Position Summary:

The Assistant Director of Annual Leadership Giving (“Assistant Director”) assists with the design, implementation and management of a comprehensive fundraising program with a goal to secure and retain annual leadership gifts ($1,000 – $25,000) in support of the University at Buffalo. The Assistant Director coordinates with a team of frontline fundraisers, donor relations and stewardship officers, and annual giving staff to renew and upgrade existing leadership gift donors, identify new leadership prospects, and broadly build the pipeline of major gift donors. The team will leverage the foundational aspects of an existing stewardship program, Loyal Blues, along with legacy stewardship programs in the academic units, to cultivate and develop leadership annual donors. The Assistant Director will employ numerous strategies to accomplish this, including marketing materials, direct response channels, and engagement events.

Duties and Responsibilities:

80% of activity

• Assist in the development of short and long-range plans for conducting an annual leadership giving program, including multiple direct-response campaigns and volunteer engagement. In partnership with many stakeholders, work to develop a campus culture of leadership giving, with particular emphasis on increasing UB’s pool of annual leadership gift donors.
  • Develop strategic fundraising plans for annual leadership donors, focusing on high ROI segments.
  • Identify Loyal Blue Leader, Champion and Guardian prospects and develop individual solicitation strategies using staff solicitation and/or volunteer solicitation tactics. Collaborate with campus colleagues and fundraising volunteers. Prepare information on prospects, in collaboration with Office of Prospect Research, for volunteers and ensure completion of assigned
  • Work with central annual giving staff to conceive of and execute direct-response marketing campaigns to annual leadership donors and
• Ensure successful gift solicitation of key prospects and
  • Personally cultivate, solicit and steward a small portfolio of high-level Loyal Blue Leader+ prospects for gifts ranging from $2,500 – $25,000.
• Work with gift officers in schools and units to create effective cultivation, communication and stewardship
• Develop strategies to increase the number of four and five-figure gift
• Monitor, analyze and report on the results of program and oversee external marketing plans for Loyal Blue Leader+ donors and
• Benchmark regularly to drive strategic
• Document contacts and strategies through the Blackbaud Fundraiser Performance Management platform and the Advance Web system, the in-house database for gift recording/reporting and all donor/prospect information. Adhere to the policies and procedures for accepting, recording and acknowledging

20% of activity

• Participate as a full member of the University Advancement team, annual giving team and strategy meetings, gift officer meetings, professional development activities, and other staff meetings as appropriate.
• Pursue professional growth activities with the approval and support of the Assistant Vice
• Support strategic operating plans for the Office of Annual Giving as directed by the Assistant Vice President; establish coordinated goals and implement programs to meet
• Actively contribute to the growth and enhancement of the annual giving program through planning and collaboration led by the Assistant Vice

Reporting Relationships

The Assistant Director of Leadership Annual Giving reports to the Assistant Vice President for Annual Giving.

Functional:

Within the Division of University Advancement, the Assistant Director collaborates with partners in the schools and units, Donor Relations and Stewardship, Alumni Engagement, Donor and Alumni Communications and Prospect Research. The Assistant Director will develop and maintain strong working relationships with donors, prospects, key volunteers, and all internal partners, including faculty and staff.

Key Qualities for Successful Fundraising

The Assistant Director must be results-oriented with professional characteristics that include leadership, commitment to confidentiality, flexibility, team-orientation, attention to detail, and sensitivity to the stewardship of long-term relationships. The incumbent must be able to travel up to 25% of the time, including evenings and occasional weekends.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• A minimum of two years in a fund-development role, with demonstrated success in goal- achievement, planning and personal solicitation. Related experience in professional sales/marketing, financial planning/advising and other fields will be
• Proven track record of individual success in achieving high-level measurable
• Strong problem solving and oral and written communication
• Experience making cold
• Demonstrated commitment to
• Ability to work well both independently and collectively with other team members and in managing multiple highly visible projects and
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to listen and interact effectively with donors or high-level
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time, which includes local and regional visits; and work evenings and occasional

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree
• Fundraising experience at a higher education
• Demonstrated experience in engaging academic leaders, faculty and volunteer partners in the development of meaningful and productive relationships with prospects and donors.
• Familiarity with and success in a complex environment such as a public

University Overview

UB is a premier, research-intensive public university known for its academic excellence. Driven by our vision—UB 2020—to be counted among the nation’s leading and most distinctive public research universities, a new University at Buffalo is emerging. Building strong connections with our alumni and donors worldwide is critical to our success; the Division of University Advancement is leading the effort. We are creating a new UB environment that broadens opportunities for alumni engagement, capitalizes on positive student experiences and builds philanthropic support specifically for the Boldly Buffalo fundraising campaign.  The goal to reach $650 million in support of this university-wide effort is the focus of our division and the guidepost for engagement.

Annual giving is one of the most important elements of UB’s fundraising program. The purpose of annual giving is to raise money from individuals in support of the UB Fund, and other identified priorities, on a consistent and ongoing basis to enhance and support the UB student experience. Donors who consistently contribute annually are more inclined to make major gifts or planned gifts, such as bequests, later in life.

The University at Buffalo is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and, in keeping with our commitment, welcomes all to apply including veterans and individuals with disabilities. The University is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic University community committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment.

UB offers highly competitive salary and benefit packages for its advancement staff. Salary range: $45,000-$55,000