Executive Director of Development; Commonwealth Honors College

Position: Executive Director of Development (Commonwealth Honors College)
About University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation

Established in 2003, the University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation (UMAF), a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, exists to raise philanthropic funds in support of the University of Massachusetts Amherst's mission and highest aspirations. Located on the Amherst campus and wholly dedicated to supporting the University's mission, UMAF is a separately governed nonprofit organization with its own health, wellness, and retirement benefits. UMAF serves the University of Massachusetts Amherst community by serving as a best practices resource for fundraising strategy and implementation.

About the role

Reporting to the Vice President of Development, Matt Carlyon, the Chief Development Officer (CDO) will assume and build out a national portfolio of individuals, corporations, and foundations rated at the major and principal gift levels ($50K-$1M+) with likely geographic emphasis on prospects and donors in the Northeast and Florida. In addition to frontline fundraising responsibilities, the CDO will hire and manage a team member focused on donor engagement and annual giving, partner with and guide an active and engaged Advisory Board, and actively pursue collaborations with colleagues across UMAF towards interdisciplinary and thematic giving opportunities that will significantly increase private support.

In addition to evergreen priorities within the college for research and endowments, a vital need existsto increase student scholarships. This will provide students who are passionate about learning with the foundation and stimulus they need to create new knowledge, increase their capacity as innovative and independent thinkers, and deepen their facility to develop solutions to pressing problems.

The CDO will be expected to create a compelling case for support, create strategic plans, proposals, and marketing materials to advance the development agenda for this College; stretch to close gifts and meet established goals; and initiate joint solicitations with the Vice President of Development and UMAF colleagues, as well as College faculty, staff, and volunteers as appropriate. They will make strategic use of the Dean's time and efforts to advance key relationships and gift discussions, taking the lead in donor strategy and making the ask, identifying and pursuing mutually beneficial relationships, and delivering timely, transparent communication to internal and external constituents.

The ideal candidate is relationship-driven and donor-centric with a track record of fundraising success at 6-figure gift levels and above; shows an ability to think and act strategically while exhibiting diplomacy, creativity, and initiative. The CDO demonstrates cultural fluency, empathy, and high emotional intelligence along with the skill needed to handle complex organizational details and project manage a variety of tasks.

Location :
This is a full-time hybrid position and is open to employees in select US states:
Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.

What you'll do

Fundraising (60%)

• Actively maintain a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects and cultivate, solicit and steward them on behalf of the Commonwealth Honors College.
• Craft and present proposals for major/principal gift solicitations and prepare other fundraising materials to be used to maximize philanthropy for the College's key strategic priorities.
• Ensure continuous progress in moving assigned donors through donor cycle (e.g., qualify, engage, cultivate, solicit, and steward). Document all quality contacts and moves management strategies through the use of the prospect tracking system (Advance).
• Collaborate with central advancement such as planned giving, principal gifts, corporate and foundation relations on major gift proposals.
• Create and update strategic plans for donors you plan on soliciting. Participate in relationship management teams and contribute to strategic plans associated with key donors.
• Maintain a high degree of confidentiality and adhere to the policies and procedures for accepting, recording, and acknowledging gifts.

Development…