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Assistant Director, Estate, Trust and Gift Planning

Employer
Bucknell University
Location
Pennsylvania, United States
Salary
Salary Not specified
Date posted
Jan 21, 2022

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Assistant Director, Estate, Trust and Gift Planning

Job No: 496922
Position Type: full-time
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Categories: University Advancement / Alumni Relations

University Advancement (UA) is here to advance the mission of Bucknell University by engaging the Bucknell community. It is only through the support of alumni, parents and friends - by opening doors to career opportunities, engaging others to join the conversation and community, and entrusting us with their philanthropic commitments -- that we can further elevate Bucknell as a leader in undergraduate education.

Our team is dedicated to this mission and unified by five values:
  • Lead with Integrity
  • Embrace a Collaborative and Inclusive Spirit
  • Be Open and Receptive
  • Nurture Creativity and Innovation
  • Foster a Culture of Empowerment and Knowledge

These values also illustrate how we bring, as a division, the University's strategic plan to life and exercise our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion on a daily basis.

As part of UA, the Office of Estate, Trust and Gift Planning strengthens Bucknell University by increasing the value, size, and utility of gifts contributed to the University. These goals are achieved by working with donors and their advisors to plan and arrange bequest, life income, and other blended and complex gifts; by conducting strategy meetings with development staff for blended gift visits and proposals; by managing, in conjunction with Bucknell's finance department, all life income and trust asset investments under control of the University; and by collaborating with University administrators to design plans for using outright and deferred gift contributions. The Office of Estate, Trust and Gift Planning streamlines the estate settlement process as it pertains to the University's gifts from estates, thus ensuring correct distributions and donor intent, and, with the support of outside charitable tax counsel, advises and counsels University staff on legal issues related to charitable contributions and plans. This position reports to the Associate Director of Estate, Trust and Gift Planning.

Job Duties:
The Assistant Director, Estate, Trust and Gift Planning is responsible for the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of all types of outright and deferred gifts for the University as part of a high-functioning gift planning team and manages Bucknell's charitable gift annuity program.

Gift Annuity Administration:
  • Serves as a primary resource for all fundraisers, ensuring illustration software and marketing material remains current.
  • Works with the Finance Office to keep them apprised of and ensure best practices related to gift annuities, for instance, suggested gift annuity rates, reviewing whether revocation language was included in a will, disclosure statement content.
  • Coordinates with the Finance Office the accurate and often complex deposit of life income gifts into the account held by our outside life income administrator and the transfer matured gift annuities into the appropriate designation.
  • Implements and maintains required documentation, tracks annuity terminations for cash flow, etc.
  • Serves as the primary contact for Bucknell's investment manager/administrator of planned gift assets regarding data entry and maintenance.

Individual Prospect Work:
  • Independently manages a portfolio of planned giving prospects, ensuring timely steps toward solicitation.
  • Develops and implements cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans for assigned prospects.
  • Conducts personal visits, telephone calls, and written correspondence to secure additional planned gift commitments and strengthen prospect awareness of and interest in planned giving opportunities.
  • Partners with development officers, including faculty and colleagues outside of UA as appropriate, to conduct joint prospect visits or consulting opportunities with an emphasis on annual fund and student calling collaboration to increase planned gifts from existing loyal donor base.
  • Plans campus visits for prospects as appropriate in preparation for solicitation and/or stewardship of previous commitments.
  • Solicits annual leadership level gifts for current operations.
  • Completes concise, timely records of contact with constituents.

Training:
  • Creates and implements basic gift planning training for Bucknell's student calling program, serving as the gift planning point person for student calling
  • Assists with gift planning training of development staff and volunteers, with emphasis on increasing documented bequests among loyalty donors.

Engaged Member of Gift Planning:
  • Maintains current knowledge of traditional and innovative gift planning methods and tax considerations.
  • Provides high level of gift planning advice to internal and external constituents to establish planned giving as an integral part of UA
  • Participates in and contributes to the strategic direction of gift planning designed to strengthen current planned giving fundraising and awareness.

Other:
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree and three (3) years ​of professional fundraising or related experience in gift planning, legal, financial or other similar setting OR an equivalent combination of education and experience
  • Demonstrates attention to detail, accuracy, diplomacy, tact, discretion, and confidentiality
  • Proven written and oral communication skills with the ability to convey complicated planned gift concepts in transparent terms
  • Valid U. S. driver's license

The successful candidate has the ability to comprehend technical material of complex gift plans and remain current with changing legal and tax arenas affecting planned giving. Requires collaboration with UA colleagues, University administrators and faculty, volunteers, and prospective donors, and is able to work independently and productively without direct supervision. Extensive travel (including air travel and travel to major metropolitan areas) is required.

Other Requirements:

This position requires occasional evening and weekend work to support UA's events including blocks of time for major events such as Family Weekend, Reunion, and Homecoming, and other event support as required. Staff should mark their calendars for major events and events in their department. Exceptions require supervisory approval. Also required is a commitment to attend, participate, facilitate or lead on-campus and off-campus events/activities outside of normal business hours as appropriate.

Exempt employees are required to work as much time as is necessary to fulfill the requirements of the position without additional compensation, even if the work is performed beyond standard work hours

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Advanced degree or designation, such as CFRE, CPA or CFP
  • Experience with and/or commitment to proficiency in constituent database usage and planned giving administrator platforms

Work Type:

This is a full-time, 12-month, exempt, benefits eligible position.


To apply, visit https://careers.bucknell.edu/en-us/job/496922/assistant-director-estate-trust-and-gift-planning jeid-da766dd5cedfd4468259d41384d05f05

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