Job Summary

Simmons University is looking for a Director of Prospect Development and Stewardship (“Director”) to lead the development and execution of short and long-term strategic planning for the areas of prospect identification, prospect research, and donor stewardship. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President of Advancement Operations, the Director will lead the Stewardship and Prospect Development teams, providing strategic and operational leadership to maximize fundraising results and promote an optimal experience for all donors.

The ideal candidate is a self-motivated, detail-oriented professional who possesses the ability to think strategically and can interact professionally to develop relationships with a diverse range of constituencies. As a University committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we seek candidates who embody these values and have proven success in working with individuals across a broad range of identities, perspectives, and experiences.

Responsibilities:

Donor Management and Communications

• Develop and implement a strategic vision and direction of a university-wide donor engagement and stewardship program for donors at all levels of giving and participation;
• Create and execute events to address donor interests and build affinity for the University while highlighting the strengths of faculty, staff, alumnae/i and partners;
• Oversee and manage all administrative and operational aspects of recognition, reporting, and stewardship of major and planned gifts including managing standards, databases, templates, and protocols for fund reporting;
• Create and maintain protocols for the recognition and stewardship of gifts including standards for recognizing gifts in publications, reporting templates, tracking named spaces, maintaining a lifetime giving wall, etc.;
• Engage University stakeholders including the President, senior administrators, trustees and lead volunteers as key partners in the donor engagement and stewardship program;
• Create strategic and systematic plans to communicate with donors around gift recognition, insight into the impact and significance of their gift, etc.

Prospect Research and Management

• Oversee prospect development including research and identification, pipeline moves management, and key performance metrics;
• Establish and maintain best practices for research techniques, reporting templates, process documentation, and management of the fundraising database;
• Develop in-depth profiles, lists, and screenings to help gift officers strategically achieve their goals;
• Use prospect research to provide analysis, bench-marking, and forecasting of the University’s ability to meet fundraising goals;
• Conduct research – collecting, confirming, analyzing, interpreting and summarizing biographical and financial data, wealth assessment, and philanthropic assessment;
• Create briefing materials for senior University leadership, trustees, volunteers to inform personal contacts and solicitations;
• Develop relationships with fundraisers that foster an understanding of applications for prospect management;
• Lead trainings on the use of the fundraising database.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience required;
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant non-profit work experience required;
• Relative higher education work experience preferred;
• Advanced proficiency with MS Office required;
• Advanced proficiency with spreadsheet creation and analysis;
• Demonstrated success with making effective presentations;
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge preferred;
• Ability to multi-task, adapt to changing priorities, and meet deadlines;
• Strong organizational skills and ability to work effectively in an independent and interdependent setting;
• Demonstrated project management skills with an attention to detail and accuracy;
• Ability to handle multiple priorities and projects under tight deadlines and to be able to work well in a complex organization.

Required Application Materials:

• Resume
• Cover Letter