Director of Major Gifts - Internal Only Posting

Wesleyan University, United States

Updated: 20 days ago
Location: Croton On Hudson, NEW YORK
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: ;

Position Information
Position Information


Job Posting Number S01313
Position Title Director of Major Gifts - Internal Only Posting
Department Major Gifts-1084
Job Category Staff Posting
Position Type Full-Time
Work Location On Campus
Pay Type Salaried
Salary Range
$109,800- $140,114
Compensation Practices
Experience is taken into consideration in the determination of salary offers.  For more information visit https://www.wesleyan.edu/hr/handbook/compensation-practices/index.html
Position Details
The Office of Advancement (ADV) builds lifelong relationships with alumni, parents, and friends, and engages them in support of Wesleyan’s educational mission and financial goals.
Working with an alumni body of approximately 30,000 people, as well as parents of current and past students, the Advancement team fosters pride in the Wesleyan community and develops support for university initiatives through outreach activities, including development/fundraising, alumni & parent relations, and both on- and off-campus events. Consistent with a philanthropic trend seen across higher education, Wesleyan’s fundraising dollars have increased consistently over the last ten years as the number of donors has declined. Wesleyan University recently launched a $600 million comprehensive fundraising campaign, the largest in school history. While raising financial support for key University initiatives, the campaign also aims to broaden Wesleyan’s donor base and build a pipeline of donors for the future.
Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Advancement, the Director of Major Gifts will lead by example through their own gift work and direct a high-performing staff to cultivate, solicit and implement high touch engagement strategies in support of fundraising campaigns.
The Director of Major Gifts will build a reputation as a reliable internal and external partner and ambassador for Wesleyan by demonstrating a deep understanding of the University and its priorities; possessing an exceptional understanding of fundraising best practices; and achieving and exceeding assigned performance metrics.
The successful candidate will possess a growth mindset, be resilient and adaptable, and support the office’s culture of collaboration and excellence.
Responsibilities include:
  • Recruiting, developing, and retaining high-performing staff.
  • Promoting a collaborative team culture, through mentoring, training, and providing feedback.
  • Inspiring accountability, success, continuous improvement, and professional growth throughout the organization.
  • Establishing departmental metrics, advising actions and strategies to maximize fundraising effectiveness.
  • Ensuring fundraising success by providing advice, analysis, training and recommendations on prioritization, planning, and policy issues.
  • Actively manage a prospect pool, including the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of prospects/donors capable of making gifts of $100,000 or more to Wesleyan’s philanthropic priorities.
  • Developing, delivering, and executing actionable plans (to include objectives, strategies, tactics, timelines, and measurable metrics) for securing individual philanthropic support that advances Wesleyan’s initiatives and special projects.
  • Utilizing metrics, reporting, and analytics to regularly communicate to senior management team the effectiveness and progress of fundraising efforts, adjusting plans in real time to maximize results and return on investment.
  • Actively participate in the development and execution of plans for strategic prospect engagement for the President, VP for Advancement and other senior internal and external leaders.
  • Supporting open communications among team members, engage in team-building efforts and participate in meetings and retreats that embrace and support the University’s mission.
  • Leading by example, utilizing the Office of Advancement’s CRM to document in a timely manner all planned and completed prospect interactions and strategies.
  • Participating in the development of gift proposals, gift agreements, and other donor materials as needed.
  • Representing the University at regional and on-campus events.
  • Leading the major gift team in securing $100,000+ reunion gifts that will serve as a nucleus fund for greater reunion class giving, and collaborate with colleagues across ADV on this initiative.
  • Effectively managing an annual operating budget.
  • Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of seven years of fundraising experience with a consistent increase in responsibility, including leadership and management, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
Proven experience soliciting, negotiating, and closing gifts of $100,000 and above and persuasive ability to encourage philanthropy.
Proven experience as a team manager, recruiting, mentoring, training and leading by example, and a track record of inspiring and calling for accountability.
Demonstrated ability to lead a team in working toward key performance indicators, advising actions and strategies to maximize fundraising effectiveness.
Demonstrated ability to engage individuals and articulate needs, exercising discretion and maintaining confidentiality and using strong and effective communication skills.
Working knowledge of fundraising gift vehicles, gift planning and fundraising cycles.
Proven ability to engage and interact effectively with diverse constituents, build effective relationships, and serve as an ambassador.
Demonstrated supervisory and administrative experience, including planning, team building and goal setting.
Strong planning and organizational skills along with ability to multitask, plan and organize internal and external meetings.
Comprehensive campaign experience.
Experience with frequent travel.
Demonstrated commitment to work within a diverse environment and interact openly with individuals of different backgrounds.
Record of successful collaboration with volunteers and internal and external leadership senior administrative officers.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with not for profit
Special Instructions to Applicants
This opportunity is only open to current Wes Employees.
The application close date is May 17, 2024.
Additional Information
All offers to external applicants are contingent on the candidate’s completion of a pre-employment background check screening to the satisfaction of Wesleyan University.
Benefits
Wesleyan offers a broad range of employee benefits and development opportunities, including comprehensive group insurance plans, wellness programs and incentives, generous paid time off and retirement plans. We also offer flexible work schedules, employee and dependent tuition programs, as well as access to Wesleyan’s BLS & GLS programs for those who qualify (tuition is waived for up to 2 courses a term; some fees and taxes may apply).
Detailed information on the benefits of working at Wesleyan is located at: https://wesleyan.edu/hr/careers/prospective-resources.html .
Quick Link https://careers.wesleyan.edu/postings/10507

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