Executive Director, Gift Planning

Posting Summary

TC's Office of Institutional Advancement seeks an experienced frontline fundraiser to serve as Executive Director of Gift Planning. The Executive Director of Gift Planning will be entrusted with advancing the College’s long-term philanthropic goals and strengthening its culture of legacy giving by providing strategic leadership for the institution’s gift planning program.

The Executive Director is responsible for the development, growth, and management of a comprehensive gift planning program. This role engages alumni, parents, friends, and other constituents in a donor-citic way to making the largest gift possible through estate and blended gift commitments (including bequest intentions, beneficiary designations, life income plans such as charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts); in support of the institution’s mission, students, faculty, and academic priorities.

The Executive Director reports to the Assistant Vice President of Leadership Giving and supervises an Assistant Director, Planned Giving.

Key responsibilities include:

• Frontline Fundraising
  • Engage prospects and donors in meaningful conversations about ways to support TC in the future by managing a portfolio of approximately 50-75 prospects with six- and seven-figure giving capacity. Qualify donors; develop cultivation strategies and plans to optimize donor’s tax position and maximize their interest in supporting TC; and ensure appropriate gift agreements are in place to document bequest intentions.
  • Assist donors with bequest intentions, beneficiary designations, life income plans such as charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts, and complex asset gifts.
  • Partner with the Donor Relations and Stewardship team to ensure that all donors within the officer’s portfolio are stewarded appropriately as individuals and through the Grace Dodge Society membership.
  • Travel as needed to meet with prospective and current donors.
• Strategy & Program Leadership
  • Develop and execute a comprehensive planned giving strategy aligned with Teachers College priorities in coordination with the AVP of Leadership Giving and the VP for Institutional Advancement.
  • Serve as the College’s senior expert on planned giving and estate gifts, including bequest intentions, beneficiary designations, life income plans such as charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts, and complex asset gifts.
  • Collaborate closely with colleagues to support a culture of planned giving across Institutional Advancement, including providing frontline guidance on structuring gifts that include planned gift vehicles and partnering with alumni relations, annual giving, stewardship, and communications teams to embed planned giving messaging throughout the donor lifecycle.
  • Management of the Grace Dodge Society, including increasing visibility through effective marketing, communications, and partnership with Donor Relations on an annual Grace Dodge Society signature event.
  • Oversee Planned Giving marketing and communications efforts, including interfacing with outside vendors.
  • Manage an Assistant Director, Planned Giving.
• Administrative
  • Partner with the Assistant Vice President of Operations on all administrative and compliance matters related to administration of realized planned gifts, ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and institutional gift acceptance policies.
  • Oversee, working with the Assistant Director of Planned Giving, the College’s efforts to report to New York State authorities on our life income gifts, including coordinating as needed with State Street Global Advisors to ensure timely and accurate transactions and annual reporting relating to gift annuities and charitable trusts.
  • Ensure…