This position within the University of Minnesota Foundation (UMF) is responsible for envisioning and leading a comprehensive development strategy for a unique set of service lines and departments including Surgery, Medicine, Orthopedics and key disease areas such as diabetes and macular degeneration.  As leader of this team, this individual will build new partnerships with medical leaders, define the efforts to reach more grateful patients, and integrate multi-faceted fundraising programs into seamless, impactful philanthropic opportunities for donors.  In addition, the leader will manage a full portfolio of major and principal gift prospects in support of research, education and care.  This area is one of the broadest on the Medicine and Health team and holds great promise for increased fundraising, organizational growth and inspired leadership.

Responsibilities: 

Program Leadership

• In collaboration with the AVP of Development, develops a comprehensive development strategy for the diverse service lines, departments and programs that make up our Medicine and Surgery team.
• Provides vision, strategy, and motivation and accountability for the development team and sets aggressive yet meaningful production goals.
• Works closely with medical school leadership, designated medical directors, service line leads, and others to determine appropriate fundraising needs, priorities and the necessary partnerships.
  • Key to success in this area will be further integrating grateful patient efforts across the five service lines in Medicine and Surgery.
• Identifies and creates meaningful opportunities for volunteer engagement in partnership with the Community Partnerships Team, among others.
• Works with Marketing and Communications to establish key messages for the area and platforms to share those messages including proposals, case statements, and print/e-messages.
• Develops and annual work plan for the area including budget and events planning.

Major Gifts

• Provide leadership and strategic direction for major gift efforts to ensure that prospect qualification, identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities are seamlessly integrated and on point.
• Provide leadership and participate in strategic prospect coordination, where appropriate, to advance unit and multi-unit cultivation strategies.
• Builds and maintains a portfolio of 100 major and principal gift donors and prospects.
• Takes timely and strategic steps in moving prospects (individuals and organizations) through the major gift cycle of identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Utilizes various giving methods such as current, deferred giving, and non-cash gifts.
  • Performance expectations for this level of gift officer include approximately 15 major gift solicitations and gift production of $3 million to $4 million annually.  In addition, the Medicine and Surgery team has an average goal of $13, annually.
• Clears and coordinates prospective donors with University leadership and through the University of Minnesota Foundation’s procedures prior to direct contact to ensure effective solicitation of the donor staff that maximizes the gift to the University and the donor’s satisfaction with the institution.
• Recruits, organizes, trains and works closely with individual volunteers and committees in support of fund raising and closely related activities.

Department Management

• Manages a staff of at least 2 major gift officers and a development associate
• Manage the team, including recruitment, retention, performance management, and coaching of staff.  Work with individual staff members on development planning and training resources.
• Provides supervision and work direction to development professionals assigned to the Medicine and Surgery area.
• Works with and coordinates, as directed, the activities of University and non-university groups and organizations, fundraising for, and on behalf of, Medicine and Surgery and related initiatives and priorities.

Organizational

• Serves as a member of the overall development team by collaborating with the University of Minnesota Foundation and development colleagues across disciplines on donor strategies.  Serves on committees as requested and attends regular faculty and departmental meetings as requested.
• Completes and files timely reports. Maintains accurate and relevant records within the University of Minnesota Foundation database.
• Participate in special projects, as assigned.  Handle other duties and assignments as might be required.

Qualifications: 

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from accredited college or university.
• A minimum of five years of professional development experience in individual giving, with demonstrated ability to promote and successfully solicit major gifts of $50,000 or more; or seven or more years of experience in marketing, consultative sales, public relations, financial advisement or related field with demonstrated experience in cultivating/soliciting and maintaining long-term, trusting client.
• Demonstrated experience and success in donor/prospect cultivation and solicitation process.
• Minimum of three years experience managing professional level staff, including the selection, training and performance management of staff, ideally experience managing a fundraising team.
• Demonstrated communications and interpersonal skills and success in working in a team setting
• Demonstrated experience in recruiting, training and managing successful activities of volunteers in major gift work.
• Ability to analyze situations and develop plans, and to initiate and implement programs.
• Demonstrated knowledge of basic business terminology, financial matters and the ethical, legal, and tax-related issues regarding the solicitation, transfer, and management of charitable gifts.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse populations.
• Proficient in the use of PC software, such as Microsoft Office, and database familiarity.
• Willingness and ability to travel and work evenings and weekends, as necessary. Must have access to reliable transportation as this position requires regular travel on behalf of the Foundation.
• Commitment to and enthusiasm for fund raising for medical research, education and patient care.

Preferred: 

• Seven (7) or more years of experience in the identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of major gifts.
• Development experience with capital campaign experience in a large academic or health-related institution.

At the University of Minnesota Foundation (UMF), our mission is to connect passion with possibility, inspire generosity, and support greatness at the University of Minnesota by placing donors at the heart of everything we do and every decision we make. UMF is a nonprofit organization responsible for raising and managing gifts to the University of Minnesota.