Assistant Director of Development

University of St. Thomas; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 63,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking an Assistant Director of Development to join their University Advancement Department. This role is pivotal in driving fundraising efforts, engaging alumni, and securing major gifts. The successful candidate will work collaboratively across departments to activate engagement plans and build lasting relationships with donors. This position offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits, including tuition remission and retirement contributions. If you are passionate about making a difference and have a strong background in fundraising or sales, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Tuition remission for employees and dependents

Tuition remission for spouses

Employer retirement contribution of 9.4%

Medical, dental, and vision options

Employer-paid disability, life, and AD&D benefits

Qualifications

• Minimum one year experience in fundraising or related field.
• Local travel required for events and meetings.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of major gift prospects with capacity of $25,000 and above.
• Conduct outreach and solicit gifts from qualified prospects.
• Assist in developing engagement plans for prospects and donors.

Skills

Fundraising

Sales

Marketing

Public Relations

Relationship Building

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

OVERVIEW

The University of St. Thomas invites qualified candidates to apply for an Assistant Director of Development position within the University Advancement Department.

The University of St. Thomas embraces belonging and equal opportunity for all. Our convictions of dignity, diversity and personal attention call us to embody and champion an inclusive environment. The University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer (EEO). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, or other protected characteristic. This commitment to inclusion and equal opportunity is consistent with our mission: Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good. A successful candidate will possess a commitment to the ideals of this mission.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

The University of St. Thomas offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program, which includes:

• Up to 100% tuition remission for employees and dependents upon eligibility
• Up to 50% tuition remission for spouses upon eligibility
• A generous Employer retirement contribution of 9.4% of annual salary upon eligibility
• Medical, dental, and vision options
• Employer-paid disability, life, and AD&D benefits

Salary Range: $63,000 to $75,000

The University of St. Thomas has provided a salary range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The specific salary offered will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information.

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Assistant Dean for Development, School of Law & Senior Director, Principal and Legacy Giving University Advancement, the Assistant Director of Development plays a critical role in helping to ensure the success of St. Thomas’s ten-year fundraising campaign by engaging and inspiring constituents and building a pipeline of major and legacy gift prospects. The ADD is responsible for securing gifts from prospects with capacity of $25,000 and above, by identifying, cultivating, and soliciting prospects, including alumni, parents, friends, and prospects currently unaffiliated with St. Thomas. The ADD will work with Legacy Giving and Estate Planning, School of Law, Advancement Communications, Events, Donor Relations, and other departments to help develop and activate unit engagement plans to engage and identify new prospects. These plans include unit, campus, and regional events; communication with prospects through various channels; maintenance of the Legacy Giving and School of Law’s social media presence; engagement with student programs and activities; and customized reports and communications for key individual prospects and donors. Finally, the ADD will conduct research to identify new prospects, working in collaboration with Prospect Development.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1) Portfolio Management:

• Working with Prospect Management and Research to identify prospects with capacity for gifts greater than $25,000
• Maintain a balanced portfolio of prospects across the stages of qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Work with Prospect Development to continually refresh portfolio and implement strategies to move prospects through the cultivation cycle toward solicitation

2) Prospect identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship:

• Conduct regular outreach to qualify prospects through face-to-face visits and other substantive contacts and confirm gift capacity. The ADD will be required to meet a specified metric of visits/substantive contacts per year
• Solicit a subset of prospects in portfolio annually for gifts based on capacity. Performance metrics, including gift closures, will be negotiated each year with the Assistant Dean for Development, School of Law & Senior Director, Principal and Legacy Giving
• Collaborate with Donor Relations to develop and implement appropriate stewardship programs for gifts and prospects above the $25,000 level
• Mine prioritized unit-level prospect pools developed by Prospect Development for qualification outreach. Seek referrals from prospects, donors, and event attendees. Monitor and mine unit social media posts to identify potential prospects

3) Engagement Plan activation

• Assist the Assistant Dean for Development, School of Law & Senior Director, Principal and Legacy Giving in developing and implementing an annual engagement plan to engage current and prospective prospects and donors
• Proactively ensure that events and communications pieces are regularly scheduled throughout the year with appropriate post-event follow-up.
• Working with UA events staff, assume responsibility for logistics associated with meetings and events
• Work with the Engagement Center to develop high-touch and mass engagement strategies to increase prospect engagement with the university and cultivate gifts

4) Institutional knowledge, reporting, planning, and administrative work:

• Submit an annual plan outlining proposed solicitations and strategies for each fiscal year
• Gain familiarity with university and unit fundraising priorities, as well as Legacy Giving and Estate Planning tools and resources to facilitate meaningful donor discussions. Continually refresh knowledge through reading/research, attendance at university and unit functions, and team and one-one meetings with colleagues
• Enter timely reports on all donor outreach attempts and contacts, including detailed reports on face-to face visits and other substantive contacts using the donor database, (Salesforce)
• Plan and organize local travel schedule, prepare reports for supervisor and UA leadership as needed, and maintain accurate record of work-related expenditures

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree
• One year of experience in fundraising or a related field such as sales, marketing, or public relations that focus on cultivating relationships and soliciting individual or business prospects
• This position requires local travel and attendance at some evening and weekend events. A DMV background check is required.

An equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and skills have been acquired may be substituted.

HOW TO APPLY

All interested candidates must apply online at https://www.stthomas.edu/jobs/. Follow the instructions to complete an online application which includes creating or updating an applicant profile, uploading a resume, and completing a job specific application.

In light of its commitment to create and maintain a safe learning and working environment, employment with the University of St. Thomas requires consent and successful completion of a background screening.

Official job posting is available at www.stthomas.edu/jobs.