Director of Major Gifts

Westfield State University; Westfield (MA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 106,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Retirement plan

Tuition waivers & Discounts

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Westfield State University is seeking a Director of Major Gifts to lead fundraising efforts and build donor relationships. The role will manage a portfolio of up to 150 constituents, focusing on gifts $10,000 and above, including current and deferred giving and other strategies.

Collaborating with Institutional Advancement and Athletics, you will strategize and execute donor engagement, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship to grow the university's philanthropic support.

Qualifications

• Five+ years of front-line fundraising experience in a university setting.
• Track record of major gift solicitations at $5,000-$100,000.
• Experience with Raiser's Edge fundraising database.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of up to 150 donors to cultivate and solicit major gifts.
• Identify, solicit, and steward major gifts and planned giving donors.
• Collaborate with Athletics and Institutional Advancement on fundraising strategies.
• Prepare and submit goals with timelines and expected outcomes.
• Document all activity in the Raiser's Edge database.
• Travel within the Commonwealth and throughout the United States as needed.

Skills

Excellent written and oral comms

Superior organizational skills

Front-line fundraising experience

Donor relationship building

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Tools

Raiser's Edge

Job description

Director of Major Gifts

Campus Title: Director of Major Gifts

State Job Title: Director

Department: Institutional Advancement

Job Code: HA6000

FLSA Status: Exempt

Funding: 7115-0100

Bargaining Unit: APA

Job Type: Professional/Executive

Timeframe: 52 Weeks

Shift: Monday-Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm / somenights and weekends required

Regular Days Off: Saturday and Sunday

Supervision Received: From the Executive Director,Campaign

Supervision Exercised: Campaign Gift Officer and Student/Graduate Interns

Salary: $95,000 to $106,000 Annually (salary commensurate with education and experience)

This is a fully in-person position at Westfield State University,with all duties performed on campus during the employees' regularly scheduled work hours to support direct engagement with students, colleagues, and the campus community, unless your position requires travel to perform said duties.

General Statement of Duties:

The Director of Major Gifts (DMG) works to build and enhancerelationships with all constituents for the purpose of increasingfinancial support to Westfield State University. The DMG isresponsible for managing a portfolio of up to 150 constituents anddelivering meaningful engagement that culminates in commitments offinancial support to the University. The DMG will work withprospective donors to determine their philanthropic interests andthoughtfully direct donor support through the University'sphilanthropic initiatives including the Annual Fund, Endowment,Capital, and/or Major and Planned Giving. The DMG is directlyresponsible for developing, implementing, and executing alldonor/prospect management activities including identification,cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

In addition, the DMG will serve as the key strategist and primarymanager of donor/prospect constituents with connections toWestfield State University's Athletics Department. Involve andengage staff and coaches in building a strong community ofAthletics supporters through meaningful relationship building,donor engagement experiences, and strategic general athletics andteam fundraising.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Duties include but not limited to:

Essential:

• Manage a personal portfolio of 150 leadership alumni and friendprospects and donors to ensure that timely steps are taken toward cultivation, solicitation, and closure.
• Make assessment calls, cultivate, solicit, provide recognitionand steward appropriate leadership and major gifts, with an emphasis on gifts at the $10,000 level and above. Work with donorson multiple giving methods, including current and deferred giving,non-cash gifts, and related tax implications.
• Build relationships with donors and coordinate solicitation asappropriate with Institutional Advancement leadership staff.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit and steward major gift and plannedgiving donors and prospects with a particular focus on individualoutright major gifts.
• Develop, recruit and engage appropriate members of the campusand alumni communities to assist in major and planned givingcultivation and solicitation activities.
• Collaborate with Institutional Advancement colleagues onidentification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardshipstrategies for major and planned giving prospects.
• Develop and maintain a thorough working knowledge of Westfield State University's academic and strategic programs in order to effectively articulate the University's priorities and fundraisingobjectives to donors.
• Serve as the liaison between the Athletics Department and Institutional Advancement. Help staff and coaches maintain keyathletics relationships and help coordinate general athletics/teamfundraising.
• Prepare and submit goals that contain specific timelines, projected results and outcomes.
• Document all activity in the Raiser's Edge database.
• Maintain a schedule of 8-10 prospect meetings each month.
• Attend all appropriate Institutional Advancement meetings, as well as other University-related events.
• Work closely with the Institutional Advancement staff to ensure appropriate coordination and communication.
• Meet regularly with the Executive Director, Campaign on prospects and strategic plans.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Director, Campaign.

Job Requirements:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree.
• Five plus years of front-line fundraising experience, preferably in a university advancement office.
• Significant major gift and planned giving experience with a track record of successful solicitations at the $5,000-$100,000, ideally within a higher education institution.
• Superior organizational and time-management skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Experience working with Raiser's Edge fundraising database.
• Demonstrated success in personally cultivating, soliciting, closing and stewarding major gifts from individuals. Proven ability to bring creativity and effective strategies to major gift pipeline.
• The ability to build bridges and strong collaborative relationships across a complex organization, political astuteness and agility.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and work autonomously under the significant pressure of multiple and sequential deadlines.
• Willingness to work some nights and weekends on an as-needed basis.
• Willingness to travel within the Commonwealth and throughout the United States when deemed necessary.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's Degree.

Additional Information:

Salary:

Salaries for current Westfield State University employees and individuals currently working for the state of Massachusetts must be calculated individually in accordance with collective bargaining agreements as well as state policies. State job specifications may be found on the Department of Higher Education's webpage.

Employee Benefits:

Benefits are an important component of an employee's total compensation package.

• Health Insurance: Westfield State offers a variety of HMO, POS, and PPO-type health insurance plans for eligible employees. Coverage is effective on the 1st of the month following the date of hire. Exceptions to employees hired on the 1st of the month, coverage is effective immediately.
• Retirement: the MA State Employee Retirement System provides eligible employees with a retirement pension following a 10-year vesting period. In lieu of the retirement pension, eligible employees may select the Optional Retirement Plan with a maximum 5% employer matching contribution.
• Tuition Waivers & Discounts: eligible employees, including spouses and dependent children, receive reduced tuition at MA state colleges, community colleges, and universities.
• Paid Time Off: employees receive 12 paid holidays and generous vacation, personal, and sick leave benefits.
• Additional information regarding employee benefits is available on the University's Benefits & Wellness webpage.

Disability Accommodations

Westfield State University is committed to the full inclusion of individuals with disabilities and will ensure the availability of reasonable accommodations. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact Human Resources at [phone] or visit us in the Horace Mann Building, 1st floor.

Background Check

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion and review of a background check. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration.