Provide overall strategic leadership for the Crown Family School Alumni Relations and Development team, overseeing and growing a team of alumni relations and development professionals.
Provide oversight and engagement strategies for Crown Family Schoolâ™s leadership council.
Develop and manage the budget for the teamâ™s initiatives, including philanthropic revenue projections and tactics for timely gift accounting and donor stewardship.
Become a trusted resource to Crown Family School faculty, academic centers, and provide insight into and involvement in fundraising activities.
Engage with central alumni relations and development and encourage cross-team collaborations when possible.
Actively manage a portfolio of 50-75 major gift prospects.
Individually and in collaboration with the Crown Family School Dean make 12-15 solicitations of $100,000+ per year.
Develop and manage the Deanâ™s development-related travel schedule.
Engage and solicit donors for support at all levels, particularly at the highest level, to encourage long-term pipeline development and increase alumni annual giving participation.
Collaborate with Crown Family School affiliated centers to systematize philanthropic support and identify ongoing strategies for prospect identification, cultivation, and solicitation for continuing support.
Create individualized stewardship plans for Crown Family Schoolâ™s top donors, volunteer leadership, and prospects.
Work closely with the Dean, members of the Senior Leadership team, and Central ARD to foster relationships with key community members to encourage philanthropic support to Crown Family School.
Work closely with the Deanâ™s office team to ensure timely follow-up and documentation of the Deanâ™s development activity in the Universityâ™s donor relationship database.
Prepare the Dean for ongoing development updates with University leadership (President and Provost) on top donors and help to prioritize development goals and school-wide objectives.
Develop strategies to encourage a lifelong relationship between Crown Family School alumni and the school including ongoing skills-based training, networking, and career development services.
Oversee Crown Family School Alumni Weekend in collaboration with Crown Family School alumni relations team and events and programs.
Partner with central alumni relations and development to execute Crown Family School  Giving Day programming.
Participate and encourage alumni participation in Crown Family School admitted student day, mentorship programs, and career development opportunities.
Develop new strategies for identifying and engaging new stakeholders in the Crown Family School mission.
Execute new initiatives to demonstrate the impact of philanthropy.
Manage managers and professional staff. Establish performance goals, allocate resources and assess policies for direct reports.
Develop prospects through visits, events, correspondence, and regular calls. Maintains relationships with donors, various volunteer committees, and top administrators. Solicit gifts and negotiates gift discussions.
Sets annual and long-term activity goals and short-term operating plans for alumni fundraising programs. Develops and manages the annual operating budget.
Performs other related work as needed.
Preferred Qualifications
Education:
Bachelorâ™s degree.
Advanced degree strongly preferred.
Work Experience:
Ten or more years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, preferably in higher education with demonstrated ability to raise funds from graduate and professional school alumni and non-affiliated friends.
Preferred Competencies
Experience articulating academic goals, values, and mission to a variety of stakeholders while working in a complex decentralized setting.
Excellent communication skills (written and spoken) with mastery of copy editing and technical writing.
Comfort with donor relationship management systems, data management, and reporting.
Demonstrated success in building relationships with high capacity prospects and donors.
Ability to identify stakeholders and build strong collaborative relationships with them across departments and units of a large, multi-faceted university.
Intellectually curious with a passion for the education and research mission of a world-class university, particularly in improving the life prospects of disadvantaged individuals.
Ability to work both independently and as a member of a collaborative team.
Working Conditions
Hybrid work schedule possible, on-site at the Hyde Park campus in Chicago.
Travel to external stakeholder sites as needed.
Application Documents
Resume (required)
Cover letter (required)
References (preferred)
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