Senior Director of Development, School of Business

Position Summary

Come join a growing team at the UConn Foundation

In this Senior Director role, you will be primarily focused on securing major ($50,000+) and principal ($1,000,000+) gifts, with responsibility for promoting a positive culture of philanthropy and achieving annual and campaign fundraising goals for the School of Business. You will supervise a team that includes other frontline fundraisers and administrative support staff. As a participant of the School's executive leadership team, you will serve on the Dean's leadership committees as appropriate, providing meaningful contributions to institutional strategy, performance, and culture.

The UConn School of Business is one of the most comprehensive business schools in the nation, offering academic programs at the bachelors, masters, doctorate, and advanced certificate levels, in four Connecticut locations - Storrs, Hartford, Stamford and Waterbury. The School of Business has established a strong reputation for high quality research, teaching, collaboration, and outreach, spanning a wide array of functional disciplines including Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing, and Operations and Information Management. The School has nearly 40,000 alumni worldwide and is one of the top four academic fundraising programs at the University historically raising $13-15M in philanthropic support annually.

In this role, you will:

• Secure gift commitments in support of the University of Connecticut with special attention on the campaign priorities of the School of Business.
  • Manage a caseload of major and principal gift donors and prospects through intentional actions that deepen relationships and lead to increased comprehensive giving (regular, special, and deferred).
  • Assemble and lead collaborative teams of Foundation staff, University faculty and staff, and volunteers to facilitate complex gift conversations and assist with implementing donor engagement plans for key donors and prospects.
  • Provide thoughtful action plan for retention of regular leadership donors ($1,000+) to the School.
  • Partner with the Dean of the School to ensure that all gift discussions align with priorities of the campaign.
  • Draft proposals, gift agreements and naming memorandums in collaboration with appropriate Foundation staff to ensure accurate documentation of gifts.
  • Partner with Assistant Vice President to find opportunity for philanthropic interdisciplinary/university collaboration in order to elevate the unit and secure transformational gift opportunities.
  • Develop annual fundraising plans that builds on best practices and industry standards.

• Provide strategic input on the School's alumni program to foster an emerging donor-centered advancement culture.

• Ensure effective stewardship of donors and their philanthropic funds.
  • Ensure all major and principal gifts to the School are acknowledged and celebrated.
  • Assist dean in monitoring spending of existing Foundation funds to advise on donor messaging and stewardship.
  • Coordinate with School and Foundation staff on overall gift acknowledgement process and special gift stewardship.

• Build pipeline of major and principal gift donor that supports annual and campaign goals.
  • Key partners for collaboration are the alumni team, prospect research, faculty, and volunteers.
  • Emphasis on connection through l in person visits and other substantive contacts.
  • Strategically use events to bring in new people and facilitate connections with alumni relations, faculty, and volunteers.
  • Collaborate and lead conversations with the Corporate and Foundation Relations team to secure potential funding for grants and research dollars to support the unit. Partner on gift conversations and solicitation efforts.

• Provide communications and counsel to deans and faculty on the School's engagement activities and fundraising priorities.
  • Develop Campaign strategy in partnership with the Dean and other school leadership.
  • Provide support for the Dean's Advisory Cabinet.
  • Provide training and direction to deans, department heads, staff and the faculty on engaging donors in adherence to accepted prospect management guidelines
  • Assist in translating university priorities into fundraising priorities, plans and goals
  • Serve as lead developer of the School's fundraising plans and promote priorities to central Foundation staff.
  • Promote the role of fundraising within the School community.
  • Assist in resolving major and principal gift donor issues as necessary.

• Supervise administrative support and fundraising staff.
  • Provide feedback on performance and motivate staff to hit challenging performance metrics.
  • Provide ongoing coaching/mentoring and recommend training as warranted.
  • Collaborate with the Assistant Vice President for Principal Gifts & School of Business to establish performance metric goals.
  • Assist in caseload development and optimization with a particular focus on strategies

• Document activity, proposals and engagement plans in relationship management database.
  • Submit accurate and timely activity reports.
  • Maintain and document current donor and gift strategies.
  • Document activity and proposals in relationship database.
  • Provide accurate updates on qualified and pending proposals.
  • Foster strong working relationships with Foundation colleagues, adhering to accepted prospect management guidelines.

• Other duties as assigned.

To be successful in this role, you should:

• Demonstrate the ability to personally solicit outright and estate gifts in the amount of $500,000 and above.
• Be a champion for inclusion and diversity both internally and externally.
• Demonstrate superb interpersonal skills, tact, and diplomacy. Be able to build productive, beneficial relationships with a broad range of constituencies.
• Possess excellent written and verbal communications skills, including the ability to effectively communicate University priorities to donors and prospects, and to positively represent the University and Foundation.
• Demonstrate strategic, leadership and management capabilities in a comprehensive development environment; high level of motivation and assertiveness.
• Demonstrate the ability to manage, train, motivate, and coach people effectively.
• Be adept in use of computers and information management tools such as CRMs (Blackbaud).
• Be able to handle multiple tasks, to assess and order priorities, and to track details in a fast-paced environment.
• Be able to work to the demands of the position, which may exceed a 40-hour work week.
• Be willing to travel extensively and possess reliable personal transportation. Must possess a valid driver's license issued from state in which employee resides. Employee must maintain at their expense, automobile liability insurance coverage in the minimum amount of $500,000 or a combination of umbrella and automobile liability insurance coverage of $500,000. A certificate of automobile insurance evidencing the limit, must be provided to the Foundation at hire and annually thereafter.

Education and Experience

We provide a broad set of requirements to be inclusive of people of all backgrounds and experiences. If you think you have the skills for the position, we want to hear from you. Even if this is not the right role, we may know of opportunities elsewhere or have future opportunities that better match your skill set.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 6+ years of experience as a major gift fundraiser and/or relevant transferrable skills.
• Previous supervisory experience.
• Competence in Microsoft Office suite and donor management systems.

Salary:

The expected salary for this position is $130,000+. It will be commensurate with qualifications and experience, while also placing an emphasis on internal equity.

Benefits:

Benefits start from day one. We offer medical, dental, and vision plans and will make an annual contribution to your health savings account if enrolled in one of the high-deductible health plans offered by the Foundation.

In addition, there are a few other perks to being a UConn Foundation employee:

• We offer a generous contribution to your 403(b) retirement plan to help you plan for retirement.
• We place an emphasis on work/life balance. In addition to a hybrid schedule, you will receive thirteen paid holidays, five weeks of paid time off per calendar year, and additional sick time.
• We invest in your professional development. Aside from opportunities to participate in various trainings, committees, and conferences throughout the year, you will also be eligible for tuition reimbursement after one year of employment.

The UConn Foundation is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. We celebrate diverse perspectives and are committed to a welcoming environment that will value your unique experiences and identity. We recognize that a true commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion requires ongoing education and action, and we strive for continued growth each and every day.

Please inform a Human Resources Representative if you need any assistance completing any forms or participating in any part of the application process due to a disability.