Assistant Director, Family Giving & Leadership Gifts

Merrimack College; Massachusetts; On-site; USD 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Merrimack College seeks a driven advancement professional to serve as Assistant Director of Leadership & Family Giving. You will manage a portfolio of leadership and emergent major gift prospects, building relationships with current and former families and high-potential individuals.

Working with colleagues in Annual Giving, Prospect Research and Major Gifts, you will advance donors toward major gifts, support family philanthropy initiatives, and help grow Merrimack’s philanthropic pipeline

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Three to five years of experience in advancement or allied fields; relationship management or fundraising is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and engage donors around an organization’s mission.
• Fundraising experience including donor qualification, cultivation and solicitation preferred.
• Interest in moving donors from annual/leadership giving toward major gifts.
• Excellent organizational and project-management skills with strong follow-through.
• Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to work with donors, families, volunteers and colleagues across a complex organization.
• Willingness to travel periodically; evening and weekend work for events required.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of current and former families and leadership annual donors to grow major gift potential.
• Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward donors; move them toward major gifts.
• Conduct discovery meetings to understand donors’ interests, capacity, and Merrimack connection.
• Collaborate with Annual Giving and Prospect Research to identify rising engagement.
• Develop strategies to advance prospects from annual/leadership giving to major gifts.
• Coordinate with senior leaders to ensure proper prospect assignment as relationships grow.
• Maintain donor engagement pace and track activity in advancement systems.
• Support family philanthropy initiatives, including Parents Leadership Council, BOA engagement.

Skills

Relationship building

Donor cultivation

Communication

Organizational skills

Project management

Travel flexibility

Evening/weekend availability

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Merrimack College seeks a driven advancement professional to serve as Assistant Director of Leadership & Family Giving. You will manage a portfolio of leadership and emergent major gift prospects, building relationships with current and former families and high-potential individuals.

Working with colleagues in Annual Giving, Prospect Research and Major Gifts, you will advance donors toward major gifts, support family philanthropy initiatives, and help grow Merrimack’s philanthropic pipeline