Associate Director of Major Gifts

Department
 

Law Major Gifts

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. Learning is participatory. UChicago Law does not seek to impose a single viewpoint or style of thought on its students. Instead, our faculty exposes students to contrasting views, confident in students' abilities to choose their own paths.

Job Summary
 

The Associate Director of Major Gifts is part of a team whose primary responsibility is the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of individual prospects capable of giving in excess of $100,000. The position will develop fund-raising strategies to secure major gifts from alumni and friends across an assigned set of regions. Frequent travel is required as is occasional work on weekends. The position reports to the Sr. Director of Development within the Law School.

Responsibilities

• Lead responsibility for a portfolio of prospects and donors with capacity to make gifts of $100,000 or more, executing a target of no less than 120 visits per year with prospects.
• Gather data, assess prospects, and, develop strategies designed to realize the current and lifetime giving potential of individual prospects.
• Ensure consistent and appropriate contact, facilitate, or make solicitations, and ensure effective stewardship through collaboration with colleagues.
• Make persuasive verbal and written cases for supporting The University of Chicago Law School’s key programs and projects, effectively matching the interests of prospects to specific Law School priorities.
• Gain a comprehensive understanding of the priorities of the Law School.
• Participate in the development of department objectives and strategies.
• Set priorities for multiple short-term and long-term prospects based on goals for the Law School Major Gift team.
• Develop and implement tactics to meet individual and group goals.
• Use Leverage internal leaders of the Law School and University such as the Dean of the Law School, Associate Dean, Faculty, Visiting Committee members, Trustees or President of the University to help further prospect strategies. Staff these individuals in meetings, events and phone calls.
• Assist volunteers with their solicitation assignments, including accompanying them on their meetings with other prospects and donors.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with Law School faculty, administrators, volunteers and University colleagues to ensure a coordinated approach to prospects and donors. associated with the position’s portfolios/programs at the Law School
• Work closely with Planned Giving colleagues within the University and the Law School to close planned gifts to the Law School
• Identifies, analyzes, and qualifies donor interest to maximize giving. Helps with overall planning efforts for the University's most important prospects. Works independently to develop communication strategies for projects, including publications and public presentations.
• Establishes fundraising goals and priorities based on department objectives, designs strategies to meet those goals, and monitors progress against goals.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

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

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Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of successful fundraising or comparable experience. This may include work experience in nonprofit management, development, sales, alumni relations, marketing, public relations, or similar work experience. 

• Demonstrated record of accomplishment in solicitation, the cultivation of prospective donors, or sales and client development highly preferred.

Preferred Competencies

• Excellent communication skills, especially strong writing and presentation skills.

• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues in a team environment.

• The ability to interact with high-level donors; a general level of comfort when dealing with high net worth individuals, and an ability to maintain discretion, and high levels of confidentiality, when dealing with significant benefactors.

• A high level of competence with personal computers and software programs—especially Microsoft Office—for retrieving, organizing and researching appropriate donor/prospect information, as well as data gathering and manipulation.

• 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 Law School through the University Office of Alumni Relations and Development, including Griffin (the University's Donor Relationship Management System).

• An ability and willingness to quickly learn the Law School and the University’s history, mission, demographics, faculty, current programs, departments, etc., as well as the University culture to be able to persuasively articulate how the University of Chicago and the Law School distinguishes itself from peer institutions.

• Strong interpersonal skills are required, both written and oral, as well as a high level of sophistication and maturity in social and professional settings.

• Prior campaign experience

Working Conditions

• Work evenings, occasionally weeknight and weekend days (travel).

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)

• Cover Letter (required)

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.