Director, Leadership Annual Giving

The Director of Leadership Annual Giving provides overall guidance and management of the Leadership Annual Giving (LEAD) program and team. This individual will manage a team and work with donors to increase revenue, build strategic relationships, develop future major gift prospects, and advance a culture of philanthropy as a pivotal leader on the University of Maryland’s advancement team.   
LEAD supports all campus schools, units and programs and works to identify, engage and solicit the next generation of major gift donors. The LEAD team is responsible for the discovery of new donors and solicitation of gifts below $50,000 from alumni, friends, and parents.   The Director oversees the day-to-day planning and administration of the LEAD program including driving fundraising activity related to donor qualifications, visits, solicitations, and major gift referrals. The Director is responsible for the recruitment, retention, performance management, coaching and professional development of the LEAD team gift officers. The Director is an active gift officer and is responsible for exceeding individual and team goals that relate to annual visits, solicitations, dollars raised as well as other core competencies.    This individual should be a good listener with the ability to work with prospective donors to understand priorities, assess interest and capacity, and raise support for campus initiatives. They should also have the ability to review and analyze donor/prospect data to inform and execute prospect identification strategies. Additionally, they should have an aptitude in work with databases, data, excel, and be comfortable utilizing these tools to help them in the role.    The successful candidate must be able to build relationships with donors throughout Maryland and travel within the region to meet with prospects and alumni. This can include virtual meetings and personal interactions. Occasional evenings and/or weekend work required based on select events.   Education (include licenses, certifications, etc.): Bachelor’s degree required.

Experience: Must have a minimum of eight years of successful, progressive fundraising experience in higher ed or related field and at least three years of supervisory experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Knowledge of fundraising principles and best practices. 
• Must be a highly energetic professional with a track record of building relationships and working collaboratively with staff, colleagues, volunteers and prospective donors to achieve common goals. Demonstrated aptitude to cultivate relationships and solicit donors.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with the willingness to make “cold calls” and “warm calls” in order to cultivate, solicit and close opportunities. 
• Ability to thrive in a data driven environment. 
• Must be a creative and strategic thinker with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines. 
• Must be organized and detail-oriented with strong follow-up skills.