Senior Director of Advancement
University of Illinois

Job Info

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Senior Director of Advancement

College of Veterinary Medicine,
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign


The College of Veterinary Medicine and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement (OVCIA) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seek a full-time major gift officer. The Senior Director of Advancement will secure private support for funding priorities within the College as determined by the Assistant Dean for Advancement and the Dean. The major gift officer will play a critical role in efforts to implement an integrated approach for impact and mission driven priorities across our college, departments, and units.

Internationally recognized for its groundbreaking professional veterinary degree program, the College of Veterinary Medicine is poised to grow in all areas of its mission.

Notable assets of the College include veterinary specialists who are leaders in their fields; research faculty with NIH-funded programs; the nation's most comprehensive Clinical Skills Learning Center; research faculty with NIH-funded programs; veterinary specialists who are leaders in their fields; clinical, service, and research programs based in Chicago, the state's population center; a prominent and supportive alumni and donor base; historic ties to the agricultural industries in the state; the collaborations and other resources available as part of the world-class University of Illinois, which recently announced creation of the world's first engineering-based college of medicine; and expertise that is highly relevant to a host of societal needs, from basic biology to public health, emerging infectious disease, food safety and security, environmental toxicology, specialized medicine, wildlife and zoological medicine, and the human-animal bond.

The University is on the cusp of successfully completing its most ambitious philanthropic campaign, "With Illinois," raising over $2.6B. But we will not stop there as we continue to demonstrate the tremendous impact of support for Illinois students, faculty, research, and infrastructure. We will continue to elevate the values that make Illinois distinctive: a sense of boundless aspiration, collaborative research, and global perspective, while recognizing our generous philanthropic community of donors.

Job Summary
Will secure private support for funding priorities within the College as determined by the Assistant Dean for Advancement and the Dean. The major gift officer will play a critical role in efforts to implement an integrated approach for impact and mission driven priorities across our college, departments, and units.

Organizational Relationship

The Senior Director of Advancement reports to the Assistant Dean for Advancement and works closely with academic leadership, including the dean, department heads, and faculty, along with advancement colleagues. This position will assist the College of Veterinary Medicine and its departments in designing strategies to broaden and strengthen development activities in defined territories within the United States and will require travel of varying durations, up to 30-50%, including some evenings and weekends. The successful candidate will be a collaborative team member who values inclusion and is skilled at building strong internal and external collaborative relationships. The primary responsibility is to identify, cultivate, and solicit prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000 or more in support of the college.
Duties & Responsibilities

Identify, assess, analyze, and design appropriate strategies for approaching prospects and donors and making the vitally important match between donors' philanthropic interests and the departments' programmatic and curricular needs. Plan and implement effective outreach and cultivation activities to enhance prospect identification and move solicitation and stewardship processes forward. Qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of major gift prospects, with an emphasis on gifts of $25,000 or more, determining frequency of contact needed. Document all activities and interactions in the alumni/donor database and follow up activities for stewardship

Develop and maintain close collaborative partnerships with faculty and staff to gain a strong knowledge of the academic and research programs in order to identify and define priorities to be funded through private support. Partner closely with other advancement professionals, including gift officers and corporate relations professionals.

Determine and prioritize lists of donor prospects, alumni, and other stakeholders to be contacted for personal visits.

Prepare faculty and other volunteers to participate in cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major gifts as needed.

Travel Requirements
30% Will require travel of varying durations, up to 30-50%, including some evenings and weekends.

Impact in Your First Year
At Advancement at Illinois, we value our employees and provide resources to help you continually learn and grow. We foster a strong, collaborative community of people who are driven by their ability to make a difference.

Within 3 months, you'll:

• Become familiar with the strategic vision and priorities of the College/specific departments
• Meet your assigned Prospect Development Analyst and begin to dig into your portfolio
• Attend professional development and networking activities for newcomers within Advancement
• Be introduced to fundraising fundamentals terminology adopted from Plus Delta Partners

Within 6 months, you'll:

• B egin cultivating relationships with key prospects/donors/alumni in an effort to create and implement solicitation strategies
• Partner with stewardship and donor relations, events, alumni relations, and communications colleagues on department and College-wide initiatives
• Be able to share multiple meaningful impact stories of transformative gifts

By the end of the first year, you'll:

• Cooperatively set annual goals with your supervisor and portfolio management team

• Continue portfolio growth of qualified prospects and successful solicitation strategies

• Receive one-on-one coaching from Talent Management to help your transition to your new role

• Build a robust network of colleagues across campus

Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree

• A minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible and successful experience in advancement

• Demonstrated understanding of major donor prospect qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, preferably in a higher education environment

• Experience working in a collaborative, team-oriented environment

• Demonstrated ability to represent an organization in visits with key constituents

Preferred Qualifications
• Documented success as a major gift fundraiser
• Advancement experience in an academic unit that produces degrees and conducts rigorous academic research
• Experience managing alumni and/or student programs and devising innovative programs to engage alumni and/or donors to support academic priorities
• Experience working with faculty leaders

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Superb oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with an emphasis on engaged, active listening

Strong relationship management skills

Knowledge and/or experience working in the major components of advancement including development, communications and public relations, alumni engagement, and special events

Knowledge of planned giving fundraising vehicles.

Appointment Information
This is a 100% full-time Academic Professional position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after closing date. Competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience, while also considering internal equity. Salary range starts at $115,000.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information
Applications must be received by August 16, 2022. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through this website will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact Katie Walker at walker74@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify .

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal , or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu .

Requisition ID: 1009994
Job Category: Administrative
Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu

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