Stanford’s Graduate School of Business has built a global reputation based on its immersive and innovative management programs. We provide students a transformative leadership experience, pushing the boundaries of knowledge with faculty research, and offering a portfolio of entrepreneurial and non-degree programs that deliver global impact like no other. We are committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in service of our mission of developing innovative, principled, and insightful leaders who change lives, change organizations, and change the world. We invite you to be part of this mission.

The GSB is seeking an Associate Director of Leaders in Annual Giving to build membership of Stanford Graduate School of Business’ Leaders in Annual Giving Society—which recognizes donors who support the Business School Fund through gifts of $2,500 or more—and contribute to Major Gift pipeline development. A core expectation for the associate director is engagement with business school alumni regarding the compelling case for unrestricted support of the Graduate School of Business (GSB). The associate director will engage existing and potential donors through extensive outreach efforts, progressing to increased prospect work. The associate director will directly cultivate, solicit, and steward a pool of prospects with leadership annual giving capacity. The associate director will recruit and support volunteers to aid in this process.

This is a full-time (40 hours per week), hybrid position where work can be performed with the expectation of being onsite 2-5 days per week.

Your primary responsibilities include:

• Build a pipeline development program in close partnership with GSB External Relations teams to move prospects up the donor pyramid and manage the Business School Fund’s Leaders in Annual Giving Society.
• Develop and manage a portfolio of prospects/donors to cultivate, solicit (gifts ranging from $2,500 to the $1M-$2M figure range), and steward leadership-level annual giving donors. Focus on engaging existing donors to inspire higher levels of annual commitment and expanding the Leaders in Annual Giving and Major Gift pipeline through entrepreneurial research, ambitious prospect qualification, and creative cultivation.
• Develop and manage the creation of prospect and donor collateral, e.g., marketing materials, written solicitations, and stewardship letters.
• Partner closely with Business School Fund colleagues (class agent and reunion campaigns) as a key fundraiser; serve as the primary or secondary liaison for alumni reunion campaigns and volunteer teams, as needed.
• Establish ongoing relationships with individual alumni through personal visits, phone calls, and meaningful contacts.
• Create and enhance processes for identifying prospects, specifically through Business School Fund programs and Alumni Relations opportunities.
• Strategically plan objectives and key results for development activities; report on objectives, activities, and overall results to internal and external constituencies.
• Work with Business School Fund and Major Gift colleagues to assist with and partner in solicitations, leveraging volunteers as needed.

*Other duties may also be assigned.

To be successful in this position, you will bring: 

• Bachelor’s degree and five years of relevant experience, or a combination of education and relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience with fundraising in a higher education or nonprofit environment.
• Strong sense of fundraising ethics and practices, and respect for confidentiality of donor information.
• Strong project management skills with ability to develop, initiate, and execute on new strategies and ideas.
• Excellent relationship management and interpersonal skills.
• Close attention to detail and outstanding organization and time-management skills.
• Comfortability in working both independently and collaboratively with varied stakeholders.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
• Propensity to think out of the box and iterate on solicitation strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse constituencies and develop relationships that enhance overall development goals.
• Skilled at articulating compelling cases for annual discretionary support and major gifts.
• Demonstrated experience with Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), Airtable, Slack, and Salesforce.

In addition, preferred requirements include: 

• Experience in annual giving.
• Experience in a higher-education development setting.
• Experience with gift solicitations and closures.
• Understanding of planned giving vehicles and gift opportunities that include an annual giving and planned giving component.

Why Stanford is for you: 

Stanford’s dedicated 16,000 staff come from diverse educational and career backgrounds. We are a collaborative environment that thrives on innovation and continuous improvement. At Stanford, we seek talent committed to excellence, driven to impact the future of our legacy, and improve lives on a global sphere. We provide competitive salaries, excellent health care and retirement plans, and a generous vacation policy, including additional time off during our winter closure. Our generous perks align with what matters to you:

• Freedom to grow. Take advantage of career development programs, tuition reimbursement, or audit a course. Join a TedTalk, film screening, or listen to a renowned author or leader discuss global issues.
• A caring culture. We understand the importance of your personal and family time and provide you access to wellness programs, child-care resources, parent education and consultation, elder care and caregiving support.
• A healthier you. We make wellness a priority by providing access to world-class exercise facilities. Climb our rock wall, or participate in one of hundreds of health or fitness classes.
• Discovery and fun. Visit campus gardens, trails, and museums.
• Enviable resources. We offer free commuter programs and ridesharing incentives. Enjoy discounts for computers, cell phones, recreation, travel, entertainment, and more!

We pride ourselves in being a culture that encourages and empowers you.

* The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.

 *Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of his or her job.

*Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.