthropic support. The position is accountable for achieving annual fundraising and participation goals and is expected to contribute at least $1 million annually in philanthropic revenue through leadership giving, annual giving programs, philanthropic partnerships, sponsorships, stewardship initiatives, and related fundraising activities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in Business Administration, Nonprofit Management, Communications, Public Administration, or a related field required.
7-10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in advancement, fundraising, donor engagement, alumni relations, nonprofit development, or related fields.
Demonstrated success in annual giving, leadership giving, stewardship, donor engagement, fundraising program development, or related revenue-generating activities.
Experience developing and executing multi-channel fundraising campaigns and donor engagement strategies.
Demonstrated success in increasing donor participation, philanthropic revenue, donor retention, and pipeline development.
Experience collaborating with senior leadership, faculty, clinicians, donors, alumni, volunteers, and community stakeholders.
Strong analytical, organizational, project management, communication, and relationship-building skills.
Experience utilizing fundraising technology, analytics, and reporting tools to support strategic decision-making.
Computer proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).
Fundraising Database experience required.
Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions and procedure manuals.
Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form.
Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide all units of measure using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to interpret bar graphs.
Must be able to work in a constant state of alertness and safe manner and have regular, predictable, in-person attendance.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Higher Education Administration, Business Administration, Nonprofit Management, Communications, Public Administration, or a related field.
Experience in higher education, healthcare, academic medicine, health sciences, or complex nonprofit organizations.
Experience leading Giving Day initiatives, leadership giving programs, donor societies, stewardship programs, alumni engagement initiatives, or community partnerships.
Experience establishing donor recognition programs, Presidential Societies, or leadership giving.
Familiarity with artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, fundraising technologies, and donor engagement platforms.
Experience working with corporate and foundation partners and sponsorship programs.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute comprehensive leadership and annual giving strategies that increase donor participation, philanthropic revenue, retention, and pipeline growth.
Establish and grow a Leadership Giving Program and Presidential Society that recognize philanthropic leadership, strengthen donor engagement, and create pathways to major and planned giving.
Design donor engagement strategies that move supporters through the philanthropic continuum from annual donor to leadership donor, major gift prospect, and long-term institutional partner.
Manage annual fundraising goals, performance metrics, and revenue objectives related to leadership giving, annual giving, stewardship, partnerships, and donor engagement.
Develop strategies to identify, qualify, and transition leadership giving donors with major gift potential to the Major Gifts team.
Maintain a selective portfolio of leadership giving, corporate, foundation, and partnership prospects and personally cultivate, solicit, and steward donors as appropriate.
Partner with University leadership, deans, faculty, clinicians, and advancement colleagues to advance fundraising priorities and donor engagement opportunities.
Utilize data, analytics, and emerging technologies to strengthen fundraising performance, donor engagement, and pipeline development.
Develop and execute a comprehensive annual fundraising calendar that drives participation, revenue growth, donor retention, and donor acquisition.
Lead the planning and execution of key fundraising initiatives, including Giving Day, Giving Tuesday, year-end giving campaigns, leadership giving initiatives, reunion giving programs, and faculty and staff campaigns.
Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to create integrated fundraising campaigns utilizing digital, print, social media, video, email, direct mail, and emerging communication.
Develop compelling fundraising themes, donor stories, stewardship communications, and impact messaging that inspire philanthropic support.
Establish campaign goals, benchmarks, and performance metrics and implement continuous improvement strategies based on results.
Foster a culture of philanthropy by engaging academic and administrative leaders as active partners in fundraising and stewardship efforts.
Lead a comprehensive donor stewardship and recognition program that demonstrates impact, builds trust, and encourages continued philanthropic support.
Develop meaningful donor experiences through stewardship, recognition programs, events, impact reporting, and engagement opportunities.
Oversee donor recognition initiatives, including a new Presidential Society, leadership giving societies, and legacy giving recognition programs.
Ensure consistent stewardship standards and donor experiences across campuses and donor.
Partner closely with Alumni Relations to strengthen alumni engagement and increase philanthropic.
Develop engagement opportunities that connect alumni, students, faculty, and the University while supporting fundraising objectives.
Collaborate on alumni events, volunteer leadership opportunities, affinity groups, reunion initiatives, and mentoring programs that strengthen alumni engagement and philanthropy.
Develop and strengthen corporate, foundation, sponsorship, and community partnerships aligned with institutional priorities.
Collaborate with University leadership, faculty, and advancement colleagues to identify opportunities and develop compelling funding proposals.
Partner with the Vice President for University Advancement to strengthen Midwestern University's visibility, reputation, and philanthropic presence within Arizona, Illinois, and key stakeholder.
Represent University Advancement at community, donor, and partnership events to enhance engagement and support for the University.
Integrate planned giving strategies into leadership and annual giving programs to identify and cultivate future legacy donors.
Promote charitable gift planning opportunities through donor communications, educational outreach, and stewardship initiatives.
Support recognition and engagement efforts for legacy society members and planned giving donors.
Identify and implement innovative fundraising, stewardship, and donor engagement strategies that improve performance and enhance philanthropic outcomes.
Explore and leverage artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, automation, and digital engagement tools to improve donor acquisition, retention, personalization, and pipeline development.
Monitor emerging trends and best practices in philanthropy, higher education advancement, and healthcare fundraising.
Serve as a strategic partner to the Vice President for University Advancement in advancing fundraising, donor engagement, and philanthropic growth initiatives.
Represent University Advancement with donors, alumni, volunteers, community leaders, and philanthropic partners.
Participate in University committees, events, and special initiatives that support institutional.
Maintain awareness of emerging trends, technologies, and best practices in philanthropy, donor engagement, and higher education advancement.
Perform other duties as assigned in support of the mission and strategic goals of Midwestern University and University Advancement.
This position has supervisory responsibilities.

Benefits

medical, dental, and vision insurance plans
life insurance
short/long term disability
pet insurance
flexible spending accounts including healthcare reimbursement and child/dependent care account
competitive time off package including paid holiday’s, sick/flex days, personal days and vacation days
403(b) retirement plan
tuition reimbursement
child care subsidy reimbursement program
identity theft protection
employee assistance program
wellness facility on-site with a fully equipped fitness facility