Assistant Director of Development

About the Department

The UChicago Library is not simply a building filled with books and scholarly materials. We are thinking differently about what a library is and could be. We are forging new paths and aiming to make a significant impact at the University of Chicago, as well as in a leadership position in the global knowledge environment. We are committed to providing learning opportunities and community enrichment for all who walk through our doors or participate in our programs across Chicago.

Library Administration – Development

The Assistant Director of Development will plan and deliver programs designed to meet University fundraising goals for contributed income for the Library’s annual giving appeals, manage the Library’s events for fundraising and alumni and donor engagement, manage donor relations activities, manage the annual endowment reporting requirements, and manage and analyze the Library’s data held on the shared database. The Library’s Development department is responsible for enabling the strategic plans and aspirations of the University Librarian and Library leadership by securing philanthropic, grant, and government funding.

Recent success in annual giving includes the launch of the Freedom to Read Fund and Civic Engagement Fund alongside the long‑standing opportunities to support the Library Annual Fund and Library Fund for Books. The Advancement Office engages alumni (~220k), current students, parents, and friends of the University through intellectual, professional and social activities on campus, around the world and online.

Advancement raises $600 Million annually to support faculty and researchers, practitioners and patients, and students and programs across the University. Our work supports priorities in every division, school, department, and institute.

• Project manages, drafts, and executes all aspects of the Library’s annual giving appeals, including Giving Day and Giving Tuesday, through email, mail, social media, phone, and other channels from University alumni and other prospective donors.
• Contributes to annual giving strategy, in collaboration with the Senior Associate Director of Development.
• Partners with the Central Advancement team to plan, create, schedule, execute, and evaluate productive, high‑quality, cost‑effective solicitation projects.
• Cultivates and maintains strong and collegial relationships with colleagues in various alumni relations and development roles across the University to ensure a coordinated approach to strengthen alumni and donor relationships.
• Drafts compelling solicitations in various channels using direct response marketing best practices to motivate alumni, parents, and friends to support the Library.
• Uses research on giving patterns to improve solicitation techniques and improve future solicitation campaigns.
• Facilitates proactive data pulls, reports, and lists. Maintains records and files, and updates database regularly.
• Coordinates move management of donors with Senior Associate Director of Development to maximize the philanthropic potential of each donor.
• Assists with the qualification of leadership annual giving and major gift prospects through coordinating outreach and records management.
• Manages a portfolio of annual giving donors and prospects, renews their philanthropic giving annually, and seeks to upgrade their support.
• Plans and delivers the Library’s annual stewardship program for donors at the annual giving and leadership annual giving levels, including digital and print gift acknowledgements.
• Oversees the delivery of the Library’s annual endowment reports including gathering data on fund usage, compiling data into written reports, and managing report deployment.
• Plans and delivers events to engage and steward the Library’s donors and prospects. This includes, but is not limited to: event program development, event communications, venue selection, food and beverage, audio/visual equipment, and decor.
• In coordination with the Associate Dean of Development and Strategic Initiatives, plans and delivers the annual meetings of the Library Council.
• Supports the Associate Dean and Senior Associate…