The Senior Director of Major Gifts (SDMG) reports directly to the Chief Development Officer and is a member of the Resource Development (RD) Department’s senior leadership team. The SDMG is responsible for raising funds at major and transformational gift levels ($10K to $1M+) primarily from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The SDMG is responsible for managing a portfolio of current donors and creating and implementing new development plans and strategies for the identification/research, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of new donors. As a department leader, the SDMG will manage direct reports supporting new business development, sponsorships, and grants. In addition, they will manage, support, and assist volunteer councils and board members to participate in philanthropic support, volunteer activities, and events. The SDMG must be a passionate, engaged, and innovative individual who will champion the collective impact work of improving children and families through education, income stability and health.
- Believe in and advocate for UWSL’s mission to create lasting social change in our communities
- Creating genuine, lasting relationships with individuals and businesses supporting UWSL
- Provide key direction, support, and productive strategies to maintain a major gift portfolio and to build new major, transformational, and planned giving pipelines
- Productively manage your schedule to spend appropriate time out of office meeting with key individual donors of high capacity averaging five in-person meetings per week
- Professionally represent and share the mission of UWSL at city, business, government, and volunteer events and activities
- Engage in the successful use of moves management of donors
- Work closely with and support the RD senior leadership team’s goals through results-based management of the major gift team
- Manage direct reports and cross-functional teams supporting current efforts and new growth in business development, sponsorships, and grants
- Maintain accurate and detailed donor records in Salesforce (CRM)
- Develop and execute engagement plans and revenue forecasts in Salesforce and track actions and performance metrics (personal and team’s) progress towards set revenue goals
- Train and support staff and volunteers in fundraising to support joint visits, site visits at partner schools, and cultivation opportunities at UWSL and donor network events
- Proactively support Leadership Giving and Corporate Engagement in identifying and cultivating key donors and prospects who may qualify as major giving prospects
- Work with the marketing team to create development materials, tools and other necessary collateral supporting major gifts, new business, sponsorships, events, and other efforts
- Assist the CDO in productive strategies supporting planned giving and endowment sustainability
- Collaborate with the Collective Impact team to identify needs and resources in order to improve community impact through donor support and involvement
- Develop and administer an annual budget for the major gifts team
CORE COMPETENCIES
- Ability to articulate UWSL’s mission, priorities, goals with enthusiasm, energy, creativity, and also the ability to compel others to action
- Personally driven with flexibility in managing multiple tasks
- Candidates should possess genuine interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
- Can organize, write, and present persuasive and visionary gift opportunities
- Can maintain positive working relationships with external constituents and internal colleagues
- Able to strategically produce creative content and methods to reach goals
- Maintain professional demeanor, appearance, and ethics
- Ability to travel and accommodate flexible scheduling
- Can effectively manage and work strategically with development teams, board members, staff, and volunteers in raising major gifts
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
- 5 years of proven major gift experience in nonprofit work, higher education, or equivalent
- 3 years of direct management experience supervising staff and/or teams
- 1 year or more grant writing experience
- Proficient with Google and Microsoft Suites and CRM systems (preferably Salesforce)