Assistant Director of Development, Major Gifts

abudhabi-nyu; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

NYU Abu Dhabi seeks an Assistant Director of Development, Major Gifts to manage a portfolio of 125–150 prospects and secure gifts from $10,000 to $500,000 as part of a major campus-wide fundraising campaign. The role requires superb communication and extensive relationship management across internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities include moves management, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, with collaboration across NYUAD and NYU units.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a related field.
• Proven track record in nonprofit fundraising.
• Experience with complex nonprofit environments.

Responsibilities

• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of 125–150 prospects.
• Translate NYUAD's offer into compelling donor propositions and event opportunities.
• Lead moves management across qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Collaborate with NYUAD and NYU colleagues to secure major support and funding.
• Maintain accurate donor records and ensure compliance with policies.

Skills

Relationship management

Fundraising

Communication

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Relational databases

Blackbaud

Job description

Position Summary

Applications are welcome from all qualified candidates. In line with UAE regulations, Emirati candidates are encouraged to apply.

New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) seeks to appoint an Assistant Director of Development, Major Gifts reporting to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement.

The primary responsibility of the Assistant Director of Development, Major Gifts is to manage a portfolio of prospects (125-150) and secure major gift contributions ($10,000 - $500,000) for the University as part of a major University-wide comprehensive fundraising campaign. Portfolios will consist of high-net-worth individuals (alumni, parents and friends), Corporations, Trusts and Foundations. The Assistant Director will focus on fueling a pipeline of philanthropic donors and sponsors to support NYUAD's first ever fundraising campaign. The Assistant Director will help identify, cultivate and steward key prospects.

Superb communication skills are required to translate the NYUAD narrative and comprehensive needs into compelling and attractive propositions for investment. The role will require extensive relationship management of both internal and external stakeholders.

Key performance indicators will include rigorous moves management goals across all phases of qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship. Metrics will also include personal fundraising targets consistent with volume expectations. Prospect portfolios will reflect a variety of sectors and regions with priority given to local and regional prospects. Occasional international relationship management may be required. The Assistant Director will ensure that prospects, donors and key stakeholders are continuously engaged in the NYUAD community and campaign activities.

Key Responsibilities:

Identify, prioritize and consistently move a portfolio of approximately 125-150 prospects:

• Understand and successfully translate the comprehensive NYUAD offer to potential donors/sponsors
• End to end involvement in donor life cycle from identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship (including pitch development and negotiation, gift agreements, acknowledgements and event activities)
• Collaborate with peers across NYUAD, NYU on strategies for securing major support
• Actively participate in events across the year, including evenings and occasionally weekends which provide opportunity to grow and nurture the pipeline

Internal/External Relationship Management:

• Provide support where needed to deliver key external relationships for the University
• Maintain excellent internal relationships with key faculty and staff, continuously strengthening reputation of Institutional Advancement and inspiring internal community to embrace their role in furthering the NYUAD vision and mission by inspiring investment
• Active in regional industry activities to build brand and reputation of NYUAD
• Maintain established IA policies and procedures for best practice
• Conduct proposal generation, stewardship activity, event design and delivery, volunteer management and operational activities needed
• Work closely with Operations and Alumni Engagement teams within advancement and with other key departments across the University
• Proactively update database ensuring accuracy and confidentiality
• Support the negotiation with donors/sponsors on agreements ensuring they are compliant with NYU, NYUAD and UAE policies and procedures, working closely with operations team

Qualifications

Required Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field

Required Experience:

• More than 7 years of related experience in nonprofit fundraising, preferably in a higher education environment
• Experience in complex nonprofit environment
• Proven track record in fundraising
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office suite
• Experience with relational databases
• Strategic, creative thinker with excellent prioritization and multi-tasking skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Ability to effectively work with different internal and external audiences
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Ability to influence and negotiate with diverse stakeholder group

Preferred Experience:

• Experience with Blackbaud
• Arabic speaking
• Proven regional fundraising experience

Additional Information

About NYUAD

NYU Abu Dhabi is a degree-granting research university with a fully integrated liberal arts and science undergraduate program in the Arts, Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Engineering. NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU New York, and NYU Shanghai, form the backbone of NYU’s global network university, an interconnected network of portal campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity. This global university represents a transformative shift in higher education, one in which the intellectual and creative endeavors of academia are shaped and examined through an international and multicultural perspective. As a major intellectual hub at the crossroads of the Arab world, NYUAD serves as a center for scholarly thought, advanced research, knowledge creation, and sharing, through its academic, research, and creative activities.