Assistant Director/Associate Director/Director of Development - College of LAS
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Based in Urbana-Champaign with hybrid opportunities
The Office of Advancement within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) invites applications and nominations for one full-time major gift officer to secure private support for department funding priorities in LAS. The Assistant Director/Associate Director/Director of Development will play a critical role to maximize overall support and opportunities for collaborative giving. The successful candidate will serve as a member of the advancement team in the College.
The scope of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences spans the breadth of human endeavor. Within its more than 70 academic units, faculty and students are pursuing knowledge on scales that stretch from the subatomic to the cosmic and from the individual to the global.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a global, preeminent university. Since its founding in 1867, it has earned a reputation as a world-class leader in research, reaching, and public engagement. In 2022, the University successfully completed its most ambitious philanthropic campaign, "With Illinois," raising $2.7 billion during the eight-year campaign and remains resolute towards its future philanthropic efforts. Developing a robust Advancement operation to support the growth and success of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is critical towards fulfilling the University's Boldly Illinois strategic plan and future fundraising campaign goals.
Organizational Relationship
The Assistant Director/Associate Director/Director of Development reports to the Senior Director of Development and will work closely with advancement colleagues, the Heads of the departments and members of the faculty.
Job Summary
This position will assist the College and its departments in designing strategies to broaden and strengthen development activities 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. This position will be responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gift prospects and donors to increase private giving in support of the college and the philanthropic interests of donors.
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 $100,000 or more, determining frequency of contact needed. Document all activities and interactions in the alumni/donor database
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.
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:
Begin 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 transition to your new role
Build a robust network of colleagues across campus
Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree • For the title of Assistant Director , a minimum of two years of successful advancement experience or more than three years of experience in a closely related field which requires strong relationship building and outcome driven components. For the title of Associate Director , a minimum of three years of successful advancement experience or more than six years of experience in a closely related field which requires strong relationship-building and outcome driven components. For the title of Director , a minimum of five years of successful experience or ten years of experience in a closely related field which requires strong relationship-building and outcome driven components. • Experience working in a collaborative, team-oriented environment.
Preferred Qualifications
• Documented success as a major gift fundraiser. • Advancement experience in an academic unit that produces degrees and conducts rigorous academic research. • Experience working with faculty leaders. • Experience managing alumni and/or student programs and devising innovative programs to engage alumni and/or donors to support academic priorities.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
• Demonstrated understanding of major donor prospect qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, preferably in a higher education environment. • Superb oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with an emphasis on engaged, active listening. • Demonstrated ability to represent an organization in visits with key constituents. • Strong relationship management skills.
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 the close date. Salary is commensurate with experience.
Salary
Competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience, while also considering internal equity. The salary range for this position starts at $65,000for the title of Assistant Director, $75,000 for the title of Associate Director , and $85,000 for the title of Director .
Application Procedures & Deadline Information
Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on May 13, 2024. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting and upload a resume, cover letter, and the names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of three professional references. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact Zsayla Brummett at zbrummet@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.
Please note: Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.
The Illinois Advancement community is committed to an ongoing, proactive process to foster and achieve diversity and inclusion in its development, alumni relations and communication activities. We will respect and encourage different voices, perspectives and ideas as we strive to represent individuals of all backgrounds and cultures which incudes but are not limited to the following: nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, spirituality, age and ability who represent our alumni, donors and friends of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY:
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive and major public land-grant university (Doctoral/Research University-Extensive) that is ranked among the best in the world. Chartered in 1867, it provides undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conducts theoretical and applied research, and provides public service to the state and the nation. It employs about 3,000 faculty members who serve over 33,000 undergraduates and 17,000 graduate and professional students. More information about the campus is available at www.illinois.edu.
The university is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana (total population 226,000) in east-central Illinois, and is situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 125 miles west of Indianapolis, and 170 northeast of St. Louis. The University and its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational environment ideally suited to the work of a major research institution. For more information about the community, visit: Living in Champaign-Urbana , Experience Champaign Urbana , or Champaign County Chamber of Commerce .
Health insurance is available to employees (with the option to purchase coverage for spouse and dependents), required participation in State Universities Retirement System (SURS), with several options for participation in additional retirement plans. Learn more about employee benefits at the University of Illinois . Newly hired employees are covered by the Medicare portion of Social Security and are subject to this deduction.
The University of Illinois has a strong commitment to work-life balance and family-friendly programs for faculty and staff: Work-Life Balance & Family-Friendly Programs and Other Work-Life Programs .
When you pursue a career with Illinois Advancement, you'll join our tight-knit community of professionals who treat each other with as much care and respect as we treat our donors. At Illinois, we invest in you. Our leaders are eager to partner with you on the next phase of your career and have the tools and experience to help you succeed. Illinois Advancement values creativity and fosters a collaborative, flexible environment to develop new ideas that become best practices - and we're looking for your unique skills. Learn more about what others have to say about their experiences: Opportunity Awaits .
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, 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 .
