University Overview: 

UB is a premier, research-intensive public university dedicated to academic excellence and making a positive impact on the world. Home to more than 31,000 students, the university is consistently recognized as one of the world’s most exceptional and most affordable universities, making it a top choice for students and faculty around the globe. Here, students and faculty work side by side, seeking knowledge that leads to new cures, improved processes, stronger materials, faster computers, smarter software, smaller machines and thousands of other innovations. Building strong connections with our 280,000+ alumni and donors worldwide is critical to fueling UB’s future, which includes the aspiration to be situated in the Top 25 of American public universities. Through the $1 billion Boldly Buffalo campaign, the Division of University Advancement is leading that charge by helping foster a new UB environment that broadens opportunities for alumni engagement, capitalizes on positive student experiences and builds philanthropic support.

The Division of University Advancement works to advance philanthropic opportunities by educating and promoting the benefits of deferred gifts in support of the university’s priorities. The Planned Giving Coordinator (“Coordinator”) joins a team that will be working to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward alumni and friends for the purpose of obtaining major/deferred gift investments in UB. The Coordinator plays an active and important role in advancing the wishes of donors that have made deferred gift commitments to the university.

Description of Position: 

The Planned Giving Coordinator is a member of the advancement team charged with successfully meeting the university’s goals for both short and long-term private support. The Coordinator will facilitate gift collection objectives, including creating and/or reviewing gifting documentation, facilitating the timely receipt of estate and other gifts, and supporting and coordinating planned giving communication and marketing efforts. This position will work closely with the Associate Vice President and collaborate with colleagues across the division.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Exercise limited discretion and professional judgement in reviewing and responding to estate correspondence and legal documents as well as estate accountings; includes reviewing and providing a summary of files held off site (e.g. surrogates court).
• Draft communications to donors, estate representatives, allied professional partners and other constituents on behalf of the university’s planned giving efforts.
• Responsible for the timely processing of estate gifts which includes the deposit of checks, creating or updating all associated records and databases and reviewing estate gift allocations to ensure compliance with donor intent and university policy.
• Review, research, verify and route correspondence, reports and legal documents as well as draft appropriate follow-up correspondence and documents.
• Monitor and document estate gift program activities and results. Develop and maintain reports, providing basic analysis of program trends, and short and long-range results.
• Create, maintain and monitor probate activity calendar to ensure the timely receipt of gifts as well as the acknowledgement, processing, reporting and follow-up of planned gifts.
• Interact with donors, donor representatives and faculty and staff and other key constituents via telephone, email, mail and/or meetings. Coordinate follow up and implement appropriate tracking of inquiries and other appropriate activities.
• Draft and disseminate stewardship recommendations for the effective stewardship of realized planned gifts.
• Organize donor and estate hard copy and electronic files (making photocopies and scanning documents as necessary).
• Handle special projects as assigned.

Reporting Relationships: 

The Planned Giving Coordinator reports to the Associate Vice President for Planned Giving.

Key Qualities for Success: 

The Planned Giving Coordinator 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.

Required Qualifications: 

• Associate’s degree; a combination of education and experience or relevant training as a paralegal, law library aide, court clerk, etc., may be considered in lieu of an Associate’s Degree.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience working in a dynamic professional office environment.
• Ability to independently handle multiple projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines and goals.
• Experience planning, organizing and coordinating projects from start to completion.
• Experience using Microsoft Office Suite.
• Experience writing, proofreading and editing documents.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgement and diplomacy in interactions with a diverse constituency, including donors, university leadership, managers and volunteers.
• Discretion with sensitive and highly confidential information.
• Ability to travel locally

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Experience with prospect tracking and/or other comparable database.

UB offers highly competitive salary and benefit packages for its advancement staff.

Salary Range: $15,500-$19,500

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.