Senior Director of Development, Sturm College of Law

University of Denver•Denver, CO

1d•$120,000 - $150,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The University of Denver is seeking an experienced, driven, and intuitive fundraiser to join our Advancement team as the Senior Director of Development. Reporting directly to the Executive Director for Development & Alumni Engagement within the Sturm College of Law. Joining a team of four established advancement professionals in the College (the Executive Director, one major gifts officer, one leadership annual giving officer, and one alumni engagement officer), the Senior Director operates within a culture that values boldness, inclusion, creativity, excellence while maintaining a commitment to the well-being of our team and community. The Senior Director will leverage a strong focus on qualification, engagement, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individual donors with capacity to make gifts and commitments of $50,000+. While the focus of this role is working with individual donors, the Senior Director will develop and mature their assigned portfolio in pursuit of solicitations from foundations and corporations, as well. Key performance indicators for this position include major gift qualifications, visits, solicitations, and dollars raised. This role will serve in a highly outbound capacity with an expectation to be out of the office 50% of the time engaging with donors and prospects. The successful candidate will be a motivated fundraising professional who will be deeply involved in the strategic annual fundraising efforts for the College, with an emphasis on partnering with a campus-wide network of academic leaders, fundraising professionals, and other key partners to advance the University’s top priorities. They bring strategic insight, professionalism, and the ability to successfully manage a portfolio of high-capacity donors while advancing institutional priorities through thoughtful stewardship and engagement. This position is eligible for hybrid work, will require quarterly travel to key markets outside of Denver, and will support the team with occasional events and evening activity attendance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
9 years of professional experience, including 7 years of direct fundraising experience
Fundraising Principles & Practices: Demonstrates advanced knowledge of major and principal gift fundraising and outcomes with the ability to implement complex gift strategies
Relationship Building: Demonstrated ability to cultivate and close gifts complex, multi-facted gifts of $1,000,000+
Communications: Represents advancement in public forums, writes complex, compelling donor proposals, and translates complex academic information into donor facing materials
Strategic Thinking: Demonstrates sound judgment in situations requiring independent decision-making and in handling confidential and sensitive material. Applies sound judgment when making decisions and considering the impact on donors, colleagues, and institutional priorities.
Portfolio Management: Builds and manages a personal portfolio to meet individual annual and campaign goals
Higher Education Landscape: Familiarity with the structure, mission, and priorities of a research university and partners with deans/faculty to shape cases for support
Campaign Experience: Demonstrated knowledge of comprehensive fundraising campaigns and major gift strategies.
Data Analysis: Leads data-informed decision-making at the individual or team level
Collaboration & Teamwork: Develops strategic partnership with academic and campus leaders, and manages complex situations. Collaborates effectively with other Advancement teams
Leadership: Provides leadership or supervision to fundraising teams in alignment with institutional goals

Nice To Haves

Experience working through a major campaign.
Fundraising experience in higher education or a comparably complex nonprofit environment.
Experience in proposal development and gift documentation.
Experience working within a comprehensive or major fundraising campaign.
Five (5) or more years of major gift fundraising experience.

Responsibilities

Responsible for raising $1,000,000+ annually, through a combination of leadership annual gifts and major gifts, once the portfolio is mature.
Contribute to annual and campaign goals by securing gifts aligned with institutional priorities and strategic initiatives.
Develop and execute complex fundraising strategies to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift prospects.
Manage a portfolio of donors with capacity to make gifts of $50,000+.
Leverage campaign priorities and university initiatives to inspire philanthropic investment.
Solicit donors for gifts of $50,000+ through a variety of channels, including blended gifts and multi-year commitments.
Represent the university’s breadth of academic programs and initiatives in donor conversations and proposals.
Provide strategic guidance and mentorship to development team members and support staff.
Lead goal-setting and performance evaluation processes for assigned fundraising initiatives.
Prepare, debrief, and coach colleagues and academic partners for donor meetings and solicitations.
Steward budgetary and operational resources to support fundraising success and team efficiency.
Develop market expertise that includes providing support for campus leadership and driving market strategy in assigned region(s).
Align donor interests with institutional needs and campaign priorities.
Partner with academic leaders to identify fundable priorities and translate them into compelling philanthropic opportunities.
Develop and implement donor engagement programs, recognition events, and stewardship initiatives.
Articulate the impact of philanthropy through customized communications, reports, and donor experiences.
Support campaign programming and volunteer management within assigned units or regions.
Ensure accurate and timely entry of contact reports and donor data in the CRM.
Track and report on key performance indicators such as qualifications, visits, solicitations, and dollars raised.
Manage complex projects and initiatives in compliance with university policies and procedures.
Travel and manage regional outreach, serving as market expert and partnering with colleagues, when appropriate.
Partner with central and unit-based advancement teams and campus colleagues.
Serve as a liaison between the college/unit and broader university advancement efforts.
Staff dean, academic leaders, and/or coaches to drive strategy, preparing for donor visits, and solicit and follow up.
Collaborate with regional and centrally based fundraisers to coordinate donor engagement and strategy execution.
Participate in cross-functional planning and strategy sessions to support integrated advancement goals.