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Associate Director, Individual Giving



Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425‐acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods. Swarthmore College was recently ranked number 3 in the 2021 US News Best National Liberal Arts Colleges rankings - https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/swarthmore-college-3370.

The Associate Director of Individual Giving will be responsible for the identification, engagement, and solicitation of Swarthmore alumni, parents, and friends having the capacity to make outright, blended, and planned gifts (including documented estate commitments) of $100,000 or larger to the College. Utilizing a donor-centric, philanthropic planning approach, they will manage the College’s relationships with a portfolio of 60-80 major gift and gift planning prospects, traveling regularly and extensively in order to discharge these responsibilities. They will be responsible for initiating regional strategies that support identification and engagement of donor prospects and volunteers, and for building professional relationships within College Advancement, in the campus community, and in professional networks as appropriate.

Essential Responsibilities:
• Manages a portfolio of 60-80 major gift and gift planning prospects in support of the College’s fundraising priorities.
o Ongoing identification of potential prospects, and the development and implementation of appropriate donor engagement and solicitation strategies in keeping with best donor-centric practices of the fundraising profession;
o Maintaining accurate and up-to-date database records of contacts with prospects to provide department/division leaders and fellow gift officers with both current strategies and historical perspectives;
o Preparing a written work plan, including a table of performance metrics) at the start of each fiscal year.
• Travels within assigned geographic regions to qualify, engage, solicit, and steward major gift and gift planning donors to the College, completing solicitations for leadership annual fund gifts as appropriate. The Associate Director will, on average, schedule 8-10 meetings with Swarthmore constituents per month. They will deliver, on average, 1-2 outright, blended, and/or planned gift proposals per month.
• Completes paper and electronic correspondence with prospects and donors in a timely fashion, and in a clear, concise, and well written manner that is reflective of the College’s academic standards.
• Assists as appropriate with planning and implementing special events and programs designed to attract, identify, cultivate, and steward prospects and donors. Programming will be at times regionally-based and at times campus-based.
• Recruits fundraising volunteers as assigned in order to increase alumni engagement and involvement and maximize fundraising potential.

Required Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree.
• A minimum of five (5) years working in institutional advancement or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong organizational abilities, in particular abilities to manage multiple projects and to remain focused and effective while traveling. Attention to detail and ability to handle multiple and varied tasks independently, while also working collaboratively.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Strong skill in dealing with people, using tact and diplomacy, and the ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality. Strong customer service skills.
• Strong skill in articulating the value of higher education.
• Ability to use a variety of computer applications, including demonstrated skills in the use of word processing and spreadsheets (e.g. Microsoft Word, Excel, Google Docs and Sheets), and fundraising databases (e.g. Banner) and reporting software (e.g. Argos).
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, or as needed to complete projects or meet heavy demand.
• Valid US driver’s license and ability to travel locally, regionally, and nationally.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Advanced degree.
• Experience working in a college or university setting, especially in a comprehensive fundraising campaign environment.
• Knowledge of planned giving vehicles.

For full consideration, submit applications including resume and cover letter with salary expectations by March 4, 2022.

Swarthmore College actively seeks and welcomes applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Advertised: Feb 10 2022 Eastern Standard Time
Applications close:

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