Senior Director of Philanthropy, At Large

Job Description

About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University:

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is an independent, culturally diverse institution providing quality education and research in aviation, aerospace, engineering, and other related fields with residential campuses located in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona. The University's Worldwide campus provides educational opportunities online and at approximately 130 locations throughout the United States, Asia, Europe, and Central/South America.

As the largest and most comprehensive aviation and aerospace-focused university in the world, Embry-Riddle is a unique institution. Over the past 90 years, the University has evolved with industry to break new ground and produce top-level graduates who serve the ever-changing needs of aviation and aerospace and other STEM-related disciplines. Embry-Riddle offers programs in seven primary fields of study including: Applied Science; Aviation; Business; Computers and Technology; Engineering; Safety, Security, and Intelligence; and Space.

For Academic Year 2021-22, there were over 11,100 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students that attended the University's residential campuses and approximately 20,195 students in total enrolled with the University around the world.

The Opportunity:

The Senior Director of Development -At Large works to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward major gifts from alumni and community partners. They will provide leadership and coordination to the campus in approaching donors for major gifts, working closely with academic leadership, coaches, and development colleagues. They will develop and implement fundraising strategies, prepare compelling oral and written proposals, build and maintain effective relationships with booster supporters.

The Senior Director is expected to quickly develop a rapport with academic leadership and staff, and to master the needs, opportunities, challenges, strategic plans, and points of pride for the University. The Senior Director shall routinely attend planning and leadership meetings and actively collaborate with the central development enterprise, attending required meetings, and fulfilling all organizational obligations.

The ideal candidate will be proactive, self-motivated, high-energy, an outstanding listener and communicator, with proven experience in successfully engaging high-net worth prospects, foundations, and corporations to secure philanthropic support for the University. The position will require significant travel.

Essential Job Functions and Duties:

Major Gifts:

The Senior Director shall be assigned a portfolio of approximately 75-125 prospects. In this role they shall conduct discovery, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship calls within their assigned portfolio. Prospects will engage through print or electronic correspondence, calls, encounters at events, and, most importantly, individual, face-to-face visits. Travel on evening and weekends should be anticipated. On behalf of the University, the Senior Director – At Large will develop written strategies and tactics for each prospect, implement them, and collaborate with colleagues in the division to achieve donor engagement and stewardship goals.

Unit Liaison:

Engage with and coordinate development activities within academic units. Participate in leadership meetings in order to better understand a unit’s needs, challenges, and opportunities. Help coordinate central advancement efforts in the areas of annual giving, major gifts, advancement communications, data acquisition, planned giving programing, donor relations and donor impact reporting. Build lasting, effective relationships with academic leaders, staff and students across campus to best engage them in the process of philanthropy. Advise academic leadership and staff on the institution’s philanthropic policies, practices, schedules, and strategies as well as on general best practices in philanthropy. Ensure a strong healthy relationship with between units and the central administration of the University.

Support Central Development:

Observe institutional development policies, participate actively in meetings held by central development, and maintain a satisfactory level of training and knowledge of best practices. The Senior Director’s main emphasis is to secure funds for the University while being donor-centric. Thus, as necessary or as assigned, assist the central development enterprise in achieving its broader objectives. This may entail transferring or sharing assigned prospects based on interests in other units. Conduct discovery, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship in accordance with those assignments. Engage current and prospective donors through print or electronic correspondence, calls, encounters at events, and most importantly, individual, face to face visits. Complete timely, accurate, concise, and complete contact reports and enter them into the Division’s enterprise system

Qualifications

Required Education:

• Bachelor's Degree

Required skills, knowledge, abilities:

• Mission driven
• Entrepreneurial
• Able to demonstrate measurable success in closing major gifts ($100,000 or more) from individual donors including alumni and friends and/or institutional donors such as foundations and corporations
• Commitment to teamwork and cooperative action
• Ability to work with people from a variety of culturally diverse backgrounds
• Effective communication skills and strong interpersonal skills
• Strong organizational and motivational skills
• Minimum 6 years direct fundraising experience in a complex organization such as a hospital or university

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree preferred