Senior Associate Director of Development, Block Museum

Northwestern University; Evanston (IL); Hybrid; USD 99,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Tuition benefits

Paid vacation and holidays

Parental leave

Job summary

Northwestern University in Evanston, IL seeks a Major Gifts Officer to manage a high-net-worth donor portfolio ($10K to $5M) and solicit leadership gifts. You will partner with academic leadership to align institutional priorities with donors’ interests and guide education about philanthropy.

The role offers a hybrid work model with travel and professional development through Plus Delta. You will write proposals, track activities in the donor database, supervise one staff member, and collaborate

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher required.
• 6 years development, marketing, sales or the equivalent experience.
• Experience fundraising for academic, cultural, or museum institutions.

Responsibilities

• Develops and implements overall communication plan to educate about philanthropy and fundraising needs among donors and alumni.
• Analyzes data to assess the prospect pool and prioritize and tier prospects.
• Collaborates with internal departments and broader University partners to identify goals and execute strategies.
• Identifies, researches, cultivates and solicits major gifts by managing a portfolio of approximately prospects.
• Coordinates with Major Gifts, Annual Giving, and Planned Giving teams to coordinate contacts.
• Travel throughout the region or country including events.
• Manages Block Board of Advisors and recruits new members.
• Writes correspondence and proposals to prospective donors.
• Prepares contact reports and maintains donor database.
• Tracks and manages the prospective donor pool to develop reports.
• Supervises 1 staff and provides training to staff.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Skills

Analytical Thinker

Communication

Teamwork and Collaboration

Strategic and Critical Thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Location: Evanston, Illinois

Department

Alumni Relations & Development

Salary

Please note: The target budgeted salary for this position is $98,500 - $110,000 annually. Offers will be based on candidate experience and education, as well as equity within Northwestern University.

Job Summary

Manages a significant portfolio of high-net worth individuals and families with the capacity to make leadership and major gifts ($10K+ to $5M) in support of the unit and the university. Collaborates extensively with the academic leadership and colleagues in identifying, cultivating, and soliciting donors. Responsible for building meaningful and effective relationships with alumni and friends leading to gifts that align institutional priorities with the prospect's interests, passion, values, and appropriate to their financial capacity. Read more about The Block's 2024-2029 Strategic Plan.

Our office operates in a hybrid model and offers the option of working three days in the office and two days remote. Requires some travel.

This role includes structured professional development through Plus Delta's Discipline of Frontline Fundraising program, which provides high-quality training to strengthen fundamental skills in donor cultivation, solicitation, portfolio management, and strategic relationship building. Additional ARD resources further connect Northwestern policies and processes with the best practices introduced in Plus Delta's curriculum.

Specific Responsibilities

Strategic Planning

• Plans, develops & implements overall communication plan to encourage education of philanthropy & heightened awareness of fundraising needs among the donor & alumni community to maintain & increase the amount & level of donors.
• Analyzes data to assess the prospect pool and then prioritize and tiers prospects.

Collaboration

• Involves high level of collaboration with both internal department and broader University partners to identify common goals & develop & execute strategies to increase integration.

Prospects and Gifts

• Identifies, researches, cultivates and personally solicits major gifts by managing a portfolio of approximately prospects.
• Partners with other areas of development, specifically the Major Gifts, Annual & Planned Giving teams to coordinate contacts.
• Researches & develops prospects including up-to-date knowledge on assigned groups & works with other areas of development to coordinate contacts.
• Will require travel throughout the region or country including participation in some events.

Volunteers

• Manages and supports the Block Board of Advisors.
• Recruits new members to the Board.

Administration

• Writes correspondence and proposals to prospective donors.
• Prepares contact reports on meetings and interactions with alumni.
• Updates and maintains prospect management information in the donor database.
• Tracks and manages the prospective donor pool to develop reports and monitor program results.

Supervisory

• Supervises 1 staff and provides work direction to others.
• Provides training to staff within or outside of immediate dept or division in regard to function.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
• 6 years development, marketing, sales or the equivalent experience is required.

Minimum Competencies

• Analytical Thinker: Experience using metrics and impact data to strengthen fundraising outcomes.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, in addition to being an active listener. Strong storytelling and impact-communication.
• Teamwork and Collaboration: Effective team player who understands individual performance drives overall team success and organizational outcomes.
• Strategic and Critical Thinking: Organized in planning both short-and long-term goals. Uses logic and reasoning to assess alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems and ambiguity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience fundraising for academic, cultural, or museum institutions.
• Demonstrated success with moving donors to higher levels of giving.
• Demonstrated success in volunteer recruitment and engagement.
• Proven success working across complex organizations and building strategic partnerships.

Preferred Competencies

• Familiarity with art museums, collections management, exhibitions, or cultural programming.
• Ability to engage intellectually with faculty and donors around research, teaching, and art.
• Ability to build trusted relationships with high net worth individuals, alumni, trustees, faculty, university leadership, and community partners.
• Creativity in looking for new outreach opportunities to share the Block's mission with new constituencies.
• Effectively drives alignment among senior leaders to advance key priorities.
• Appreciation for the role of museums in civic and academic life.

Benefits

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs. For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness

Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.

We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development

Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.