Assistant Vice President of Individual Giving and Estate Gift Planning

About Augustana College:

Augustana College seeks an adventurous, creative, dynamic, thoughtful, and experienced fundraising professional to join us as Assistant Vice President of Individual Giving and Estate Gift Planning. 

Established in 1860, Augustana College is located in the culturally diverse metropolitan area of the Quad Cities on the Mississippi River (~165 miles west of Chicago, IL). With a combined population of nearly 400,000, the Quad Cities offers the opportunities of a big city with the hospitality of a smaller town. 

Augustana College is a selective, private college that serves approximately 2,500 undergraduate students, offering 90 majors and related areas of undergraduate study, and enjoys a ranking in the top tier of U.S. News, National Liberal Arts Colleges. As a consecutive INSIGHT Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence Diversity (HEED) award-winning campus, our intentional community and commitment to diversity and inclusion mean we are a place where all students from all backgrounds flourish. Augustana College has emerged as one of the top locations for international student study in the US. We proudly rank among the top 25 liberal arts colleges in the country for international student enrollment. We provide all undergraduate students an Augie Choice award for $2,000 to be used for an internship, research, or study abroad. Our campus life experience provides students a robust co-curricular experience, including the performing arts, broadcasting and publications, student government, fraternity and sorority life, and more. As a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, the Augustana Vikings participate in 28 varsity athletic teams under NCAA Division III.

Job Description:

Status:  Exempt, Full-time position, 12-month work schedule.

Wage Grade:  765

Reports To: Vice President of Advancement

Overview:   

The Assistant Vice President (AVP) will oversee the College's individual giving efforts focusing on major and deferred gift commitments of $25,000 or more. The AVP will work closely with the Vice President and other College Advancement leadership to develop strategies for the philanthropic and engagement efforts at Augustana College, including the
development of major fundraising campaigns.

Strong candidates for the position must have an interest in working in an energetic and innovative environment, be nimble, and move quickly to implement new ideas. This position requires availability during nights and weekends and a willingness to travel domestically by air and car for periods of up to a week at a time. The successful candidate will be an articulate and strong advocate for the importance and power a private liberal arts education can provide.

 Primary Duties:

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 100 major gift prospects. Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit and engage in stewardship to meet or exceed assigned revenue targets.
• Utilize face-to-face visits and other contacts to develop and enhance relationships with prospects and to move assigned prospects to higher levels of engagement and giving.
• Complete call reports and other administrative responsibilities in a timely manner, utilizing support staff as appropriate.
• Directly supervise a team of philanthropic advisors. Develop a working environment for the team, set and maintain performance goals, identify and/or provide professional training, and serve as a mentor and an advisor to assist teammates with their individual giving work
• Collaborate with College Advancement leadership on setting philanthropic and engagement strategy and goals for the entire division.
• Manage budgets associated with the position.
• Participate in college events including Homecoming, Family Weekend, receptions and other events.
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

Education: A bachelors degree.  

Skills & Experience: 

• A deep familiarity and appreciation for the special role of liberal arts education within higher education.  
• Five years of experience working in a not-for-profit advancement environment, or a similar field, is required. Experience in higher education advancement is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to reach goals in the areas of philanthropic individual giving or similar field.
• A desire to manage, develop and mentor staff. Previous supervisory experience is preferred.
• Candidates should possess exceptional communication skills, deep personal drive, the ability to cultivate and deepen relationships, understanding of and appreciation for the liberal arts and private higher education, understanding of the value of diversity and inclusion in higher education, and a track record of success in a goal-driven environment.  
• Demonstrated ability to innovate and create new strategies in support of department and organizational goals.
• Strategic thinking abilities and with an affinity for using data to recognize opportunities, identify critical, high pay-off activities and prioritize activities to attain goals.
• Experience in using a customer relationship data base to create efficient workflow.

Competencies:

• Written and oral communication skills
• Ability to adapt message and communication style to a varied audience
• Prospect management and solicitation
• Fundraising practices and procedures
• Personnel supervision
• Various computer applications including Microsoft Office Suite, and ability to quickly learn the College's fundraising CRM.
• Goal and achievement orientation
• Time management
• Collaboration

Preferred personal qualities include: a sense of humor, energy, optimism, resilience and a willingness to consider new ideas.

Work Environment: This job operates in a professional office environment. Remote work may be possible for up to two days per week pending supervisor approval. Remote work is dependent on college policy and is subject to change. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, fax machines and filing cabinets.

 Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Must be able to lift 25 pounds on a frequent basis.  Also required is the ability to listen, hear, speak, read, write, climb stairs, bend, stoop, stand and sit for intermittently long periods of time.  Must be able to use a computer to accomplish a variety of job tasks. 

Travel

This position requires regular off-campus work and occasional out of town travel to represent the college at relevant events and meetings, as well as to visit current and prospective donors. 

Special Requirements:  As key personnel representing the college to the community, this position requires excellent interpersonal skills, the ability and willingness to relate to a diverse audience and to model the mission and high standard of behavior of Augustana College.  All prospective employees must pass a criminal background check.

Additional Information:

Augustana College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Augustana College provides equal opportunity to all qualified employees and applicants without regard to race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, and any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities are subject to change at any time with or without notice.

Application Instructions:

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume for consideration along with contact information for three professional references.  Review of applications will begin immediately.