Assistant Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations

Position Summary:

The University of Dayton is a top-tier Catholic, Marianist research university with academic offerings from the undergraduate to the doctoral levels. Our mission is to educate the whole person and link learning and scholarship with leadership and service. University Advancement promotes a culture of philanthropy, volunteer engagement and lifelong relationships in support of the University’s mission. As we enter into a comprehensive fundraising campaign, we are growing our exceptional team of passionate, mission-driven Advancement professionals, looking for an Assistant Director, Foundation Relations. This position builds relationships, generates interest, and connects potential funders and their priorities to aligned UD initiatives.
Reporting to the Director, Foundation Relations, the assistant director is responsible for identifying foundations whose priorities align with UD initiatives that create student access, experiential learning, and academic innovation.

The assistant director will collaborate and liaise with external funders, both prospective and existing, as well as internal faculty, staff, and program managers/personal investigators to independently manage, coordinate, and complete lower-level grants for the university. This includes stewardship opportunities, coordinating funder site visits and funder panels as needed.

The assistant director will need to collaborate well with other members of the Advancement Division as well as UD faculty and staff, particularly with Advancement marketing & communications and donor relations for general outreach and proposal needs.

This position will also be responsible for researching potential foundation relationships through network mapping through program officers, geographically relevant community leaders, and board members to name a few. The selected candidate will also track request for proposal (RFP) opportunities.

The assistant director will also provide administrative support to Foundation Relations by ensuring proper documentation within the advancement database, support maintaining an annual grants calendar, scheduling funder meetings, updating Corporate and Foundation Relations web content, assistance with creating funder packets and Letter of Intent materials, and support maintaining files.

This position will also manage a small portfolio of Corporate prospects and coordinate with UD gift officers as necessary to solicit these organizations.

Minimum Qualifications:

- Bachelor’s degree required.
- 2 years of fundraising or grant writing experience
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including persuasiveness in written and oral communications.
- Success in researching and tracking request for proposal opportunities and matching funders to organizational priorities.
- Experience working in roles where excellent organizational skills and attention to detail were required.
- A self-starter with the ability to multitask
- Proficiency in MS Office Suite
- Must have a valid driver’s license, possess a low risk driving record and be insurable by the University.
- Must be willing to travel and work some weekend and evening hours on occasion.

Preferred Qualifications:

While not everyone may possess all of the preferred qualifications, the ideal candidate will bring many of the following:

- 3+ years of fundraising and/or grant writing experience in higher education foundation relations.
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong professional relationships with campus stakeholders, including faculty, administrative, and students.
- Experience collaborating and serving as a liaison with external funders (prospective and current), program directors/principal investigators, and internal faculty.
- Strong work ethic and ability to work collaboratively with other team members.
- Proficiency in using advancement database (i.e. Raiser's Edge, SalesForce, etc.)
- Experience working with socially and culturally diverse communities

Special Instructions to Applicants:

To apply please submit a cover letter addressing each minimum qualification and any applicable preferred qualifications that you meet.

A federal court on December 7, 2021, issued a ruling that suspends the COVID-19 vaccine requirement that applies to federal contractors nationwide. With this development, the University will pause any enforcement action against employees who have not complied with the requirement to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8, 2021 or to have requested an exemption to maintain their employment status.

The University will continue to monitor the state of the pandemic on campus and in the community as well as developments in federal and state requirements, and also will continue to regularly consult with public health officials and our medical panel. As has been the case throughout the pandemic, our protocols and requirements are subject to change depending on conditions on campus or in our community, and government requirements.

Closing Statement:

Informed by its Catholic and Marianist mission, the University is committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Informed by this commitment, we seek to increase diversity, achieve equitable outcomes, and model inclusion across our campus community. As an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer, we will not discriminate against minorities, women, protected veterans, individuals with disabilities, or on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.