Associate Director, Major Gifts

Associate Director, Major Gifts

The Associate Director, Major Gifts at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business will be responsible for creating and implementing comprehensive fundraising strategies to raise major gifts in support of the mission and priorities of the School. This position will identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of current and potential donors with the capacity to make gifts in excess of $100,000.

The Associate Director will travel regularly, approximately 20% of the time, within assigned regions to meet with prospects and donors. This position will be responsible for organizing select cultivation events for small groups of high-level donors. This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization.

• Manages a portfolio of approximately 110 prospects. Develops strong relationships to build connection with and support for the school.
• Meets or exceeds activity goals for prospect qualifications, solicitations, and funds raised.
• Annually solicits six- and seven-figure gifts. Annually closes multiple gifts in excess of $100,000.
• Supports deans, faculty, and other school leadership in the cultivation and solicitation of prospects.
• In conjunction with Chicago Booth's donor relations team, creates and administers stewardship plans.
• In conjunction with Chicago Booth's advancement events team, plans and organizes cultivation events.
• Collaborates with Chicago Booth departments (Annual Fund, Alumni Relations, Career Services, Admissions, Global Initiatives, etc.) on donor and prospect cultivation activities.
• Plans, executes, and attends evening and weekend functions, as necessary.
• Develops and implements compelling engagement strategies to inspire high net worth individuals to maximize their philanthropic engagement with the University.
• Establishes fundraising goals and priorities based on department objectives, designs strategies to meet those goals, and monitors progress against goals.
• Identifies, analyzes, and qualifies donor interest to maximize giving. Helps with overall planning efforts for the University's most important prospects. Works independently to develop communication strategies for projects, including publications and public presentations.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

• Bachelor's degree.

• A minimum of three years of front-line development or sales and marketing experience.

• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as technology tools, including Phoenix, the University's alumni and donor database of record.
• Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).

• Proven record of accomplishment in devising cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills, characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write well.
• Strong commitment to customer service.
• Self-motivated and work well with and through others.
• Manage confidential information with discretion and tact.

• This position is currently expected to work a minimum three days per week in the office.

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call  or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case‑by‑case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.