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Department Summary: The mission of VCU’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) is to maximize philanthropic support by engaging stakeholders with our institution working in partnership with all VCU schools, programs and campuses as one development and alumni relations community and implementing the best practices and efficient strategies to achieve a comprehensive development program.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Development for Colleges, Schools, and Units, the Senior Director of Development will serve as the Lead Development Officer (LDO) for the assigned school, working directly with the dean and Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) colleagues to achieve VCU’s fundraising goals by designing and measuring annual long-range fundraising plans tied to the strategic needs of the school.

This is a pooled posting for two positions:

• Senior Director of Development for the School of Social Work

• Senior Director of Development for the School of Education

Interested applicants are required to submit a cover letter identifying the role or roles in which they are interested.

As the Senior Director of Development for either role, you will:

• Manage (identify, engage, cultivate, solicit, steward) a portfolio of approximately 60 of the school’s top prospects with a giving capacity of $50,000 or greater; engage in discovery work annually to determine interest in VCU’s priorities;

• Solicit gifts at the major gifts level (at or above $50K) through personal appointments, calls and correspondence in order to obtain and/or increase donor contributions; 

• Maximize the dean’s participation in fundraising and engagement efforts through strategic planning and thorough organization; 

• In partnership with the dean, academic leaders, and AVP, define and design the school’s philanthropic priorities; collaborate with marketing team in producing campaign documents and cases for support; 

• Integrate the dean, faculty, students, and alumni into development activities where most appropriate and effective; 

• With dean, academic leaders, AVP, and other DAR leadership and colleagues, devise short and long-term donor-centric strategies and develop plans for advancing each prospect’s meaningful passions to the university; 

• Collaborate and coordinate with other school operations, as well as colleagues on central teams (including planned giving, CFR, principal gifts, and university development) to develop donor-centric strategies to leverage and maximize giving and engagement; engage with colleagues for joint cultivation/solicitation/stewardship efforts when needed; 

• Develop the annual school-focused operating plan in collaboration with central partners; design and measure annual and long-range fundraising plans tied to the strategic needs of the school; 

• Prepare briefing documents for VCU and DAR leadership for school functions in which they are in attendance; 

• Ensure accurate documentation of all donor activity and major gift solicitation plans in the university’s prospect management system (RADAR); 

• May supervise, direct, motivate, and evaluate fundraising and development support staff assigned to the school in order to assure consistency, quality, and quantity of work performed; 

• Coordinate with alumni relations and the strategic marketing and engagement team to ensure coordination of information to stakeholders and friends of the school

• Develop, support, and evaluate campaign volunteer opportunities within the school; collaborate with central partners on recruitment and training of those volunteers; 

• Audit internal operations in order to develop standardized procedures in keeping with university policies; 

• Provide guidance and assist with stewardship events and correspondence 

• Coordinate with central teams on the composing, editing, and publishing of fundraising reports; 

• Manage time and activities to support annually-established metrics on prospect/donor engagement and fundraising efficacy.

As a team member, you will: 

• Demonstrate appreciation for the mission and aspirations of VCU and VCU Health 

• Display a strong commitment to organizational success and delivering on individual responsibilities as a university citizen 

• Demonstrate a commitment to the pursuit of excellence, high achievement and ongoing professional development by proactively seeking opportunities to develop new capabilities, skills, and knowledge 

• Establish, cultivate and maintain collaborative working relationships with internal partners 

• Demonstrate a commitment to the highest quality service to internal and external communities 

• Demonstrate an open-minded approach to understanding people from all backgrounds, identities, abilities, perspectives and experiences 

• Ensure work is completed accurately and within deadline. Set high standards, exhibit a positive attitude, maintain strict confidentiality, and show exemplary work ethic. 

• Reflect DAR’s and VCU’s core purpose and values

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience 

• Significant professional experience fundraising in an academic medical center or higher education (Research I) setting or similar complex environments 

• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU

• Demonstrated ability to plan, execute, secure and steward six- and seven-figure gifts through individual effort 

• Sound judgment, strong interpersonal skills and professional credibility required to develop relationships of trust and respect with a diverse range of constituents, including donors and prospects, health care providers, research faculty, senior administrators, volunteers and stakeholders, and development colleagues 

• Emotional intelligence, empathy and ability to relate to individuals impacted by health experiences 

• Highest ethical standards, attention to confidentiality and a willingness to fully comply with VCU’s interpretation of HIPAA law as it relates to fundraising 

• The ability to work independently, meet deadlines and consistently achieve goals while also driving and supporting team success in a matrix environment 

• High level of initiative, strong orientation to teamwork and the ability to work effectively in complex environments 

• Attention to detail and the ability to use a database to maintain and review records and reports such as donor data, prospect contacts, solicitations and proposals 

• Working knowledge of tax laws affecting charitable giving 

• Ability to travel via car and/or an airplane (overnight and long-distance travel will be necessary) 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or work experience at a level that equates to an advanced degree 

• Seven years or more of demonstrated success identifying, qualifying and soliciting major gift prospects, preferably in the context of higher education and/or health care, and preferably working in conjunction with faculty partners 

• Knowledge of and demonstrated experience in major and planned giving concepts and strategies as well as significant experience in creating and implementing major gift plans (campaign experience strongly preferred) 

• Strong management capabilities 

• Deep appreciation for the mission and aspirations of VCU and VCU Health and a desire to play a meaningful role in the life of VCU and in the Richmond community 

• Collaboration skills consistent with bringing out the best in a matrix team, instilling pride in a team effort 

• Personal commitment to the fundraising industry as evidenced through work ethic and aspiration to best practices

Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

VCU is also committed to hiring veterans. The University will include a veteran’s period(s) of military service in calculations of the annual leave accrual rate. This may provide veterans with an increased leave accrual.

Unit: Development MBU

Department: Campus Development

Salary Range:  $110,000-$130,000 commensurate with experience

University Job Title: 1551B - Development Officer Base

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Hours per Week: 40

Restricted Position: No

ORP Eligible: Yes

Flexible Work Arrangement: Yes; hybrid work arrangements are available for candidates within commuting distance to Richmond, VA and able to work from the office at least 2-3 days per week.

Eligible for sponsorship (e.g. H-IB visa status, etc.): No

Wireless stipend: Eligible

Contact Information:

Contact Name: Izzy Kane

Contact Email: irkane@vcu.edu