Associate Director of Leadership Annual Giving
The Darden School Foundation at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business seeks a highly motivated professional to join the Advancement team. The Associate Director of Leadership Annual Giving is a frontline fundraising professional responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and closing leadership annual gifts from Darden School donors and prospects. This individual contributor role plays a critical part in growing the Darden Annual Fund and developing the major gift pipeline by actively managing a portfolio of donors and prospects.
The incumbent will also expand the pipeline by leveraging alumni volunteers and engaging with Reunion Giving efforts to identify, qualify, and cultivate new prospects for leadership annual and major gifts. As part of this work, the Associate Director will strategically utilize class giving volunteers to strengthen engagement, uncover philanthropic interests, and broaden Darden’s donor network.
The Associate Director will collaborate closely with the Major Gifts, Annual Fund, and Alumni Engagement teams to align efforts and drive joint strategies. As a key liaison between the frontline and annual giving teams, the incumbent will identify opportunities for coordination and partnership to maximize fundraising success. This role is essential to advancing the Darden School Foundation’s mission and achieving comprehensive fundraising goals.
Primary duties and responsibilities include:
- Manages a portfolio of leadership annual giving prospects and donors.
- Identifies, cultivates, solicits, and closes Darden Society commitments, with agreed upon yearly proposal submission and close goals.
- Travels regularly, and leverages video conferencing tools to visit Darden Society prospects and donors, with agreed upon yearly visit goals.
- Works with Senior Director to establish strategic cultivation plans for each assigned member of the portfolio, in furtherance of reunion and leadership annual giving priorities.
- Participates in regular prospect strategy and portfolio review sessions with internal frontline team.
- Serves as a key liaison between the Frontline and Annual Giving teams to coordinate and collaborate across departments.
- Develops, executes, and manages fundraising and engagement strategies for reunion classes that aim to achieve dollar and participation goals and increase the number of leadership gifts in each class.
- Works with frontline and annual giving team to create Reunion Giving fundraising goals and strategies.
- Works on special initiatives in support of leadership annual giving and reunion giving priorities.
- Coordinates communications, activities and events that enhance leadership annual giving and reunion giving strategies.
- Occasional evening or weekend work.
- May be required to occasionally lift boxes weighing 20-30 pounds.
- Completes other assignments as requested.
Successful candidates will have a proven track record that includes:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education and experience required.
- Minimum of 5 years progressive experience in the Advancement field including volunteer management and direct gift solicitation of five and six figure gifts from individuals preferred; or comparable experience in other development/advancement fields.
- Demonstrated ability and documented record of individual solicitation success in the corporate, secondary, or higher education environment.
- Experience working for a non-profit, foundation, or academic environment preferred.
- A complete understanding of philanthropic, sales or business development is required to perform effectively. Knowledge and understanding of various levels of philanthropy is preferred.
- In-depth knowledge of school, business issues, and current developments affecting business, industry, and the economy is helpful.
- Proficiency with Advance, Raiser’s Edge, or other fundraising database preferred.
- Excellent oral and written communication and research skills required with demonstrated ability to communicate information to the public.
- Ability to synthesize complex or diverse information; collect and research data; use intuition and experience to complement data.
- Ability to promote a positive image of the School and represent the School’s interests before the public, media, and other schools.
- Ability to relate to people of diverse backgrounds, training, and experience.
- Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with students, alumni, volunteers, staff, and the public.
- Skill in exercising a high degree of initiative, judgment, discretion, and decision-making to achieve organizational objectives.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a goal-oriented team environment.
- Strong customer-service orientation and consensus-building skills.
- Exceptional project planning skills, organizational skills, and attention to detail.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment independently when responding to inquiries and interacting with donors, alumni, parents, faculty, volunteers, and staff.
- Strong personal and professional integrity.
- Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously and remain cognizant of deadlines and schedules.
- Ability to identify and resolve problems in a timely manner; gather and analyze information skillfully; develop alternative solutions and use reason even when dealing with emotional topics.
Please attach a cover letter and resume when applying for this position.
The Darden School Foundation is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity or expression), national or ethnic origin, race, religion, pregnancy, veteran status, or genetic information. We participate in E-verify.
To apply for this job please visit workforcenow.adp.com.