Assistant Director of Annual Giving

Department
 

Law Reunion Giving

About the Department
 

The University of Chicago Law School occupies a unique niche among this country's premier law schools. Located on a residential campus in one of America's great cities, UChicago Law offers a rigorous and interdisciplinary professional education that blends the study of law with the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Students, faculty, and staff form a small, tightly knit community devoted to the life of the mind. This position is part of the University of Chicago Law School’s External Affairs (EA) team, which oversees and executes all aspects of alumni engagement and fundraising for the Law School. This 16-member team reports to the Dean of the Law School and collaborates closely with Law School leadership, faculty, staff, and students. Through programming, visits, stewardship, and communications, we engage with our graduates and connect them to opportunities that support the Law School’s mission of providing transformative legal education to its students. The EA team is also part of the University’s larger Alumni Relations and Development (ARD) function, and we work closely with our ARD colleagues to develop and execute University strategy in a manner that resonates with Law School alumni. EA team members are integrated into the larger ARD community through leadership roles, membership on ARD-wide councils and committees, and participation in professional development and other ARD initiatives.

Job Summary
 

The Assistant Director of Annual Giving is a key member of the External Affairs team and must have a keen understanding of the principles of fundraising and the mission of the school. Responsibilities include developing and executing firm fundraising strategies to secure gifts from alumni and friends. This position leads and manages a large number of volunteer alumni through the law firm challenge to produce effective annual giving solicitations that result in significant participation and dollars raised. The Assistant Director also participates in planning and program management and upholds annual visit and solicitation goals. Frequent travel within Chicago and to other regions is required as is occasional work on the weekends.

Responsibilities

• Manage law firm relationships with the Law School, working closely with colleagues both in the Office of External Affairs and from other departments, such as Dean of Students etc., to develop a cohesive and long-term strategy for firm engagement and cultivation.
• Conceptualize and execute new ways to cultivate alumni at law firms, including planning events.
• Manage all aspects of the Law Firm Challenge, a peer-to-peer fundraising program that encourages consistent annual giving by alumni at over sixty law firms through a friendly competition between firms.
• Prepare correspondence for volunteers in the form of direct mail appeals, email appeals, and other forms of fundraising prose.
• Recruit, train, and manage more than sixty firm volunteers, developing training materials and other resources to assist with their solicitation efforts.
• Create and maintain a positive volunteer experience for committee members by offering exceptional support service.
• Oversee the Chicago Law Partners program, which facilitates law firm sponsorship of student activities and events at the Law School.
• Support other areas of annual giving and firm engagement, routinely meeting donor fundraising and participation targets.
• Serve as point person for events held at law firms, including faculty lectures, admitted student events, and others.
• Collaborate closely with alumni relations staff to manage the programmatic dimension of the young alumni engagement as it relates to law firms and fundraising.
• Support efforts to grow and increase Dean’s Circle membership, including planning signature programs.
• Liaise with other annual giving staff to support and develop annual giving strategies.
• Visit with donors capable of making annual gifts to the Law School.
• Manage various email and mail solicitations.
• Has a moderate/solid understanding of fundraising operations for a school or department of the University. Identifies budget requirements and staffing needs on a project or event basis.
• Cultivates and maintains relationships with donors and volunteers. Establishes and maintains donor records and accounts.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

---
Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

---
Certifications:

---

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree

Experience:

• Two years of professional fundraising experience with increased responsibility and project management.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: alumni relations, development, public relations, volunteer management, events management.

Preferred Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to design, direct and manage significant program initiatives.
• Successful demonstration of initiative, organizational skills, leadership skills, team orientation and commitment to customer service.
• Demonstrated ability to work successfully with volunteers and to direct and promote complex events and projects.
• Ability to perform multiple projects simultaneously with attention to detail and deadlines.
• Ability to exercise strong interpretive judgment.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills.
• Professional demeanor and presentation.
• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to the Office of Alumni Relations and Development, including Griffin (the University's Donor Relationship Management System), a Microsoft Windows computer environment, Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (preferred)

When applying, the document(s) MUST  be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
 

Alumni Relations & Development

Role Impact
 

Individual Contributor

FLSA Status
 

Exempt

Pay Frequency
 

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours
 

37.5

Benefits Eligible
 

Yes

Requires Compliance with University Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement
 

Yes

Drug Test Required
 

No

Health Screen Required
 

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
 

No

Posting Statement
 

Employees must comply with the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements. More information about the requirements can be found on the University of Chicago Vaccination GoForward .
The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu . Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

Department
 

Law Reunion Giving

About the Department
 

The University of Chicago Law School occupies a unique niche among this country's premier law schools. Located on a residential campus in one of America's great cities, UChicago Law offers a rigorous and interdisciplinary professional education that blends the study of law with the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Students, faculty, and staff form a small, tightly knit community devoted to the life of the mind. This position is part of the University of Chicago Law School’s External Affairs (EA) team, which oversees and executes all aspects of alumni engagement and fundraising for the Law School. This 16-member team reports to the Dean of the Law School and collaborates closely with Law School leadership, faculty, staff, and students. Through programming, visits, stewardship, and communications, we engage with our graduates and connect them to opportunities that support the Law School’s mission of providing transformative legal education to its students. The EA team is also part of the University’s larger Alumni Relations and Development (ARD) function, and we work closely with our ARD colleagues to develop and execute University strategy in a manner that resonates with Law School alumni. EA team members are integrated into the larger ARD community through leadership roles, membership on ARD-wide councils and committees, and participation in professional development and other ARD initiatives.

Job Summary
 

The Assistant Director of Annual Giving is a key member of the External Affairs team and must have a keen understanding of the principles of fundraising and the mission of the school. Responsibilities include developing and executing firm fundraising strategies to secure gifts from alumni and friends. This position leads and manages a large number of volunteer alumni through the law firm challenge to produce effective annual giving solicitations that result in significant participation and dollars raised. The Assistant Director also participates in planning and program management and upholds annual visit and solicitation goals. Frequent travel within Chicago and to other regions is required as is occasional work on the weekends.

Responsibilities

• Manage law firm relationships with the Law School, working closely with colleagues both in the Office of External Affairs and from other departments, such as Dean of Students etc., to develop a cohesive and long-term strategy for firm engagement and cultivation.
• Conceptualize and execute new ways to cultivate alumni at law firms, including planning events.
• Manage all aspects of the Law Firm Challenge, a peer-to-peer fundraising program that encourages consistent annual giving by alumni at over sixty law firms through a friendly competition between firms.
• Prepare correspondence for volunteers in the form of direct mail appeals, email appeals, and other forms of fundraising prose.
• Recruit, train, and manage more than sixty firm volunteers, developing training materials and other resources to assist with their solicitation efforts.
• Create and maintain a positive volunteer experience for committee members by offering exceptional support service.
• Oversee the Chicago Law Partners program, which facilitates law firm sponsorship of student activities and events at the Law School.
• Support other areas of annual giving and firm engagement, routinely meeting donor fundraising and participation targets.
• Serve as point person for events held at law firms, including faculty lectures, admitted student events, and others.
• Collaborate closely with alumni relations staff to manage the programmatic dimension of the young alumni engagement as it relates to law firms and fundraising.
• Support efforts to grow and increase Dean’s Circle membership, including planning signature programs.
• Liaise with other annual giving staff to support and develop annual giving strategies.
• Visit with donors capable of making annual gifts to the Law School.
• Manage various email and mail solicitations.
• Has a moderate/solid understanding of fundraising operations for a school or department of the University. Identifies budget requirements and staffing needs on a project or event basis.
• Cultivates and maintains relationships with donors and volunteers. Establishes and maintains donor records and accounts.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

---
Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

---
Certifications:

---

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree

Experience:

• Two years of professional fundraising experience with increased responsibility and project management.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: alumni relations, development, public relations, volunteer management, events management.

Preferred Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to design, direct and manage significant program initiatives.
• Successful demonstration of initiative, organizational skills, leadership skills, team orientation and commitment to customer service.
• Demonstrated ability to work successfully with volunteers and to direct and promote complex events and projects.
• Ability to perform multiple projects simultaneously with attention to detail and deadlines.
• Ability to exercise strong interpretive judgment.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills.
• Professional demeanor and presentation.
• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to the Office of Alumni Relations and Development, including Griffin (the University's Donor Relationship Management System), a Microsoft Windows computer environment, Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (preferred)

When applying, the document(s) MUST  be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
 

Alumni Relations & Development

Role Impact
 

Individual Contributor

FLSA Status
 

Exempt

Pay Frequency
 

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours
 

37.5

Benefits Eligible
 

Yes

Requires Compliance with University Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement
 

Yes

Drug Test Required
 

No

Health Screen Required
 

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
 

No

Posting Statement
 

Employees must comply with the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements. More information about the requirements can be found on the University of Chicago Vaccination GoForward .
The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu . Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.