Assistant Director of Development - University of St Thomas

The University of St. Thomas invites qualified candidates to apply for an Assistant Director of Development position within the University Advancement Department.

The University of St. Thomas embraces diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity for all. Our convictions of dignity, diversity and personal attention call us to embody and champion a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment.  The University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer (EEO).  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, or other protected characteristic.  We are committed to building a skilled team that represents a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. This commitment is consistent with our mission: Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good.  A successful candidate will possess a commitment to the ideals of this mission.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

The University of St. Thomas offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program, which includes:

• Up to 100% tuition remission for employees and dependents upon eligibility
• Up to 50% tuition remission for spouses upon eligibility
• A generous Employer retirement contribution of 9.4% of annual salary upon eligibility
• Medical, dental, and vision options
• Employer-paid disability, life, and AD&D benefits

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Senior Director of Development for the Dougherty Family College, School of Education, and Central Scholarships, who oversees unit fundraising, the Assistant Director of Development plays a critical role in helping to ensure the success of St. Thomas’s ten-year fundraising campaign by engaging and inspiring constituents and building a pipeline of major gift prospects. The ADD is responsible for securing gifts from prospects with capacity of $25,000 and above, by identifying, cultivating, and soliciting prospects, including alumni, parents, friends, and prospects currently unaffiliated with St. Thomas. The ADD will work with the Advancement Communications, Events, and Donor Relations, and other departments to help develop and activate unit engagement plans to engage and identify new prospects. These plans include unit, campus, and regional events; communication with prospects through various channels; engagement with student programs and activities; and customized reports and communications for key individual prospects and donors. Finally, the ADD will conduct research to identify new prospects, working in collaboration with Prospect Development.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1.       Portfolio Management:

• Working with Prospect Management and Research, identify prospects with capacity for gifts greater than $25,000
• Maintain a balanced portfolio of prospects across the stages of qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Work with Prospect Management and Research to continually refresh portfolio and implement strategies to move prospects through the cultivation cycle toward solicitation

2.       Prospect identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship:

• Conduct regular outreach to qualify prospects through face-to-face visits and other substantive contacts and confirm gift capacity. The ADD will be required to meet a specified metric of visits/substantive contacts per year
• Solicit a subset of prospects in portfolio annually for gifts based on capacity. Performance metrics, including gift closures, will be negotiated each year with the Senior Director of Development
• Work with Donor Relations to develop and implement appropriate stewardship programs for gifts and prospects at the major and principal gift level
• Mine prioritized unit-level prospect pools developed by Prospect Management and Research for qualification outreach. Seek referrals from prospects, donors, and event attendees. Monitor and mine unit social media posts to identify potential prospects

3.       Engagement Plan activation:

•  Assist the Senior Director of Development in developing and implementing an annual engagement plan to engage current and prospective prospects and donors
• Proactively ensure that events and communications pieces are regularly scheduled throughout the year with appropriate post-event follow-up
• Working with UA events staff, assume responsibility for logistics associated with meetings and events
• Work with campus partners to develop high-touch and mass engagement strategies to increase prospect engagement with the university and cultivate towards gifts

4.       Institutional knowledge, reporting, planning, and administrative work:

•  Submit an annual plan outlining proposed solicitations and strategies for each fiscal year
• Gain familiarity with university and unit fundraising priorities and collaterals to facilitate meaningful donor discussion. Continually refresh knowledge through reading/research, attendance at university and unit functions, and team and one-one meetings with colleagues
•  Enter timely reports on all donor outreach attempts and contacts, including detailed reports on face-to face visits and other substantive contacts using the donor database, (Salesforce)
• Plan and organize local travel schedule, prepare reports for supervisor and UA leadership as needed, and maintain accurate record of work-related expenditures

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree
• One year of experience in fundraising or a related field such as sales, marketing, or public relations that focus on cultivating relationships and soliciting individual or business prospects
• This position requires local travel and attendance at some evening and weekend events

An equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and skills have been acquired may be substituted.

HOW TO APPLY

All interested candidates must apply online at https://www.stthomas.edu/jobs/. Follow the instructions to complete an online application which includes creating or updating an applicant profile, uploading a resume, and completing a job specific application.

In light of its commitment to create and maintain a safe learning and working environment, employment with the University of St. Thomas requires consent and successful completion of a background screening.

Official job posting is available at www.stthomas.edu/jobs.