Associate Director, Major Gifts

Associate Director of Major GiftsNortheastern University Advancement seeks a self-motivated, entrepreneurial, and mission-driven development professional for the role of Associate Director of Major Gifts who will be responsible for raising major gifts for priority initiatives within and across Northeastern colleges, programs, and campuses. The Associate Director will cultivate and steward philanthropic relationships with individuals including alumni, parents, and friends, while identifying new champions to support the University.Recognizing the growth and necessity of multidisciplinary education and research and the myriad of philanthropic interests and opportunities from those who comprise the Northeastern community, the Associate Director will manage a diverse portfolio of major gift prospects located in designated geographic region(s). This regional model of university-wide portfolios will positively impact business travel and serve the collective goals of University Advancement and the multidisciplinary mission of the University at large.The Associate Director of Major Gifts will work with faculty and Advancement staff across the university to discover, identify, and build relationships with prospective donors in defined region(s)developing strategies for cultivation and solicitation of gifts. Within the region(s)-based portfolio, the Associate Director discovers, builds, and manages a portfolio of 120+ prospective donors who exhibit considerable promise giving at the major gift level. The Associate Director will subsequently solicit gifts in the $100K-$1M+ range for a broad range of opportunities within colleges and university-wide. Scholarships, research, and coops are among the priority needs.The Associate Director works collaboratively with a talented group of Advancement colleagues in all major gift groups including corporate & foundation relations, international fundraising, gift planning, leadership giving, annual giving, and family philanthropy to effectively match fundraising opportunities to academic priorities and to serve as a source of advice about trends and strategies in fundraising region(s).This position is Boston-based and is not available for remote work. Travel support and administrative assistance to effectively work a major gifts portfolio in a designated region(s) is provided by University Advancement.Minimum Qualifications5+ years of professional experience with at least 3 years of demonstrated success in soliciting and closing six- and seven-figure gifts in support of a non-profit institutionDemonstrated experience cultivating and soliciting, alumni, parents, and friends, and maintaining positive relationships with donorsSuperior communication skillshighly collaborative and entrepreneurial in approach and possessing interpersonal skills necessary for building relationships with various university constituents, both internal and externalAbility to work independently and collaboratively as a member of the Northeastern University Advancement teamData- and metric-driven mindsetAn appreciation and understanding of the mission of Northeastern UniversityOvernight travel and some evening and weekend work requiredBA/BS degree requiredKey ResponsibilitiesEngage and Solicit Major Gifts Prospects in select regionCultivate, solicit, and build alumni, parent, and friend relationships. Strategize with faculty and other colleagues on next steps with prospects. Travel as needed to designated region(s) to build relationships with existing volunteers, prospects, and donors and to solicit gifts in the $100K $1M+ range.Building and Sustaining Prospect PipelineDiscover new prospects and build pipeline to feed gifts at the major gift level. Work with the Senior Associate Vice President to create a strategic development plan for advancing a portfolio of approximately 120 prospects.; establish region-based plans for cultivating and soliciting alumni and current parents in targeted region(s); engage faculty strategically with prospects; maintain correspondence; and keep the Senior Associate Vice President, faculty, and appropriate University administrators apprised of funding opportunities and trends; and achieve annual fund-raising goals and activity (visits, video meetings, calls, proposals, etc.) metrics.Maintain Prospect PortfolioMaintain high-quality development process for active alumni, parent, and friend prospects and donors; create call reports and maintain database system; maintain the data integrity of prospect portfolio using the Development Office data management systems (Ascend); prepare monthly progress prospect reports for the Senior Associate Vice President; work with Advancement's Stewardship team to ensure that past, present, and future donors are appropriately recognized; including their administration and accounting.Position Type: AdvancementAdditional InformationNortheastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.