Major Gifts Leader — Associate Director of Development

Illinois Institute of Technology; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental and Vision

403(b) matching

Tuition assistance

Flexible spending and commuterBenefits

Job summary

Illinois Institute of Technology is seeking an Associate Director of Development to lead major gift fundraising, steward a portfolio of high-capacity donors, and advance campus priorities across academic units.

You will conduct donor visits, prepare proposals, and collaborate with leadership to secure gifts of $100,000+ while ensuring rigorous donor stewardship and data integrity in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years of fundraising experience with direct donor engagement and solicitation.
• Advanced degree preferred.
• Experience with STEM and/or professional school donors is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of major gift prospects (approximately 125) with capacity of $100,000+.
• Conduct approximately 100 donor visits per year, including at least 20 formal solicitations.
• Qualify prospective donors through discovery to assess philanthropic interest, capacity, and alignment with university priorities.
• Develop cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies aligned with academic unit priorities.
• Achieve annual revenue goals aligned with experience and unit priorities (generally ~$1M).
• Maintain strong stewardship and solicit annual leadership gifts from assigned prospects.
• Partner with Managing Director and PRM for portfolio optimization and pipeline development.

Skills

Donor engagement

Fundraising

Solicitation

Portfolio management

Education

Advanced degree

Job description

Illinois Institute of Technology is seeking an Associate Director of Development to lead major gift fundraising, steward a portfolio of high-capacity donors, and advance campus priorities across academic units.

You will conduct donor visits, prepare proposals, and collaborate with leadership to secure gifts of $100,000+ while ensuring rigorous donor stewardship and data integrity in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT.