Senior Associate Director, Major Gifts

University of Chicago•Chicago, IL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Associate Director, Major Gifts at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business implements comprehensive fundraising strategies to raise major gifts from prospects in portions of the Midwest and South regions, as well as the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) in support of the mission and priorities of the school. The Senior Associate Director identifies, qualifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards a portfolio of current and potential donors with the capacity to make gifts of $100,000, at minimum. The Senior Associate Director travels regularly within assigned regions to meet with prospects and donors. With the Senior Director, Major Gifts, assists in strategic regional planning for the key markets in regions such as Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and London. They plan and organize select cultivation programs and events for small groups of high-level donors. The Senior Associate Director works effectively and collaboratively with internal and external colleagues to achieve development goals and objectives. This position is based in Chicago and may require approximately 25% travel. This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization.

Requirements

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree.
Master’s degree.
A minimum of five years of front-line development or sales and marketing experience.
A background related to business or professional school education.
Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
Proficiency using a database.
Proven record of accomplishment in devising cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills required, characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write well.
Work independently with little supervision; possess a self-motivated disposition; identify opportunities for improvement and recommend effective changes, all while achieving key objectives resulting in desired outcomes.
Excellent strategic planning, critical thinking, analytical, organizational and persuasion skills.
Handle multiple detailed tasks/projects simultaneously and meet strict deadlines with frequent interruptions.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively and diplomatically with colleagues, as well as with students, faculty and corporate contacts in a multitude of communication methods, such as in person, email, and phone.
Professional demeanor, including ability to manage confidential information with discretion and tact.

Responsibilities

Manages a portfolio of approximately 100 prospects and develops strong relationships to build connection with and support for the school.
Meets or exceeds activity goals for prospect qualifications, visits, solicitations, and funds raised.
Solicits and closes gifts in excess of $100K, with a focus on building the pipeline toward higher ($500K+ and $1M+) gifts.
Raises gifts in support of Chicago Booth’s funding priorities, totaling $2M+ annually.
Supports deans, faculty, and other school leadership in the cultivation and solicitation of prospects.
With the Senior Director, Major Gifts, helps drive and sustain a comprehensive multi-year strategy for territories in region, including programmatic management and special initiatives.
Identifies, analyzes, and qualifies donor interest to maximize giving.
Helps with overall planning efforts for the school’s most important prospects.
Collaborates with campus-based University fundraising and non-fundraising partners on individual prospect strategies and support of cross-functional initiatives that may involve faculty, school leadership, and other senior stakeholders.
With the Chicago Booth Donor Relations team, creates and administers stewardship plans.
In conjunction with the Chicago Booth Global Events team, plans and organizes cultivation events, and supports enterprise events as needed.
Develops and maximizes strategic partnerships with Chicago Booth departments and teams (Research and Learning Centers and Initiatives, Annual Fund, Alumni Engagement, Career Services, the London Campus, Admissions, etc.) on donor and prospect cultivation activities.
Plans, executes, and attends evening and weekend functions, as necessary.
Takes a leadership role on the Major Gifts and Development teams by supporting team-wide initiatives and contributing to the professional development of newer staff.
Identifies, analyzes, and qualifies donor interest to maximize giving.
Assists with overall planning efforts for the University's most important prospects.
Works independently to develop communication strategies for projects, including publications and public presentations.
May brief senior level administrators in preparation for contact with prospects.
Performs other related work as needed.