Director, Major Gifts

Department: Alumni Relations & Development
Salary/Grade: EXS/14

Please note:

The target budgeted salary for this position is $180,000 - $200,000 annually. Offers will be based on candidate experience and education, as well as equity within Northwestern University.

This position reports to the Executive Director of the West Coast Regional Office and is based in the San Francisco office. The Director of Major Gifts is responsible for managing a significant major and/or principal gift donor portfolio consisting of alumni, friends, and parents in the Bay Area. The Director will manage processes and prospects by building a balanced portfolio through qualifying visits, cultivating prospects, making solicitations that align with prospects' interests and financial capacity, securing commitments, and stewarding current donors.

This position collaborates with colleagues across Alumni Relations and Development in Evanston and Chicago as well as with deans, faculty, program directors, and other University leaders to prepare them for prospect meetings and form a plan of solicitation of donors that includes coordinating with other development staff to align prospect passion, financial capacity, giving vehicle and/or identify stewardship opportunities for major donors.

The Director will serve as the designated Geo Captain for the Bay Area with the goal of strengthening alumni engagement and improving fundraising outcomes in tandem with the Integrated Regional Strategy. It includes management responsibilities of the Program Coordinator. Travel is required to Evanston three times a year.

Please note:

This position is in San Francisco and is hybrid. Our office operates in a hybrid model and offers the option of working three days in the office and two days remote. There will be occasional work outside of standard business hours for donor engagement events.

• Creates and leads a coordinated program of fundraising activities designed to increase the number and level of major and/or principal gifts donors.
• Develops and executes strategies to involve campus leaders, alumni, friends, and volunteers to identify and cultivate new individual, corporate, institutional and/or foundation prospects.
• Gathers data, assesses leads, and develops strategies designed to realize the current and lifetime giving potential of individual prospects.
• Maintains consistent and appropriate contact.
• Facilitates or makes solicitations.
• Closes major ($250K to $5M) and principal gifts ($5M+) for the University.
• Ensures effective stewardship.
• Serves as Geo Captain for the Bay Area market with the goal of planning the calendar, coordinating all functions and being accountable for outcomes in the region.

• Reviews and proposes strategic alliances, joint ventures and key collaborations with department and other University partners to identify opportunities to integrate University strategic plan goals.
• Manages and coaches team members regarding department collaborations.
• Key partnerships and work involved includes:
• Schools and Programs
• Gift planning
• Northwestern Alumni Association (NAA)
• Northwestern University Leadership Circle (NULC)
• Professional schools (Kellogg, Pritzker Law, and Feinberg)

• Builds a portfolio through discovery and qualification of approximately 40+ prospects annually in the region they are assigned to.
• Identifies and personally solicits hi-profile, and/or extremely complex major gifts of $250K to $5M and principal gifts of $5M+.
• Oversees continuous research, development and up-to-date knowledge on prospects and works with other areas to coordinate contacts.
• Requires travel throughout the region and 3-4 annual trips to Evanston.
• Partners with other areas of development, specifically Annual and Planned Giving to coordinate contacts.

• Interact with volunteers on the West Coast; attend meetings and utilize volunteer help as needed.

• Acts as a strategic single point of contact for the Integrated Regional Strategy, donor engagement team to support and advance long-term event strategy aligned with regional fundraising goals.
• Serve as a liaison between the donor engagement and major gift teams to enhance event processes aligned with prospect identification, donor cultivation, and stewardship.

• Ensures compliance with prospect management guidelines for tracking and maintenance of contact and progress reporting.
• Coordinates appointments and prepares materials used by senior management, Board and volunteers…