Associate Director of Philanthropy

Northern Illinois University Foundation; DeKalb (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Northern Illinois University is seeking an Associate Director of Philanthropy to inspire transformational giving and advance the university's mission. You will connect alumni, donors, and friends with opportunities that create lasting impact for students, faculty, and programs across the university.

The role emphasizes building meaningful relationships, driving major and planned gifts, and using data to optimize fundraising performance while maintaining high ethical standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required with 3 years of major gift solicitation or 3 years in fundraising/alumni relations.
• Capital campaign experience in higher education is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of donor records systems, data tracking and fundraising tools.
• Proven ability to build relationships anchored in trust and integrity.

Responsibilities

• Portfolio management of 125+ major gift prospects through all donor lifecycle stages.
• Develop and execute cultivation plans to secure major gifts of $10,000+.
• Create donor-centered strategies with moves management to deepen engagement.
• Collaborate with university leadership and Foundation colleagues on fundraising strategies.
• Prepare gift proposals and stewardship materials and ensure timely documentation.

Skills

Major gift solicitation

Donor cultivation

Relationship building

Strategic planning

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Capital campaign experience in higher education

Knowledge of Microsoft Office

Tools

ARC donor management system

Microsoft Office

Moves management approach

Job description

Northern Illinois University is seeking an Associate Director of Philanthropy to inspire transformational giving and advance the university's mission. In this dynamic role, you will connect the passions of alumni, donors, and friends with opportunities that create lasting impact for students, faculty, and programs across the university.

The Impact You Will Make

In this role, you’ll do far more than manage a portfolio—you'll build the relationships that turn generosity into real-world change. As a frontline fundraiser, you will connect alumni, friends, and partners with the causes they care about most, driving major support for Northern Illinois University’s students, faculty, and programs.

What You'll Drive

Meaningful Support: Craft strategies to secure major and planned gifts ($10,000+) aligned with university priorities.

Lasting Connections: Build genuine relationships through direct donor visits, campus experiences, and tailored engagement.

Visible Impact: Keep donors connected to the tangible difference their generosity makes across the campus community.

We are seeking a relationship-driven fundraising professional who thrives on building meaningful connections, achieving measurable results, and inspiring philanthropy. The ideal candidate combines strategic thinking, strong communication skills, and a passion for advancing our mission through major and planned gifts.

Key Competencies

Communication & Solicitation: Articulate a compelling vision that inspires action, with a proven track record of directly closing major gifts.

Strategic Portfolio Leadership: Move prospects seamlessly through every stage of the giving pipeline using targeted, personalized strategies.

Data-Informed Execution: Use fundraising metrics, activity targets, and performance analysis to optimize time and maximize revenue.

Authentic Relationship Building: Earn the trust of donors, campus leaders, and partners to align institutional needs with donor intent.

Donor-Centered Stewardship: Foster long-term affinity by ensuring supporters see and feel the ongoing impact of their investments.

Uncompromising Integrity: Exercise exceptional discretion, sound judgment, and adherence to ethical fundraising standards.

Description of Job Duties

40% Portfolio Management and Major Gift Fundraising

Manage a portfolio of 125+ major gift prospects through all stages of the donor lifecycle, including identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, closure, and stewardship, with a focus on advancing prospects toward meaningful philanthropic engagement and investment.

Develop and execute strategic cultivation and solicitation plans to secure major and planned gifts of $10,000 or more. Through personalized donor engagement, build meaningful relationships that align donors' philanthropic interests with university and college priorities, resulting in transformational support for NIU.

Consistently achieve established fundraising performance metrics, including portfolio activity, donor visits, meaningful contacts, proposals submitted, gifts closed, dollars raised, and pipeline growth. Leverage data, prospect insights, and ongoing portfolio analysis to drive fundraising success and maximize philanthropic outcomes.

Actively identify and qualify new major gift prospects while regularly evaluating the portfolio to ensure time is focused on donors with the greatest potential for philanthropic engagement.

25% Donor Strategy Development

Identify new opportunities for current and deferred gifts that align donor interests with institutional and college-level priorities.

Develop and execute individualized fundraising strategies using the moves management approach that are designed to deepen engagement and increase philanthropic investment.

Partner with the Senior Director of Philanthropy, academic leaders, and Foundation colleagues to develop and execute donor-centered fundraising strategies, including designing significant or complex gift opportunities.

Prepare gift proposals, pledge documentation, endowed and expendable fund agreements, and other materials that result in successful solicitations.

Partner with donor relations to create tailored stewardship strategies and ensure timely preparation of expendable and endowment fund agreements, and pledge documentation.

20% Unit-Based Strategy Development

Participate in the development and execution of the college's annual advancement plan, helping to establish fundraising priorities, identify philanthropic opportunities, and implement strategies that drive donor engagement, portfolio growth, and revenue generation.

Develop strong working relationships with deans, department chairs, faculty, and other academic leaders to understand college and departmental priorities, identify potential donors, and develop philanthropic opportunities that support those priorities. Engage donors through strategic one-to-one meetings, campus visits, events, volunteer opportunities, and stewardship activities.

Act as a trusted Foundation partner to assigned college(s), departments, centers, and programs, fostering collaborative relationships that strengthen donor engagement, enhance stewardship efforts, and support sustainable philanthropic growth.

15% Portfolio Administration and Planning

Maintain sound portfolio health, including timely documentation of donor interactions and visits, and maintaining the integrity of donor, pipeline, and portfolio data in the Foundation’s relationship management system (ARC).

Collaborate with prospect research and development teams to build and maintain a healthy portfolio of major gift prospects.

Utilize prospect research, analytics, and fundraising data to prioritize opportunities, evaluate progress, and inform decision-making.

Monitor portfolio performance and adjust strategies to ensure achievement of fundraising goals.

Represent the University and the NIU Foundation at University and college events, as well as community, volunteer and professional organizations.

Education and Experience Required

1. Bachelor’s degree.

2. Three years (3) of experience with successful major gift solicitation OR

3. Three (3) years of transferable experience within a fundraising or alumni relations office.

4. Knowledge and experience in development and alumni relations fields.

Education and Experience Preferred

1. Minimum of 2 years of professional experience in a collegiate environment.

2. Capital campaign experience in higher education is highly desirable.

3. Knowledge of Microsoft Office software and familiarity with appropriate foundation fundraising tools. Knowledge of computerized systems for donor record keeping, data tracking prospects, and donors.

4. Commitment to the ideals and culture of higher education.

5. A proven ability to build strong relationships anchored in trust and integrity.

6. The ability to effectively work in a group/team environment to assist intra-divisional initiatives.

List the knowledge, skills, and abilities critical to the performance of this position

1. Demonstrable commitment to the highest standard of ethical and professional conduct in accordance with the CASE Statement of Ethics, the Association of Fundraising Professionals Code of Ethical Principles and Standards, and The Donor Bill of Rights. (Membership is not required.)

2. Deep, personal commitment to diversity in all forms, the recognition of all individuals to mutual respect, and the acceptance of others without biases. Demonstrable commitment to leading by example, modeling diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the university. Demonstrably strong work ethic and entrepreneurial mentality. A high level of integrity, focus, and commitment to achieve ambitious goals is essential.

3. Excellent interpersonal skills to relate to donors, volunteers,colleagues,and universityleadership.

4. Self-motivated (a “self-starter”); innovative and ability to work with considerable independence within the context of a team environment and a network of relationships.

5. Superior written and oral communication, negotiating, organizational,analyticaland fundraising skills, including the ability to interpret financial information and manage data.

6. Familiarity with the “moves management” approach to major gift fundraising.

7. Experience working within a matrixed organizational structure where performance responsibilities are evaluated in different divisions.

8. A flexible attitude and clear ability to modify and adapt as situations arise.

9. Ability and desire to engage in face-to-face relationship activities, primarily through the scheduling of one-on-one appointments with donor prospects who have never been engaged with NIU.

10. Ability and willingness to travel to meet donors and prospects in their homes and offices.

11. Business proficiency in Microsoft Office Word, Access, and Excel, including the tabulation of budget figures, creation of scenario planning tools and merging files; experience in enterprise systems for event and scheduling management.

12. Familiarity with fundraising tools. Knowledge of computerized systems of donor record keeping, data tracking of prospects, and donors.

13. Exceptional organizational and project management skills.

14. Excellent attention to detail.

15. The ability to synthesize multiple sources of information.

16. Ability and willingness to travel and to work extra hours, nights and weekends to ensure the job is done exceptionally well;

17. Ability to work autonomously, and to think critically and strategically; capable of taking responsibility for specific goals within designated time frames. Capable of coordinating multi-task initiatives to a successful conclusion.

18. A flexible attitude and clear ability to modify and adapt as situations and conditions change, as well as a resilience about the rigors of public higher education and the increasing pressure of resource constraints.

19. A proven ability to build strong relationships anchored in trust and integrity.