Job Summary 

The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) seeks to hire a Senior Director of Philanthropy to lead the College’s fundraising efforts, steward donor relationships, and deepen alumni engagement. The Senior Director will be responsible for managing and actively participating in all initiatives related to CAFE’s donor portfolio, including sustaining alumni relationships, corporate participation, annual giving, and legacy giving, as well as other funding opportunities like grants, galas, event sponsorships, and major gifts. The incumbent will lead the College’s vision for sustained and future growth underwritten by philanthropic giving and will develop and implement plans to reach that vision.

This position will report to the Dean of the College and the University of Kentucky’s Associate Vice President for Philanthropy and work closely with the College’s executive team, Dean’s Advisory Council, and senior staff to meet ambitious fundraising goals and activate volunteer support in pursuit of those goals. Additionally, the Senior Director will oversee three major gifts officers, an assistant philanthropy officer, an alumni program coordinator, a unit administrator, and two support associates. The Senior Director will provide vision and guidance to build staff skills and manage their efforts to mature the systems and processes of the College’s existing development infrastructure.

The Senior Director of Philanthropy will be responsible for creating, tailoring and activating short- and long-term strategies for giving, with emphasis on (1) the expansion of an individual major gift effort, (2) identifying and securing new support for the College’s key initiatives as outlined in our capital campaign case statement, and (3) developing a robust alumni relations program. Additionally, they will oversee donor events and other stewardship activities; recognition efforts for existing donors; preparation of all aspects of proposals, and reporting; and regular reporting to funders and the Dean.

The College strives to nurture a culture of giving among our stakeholders, strengthen relationships with donors and prospective donors, and think creatively about new funding opportunities. We are looking for candidates with significant experience relevant to the above who can share fundraising knowledge with a capable, engaged staff and leadership team, and help to shape fundraising strategy for the College well into the future.

The College is looking for a leader who utilizes the components of design thinking—is ready to seek to understand our college, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and identify alternative strategies and solutions that are both novel and effective. A Master’s degree plus 7 years of related experience or a Bachelor’s degree plus 9 years of related experience is required. Related experience should be comprised of professional fundraising such as being a major gift officer, expertise in planned giving, executive leadership on a fundraising campaign, and a demonstrated record of developing a fundraising strategy and providing leadership for a philanthropy team. Excellent oral and written communication skills along with an outgoing, professional, and engaging personality is mandatory. In addition, candidates must be comfortable with technology and databases used to support development. Having a respect for and skills to engage with those of other cultures, backgrounds, and business acumen is required.

Skills/Knowledge/Abilities

• The ideal candidate will be a strong, collaborative leader with a proven record of success in building and sustaining relationships that foster major gift giving.
• This position requires an individual who understands person-to-person relationships and has the ability to convincingly articulate the vision and priorities of the College and University and match them to the interests of prospective donors.
• Familiarity with planned giving, charitable gift arrangements as well as demonstrated experience in marketing, philanthropic messaging and persuasive writing is also desirable.
• This person will have experience managing and developing a fundraising team in the environment in which accountability-based metrics are used as benchmarks for performance.

Preferred Education/Experience

• A Master’s degree plus 7 years of related experience or a Bachelor’s degree plus 9 years of related experience is required.
• Related experience should be comprised of professional fundraising such as being a major gift officer, expertise in planned giving, a demonstrated record of developing a fundraising strategy and providing leadership for a philanthropy team.