Associate Director of Major Gifts / Senior Philanthropic Officer

If you have any questions about the position or our application process, reach out to us at recruiting-u@smith.edu .

Alumnae Relations & Development Job Description

Job Summary

The Associate Director of Major Gifts will supervise four frontline fundraisers, establishing their goals and performance standards and mentoring them on effective cultivation and solicitations strategies to maximize the life-time engagement of prospects and donors. The Associate Director of Major Gifts will collaborate closely with the Director of Major Gifts on all aspects of the Leadership and Major Gift programs. The Associate Director also carries their own portfolio of prospects and donors capable of six- and seven-figure gifts and serves as an active frontline fundraiser.

All Smith employees take appropriate actions to support a diverse workforce and participate in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment.

Essential Functions

Program and Staff Management (59%)

• Collaborate with Director to set the direction of programmatic goals, regional collaboration with other frontline fundraisers, and create new paths for clear communication and coordination with alumnae relations, class management and annual giving.
  
  
• Set SMART metrics for leadership and philanthropic gift officers, evaluate progress to goal throughout fiscal year, coach and mentor gift officers when needing recalibration, and conduct the annual review process.
  
  
• Provide guidance, support, and professional development resources necessary for staff members to strengthen their work and achieve or exceed goals.
  
  
• Create a robust and diverse pipeline of leadership and major gift prospects working closely with Director of Prospect Research and Director of Major Gifts.
  
  
• Oversee and support a data-driven approach that ensures staff members execute strategies that result in the meaningful engagement and successful solicitation of a diverse group of prospects.
  
  
• Lead gift strategy among four leadership and major gift officers while offering direction on creative and effective cultivation and solicitation strategies.
  
  
• Provide strategic advice on matching the college’s priorities with donors’ interests.
  
  
• Assure those gift officers are able to articulate college priorities with accuracy, enthusiasm and persuasion.
  
  
• In conjunction with the director of gift planning, ensure that staff members are well-versed in various deferred giving opportunities.
  
  
• Train staff on when to introduce these vehicles as part of a cultivation plan and solicitation strategy, and leverage gift planning tools to maximize philanthropy.
  
  
• Develop new processes and practices to facilitate the communication and collaboration with the senior director of class management and philanthropy and the development program specialist with the major gifts team.
  
  
• Lead, evaluate and monitor the major gift and leadership gift officers in the annual Smith Fund solicitations of assigned prospects, the integration of annual giving into major gift solicitations, and additional 1:1 solicitation of unassigned leadership-level donors to the Smith Fund.
  
  
• Keep current on the gift acceptance policy and procedures and guide staff in adhering to them.
  
  
• Offer assistance and advice to all gift officers on current gift opportunities and other information related to approved fundraising priorities.
  
  

Fundraising and Prospect Management (40%)

• Manage a portfolio of prospects, maintaining frequent personalized contact, often traveling to meet the donors to increase philanthropic support from Smith alumnae, Smith-affiliated family members, and non-affiliates. Provide strategic and tactical support to involve the president, vice president, other senior cabinet members, key faculty, and volunteer leadership in developing these relationships.
  
  
• Contribute to strategic planning for the president’s development travel schedule and the deployment of other campus leaders including members of the Board of Trustees. Organize and staff the president, and other senior leaders and faculty, on meetings with key gift prospects in the assigned territory. Produce pre-visit briefing materials, and post-visit contact reports, follow-up communications and proposal plans.
  
  
• Plan, document and implement strategic, individualized stewardship and cultivation plans for each prospect which include invitations to campus, key events, Smith Fund solicitations, and meetings with academic and volunteer leadership. Work with donors and college leaders to match the priority needs of the college with a donor’s philanthropic vision. Spearhead creative and strategic thinking for innovative gift proposals that inspire donors to make significant gifts, and formally close the gift process, creating appropriate documents.
  
  
• Develop, implement and evaluate prospect-focused in-person and virtual events illustrating the college’s strategic initiatives and highest fundraising priorities. Determine target audience, collaborate with campus leadership in program content, arrange logistics and technical needs.
  
  
• Meet established metrics and goals for the number of visits, solicitations, closes and other meaningful contact with assigned prospects. Promptly record contact reports, strategies, planned solicitations and other prospect interactions through CRM system. Analyze activities to achieve progress toward stated goals. Effectively utilize administrative support and delegate tasks as appropriate.
  
  

Other Functions

Other Duties (1%)

• Participate in team meetings, task forces and committees as required.
  
  
• Back up other staff needs as necessary.
  
  
• Perform related duties as required.
  
  

All employees are expected to participate in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment.

Minimum Qualifications (knowledge, skills, education, experience, certifications, licenses)

• Bachelor’s degree required and at least five years fundraising experience required, including portfolio management and proven record of six- and seven-figure gift solicitation success.
  
  
• Annual giving experience preferred.
  
  
• Equivalent combination of education/experience may be considered.
  
  
• Flexible work schedule required with the ability to travel, and to work nights and weekends.
  
  

Experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in development in higher education, particularly within a women’s liberal arts college, is preferred, as is experience working with alumni, parents and families, and volunteer and academic leadership.
  
  
• Experience in supervision of gift officers and/or development volunteers is preferred.
  
  
• Experience with private and family foundations and knowledge of gift planning tools and techniques is helpful. Familiarity with the Smith community and campus is a plus.
  
  

Skills

• Demonstrated record of success in leadership-level annual fundraising and in cultivating and soliciting six- and seven-figure major gifts from an assigned portfolio of rated prospects.
  
  
• Ability to serve as coach, mentor and supervisor to leadership and major gift officers in managing a portfolio, matching donor interest to institutional priorities, cultivating interest creatively and effectively soliciting leadership and major gifts.
  
  
• Drive to meet and exceed goals, demonstrated knowledge of prospect management best practices with high-capacity donors.
  
  
• Ability to engage in collaborative problem solving with prospects and colleagues; highly organized in portfolio and time management.
  
  
• Superb verbal, written, and listening communications skills.
  
  
• Must establish and maintain excellent rapport with donor constituents and on-campus colleagues.
  
  
• Able to independently manage time, projects and portfolio and be an active participant in team-based strategies and solicitation approaches.
  
  
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, diplomacy, confidentiality, and to exhibit a mature, professional approach at all times.
  
  
• Record of unquestioned professional integrity.
  
  
• Versatile in standard office computer skills and donor database systems.
  
  

Please attach BOTH a current resume and a cover letter in order for your application to be considered for this position . You may combine your resume and cover letter into a single file or attach multiple files to your application, but BE SURE you have provided all attachments BEFORE SUBMITTING your application. You will NOT be able to attach additional files after you have hit the Submit button.

Review of applications will begin

December 6, 2021

Compensation Grade:

Grade G

Position Type:

Regular

About Smith College

Located in Northampton, MA, Smith College is one of the largest women’s colleges in the country and is dedicated to excellence in teaching and research across the liberal arts. A faculty of outstanding scholars interact with students in small classes, as advisors, and through student-faculty research projects. The College is a member of the Five College Consortium with Amherst, Hampshire and Mt. Holyoke Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Students cross-enroll and faculty cross-teach across the Five Colleges.

Smith College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression or veteran status in the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff, and the operation of any of its programs and activities, as specified by all applicable laws and regulations. Women, minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.