Program Coordinator, Major Gifts

Posted on 11/30/2022

Duke Alumni Engagement & Development

Durham, NC

The Program Coordinator is a full-time position reporting directly to the Director of Administration and Operations – Major & Leadership Gifts.  The Program Coordinator will proactively partner with three to four Senior/ Regional Development Directors to leverage their ability to raise the best and biggest gifts for Duke.  The Program Coordinator is responsible for developing and implementing engagement, fundraising & stewardship strategies to enhance and grow revenue from current and prospective donors managed and engaged by those Senior/Regional Development Directors.  Candidates for this position must have an exceptional understanding of philanthropy and a deep knowledge of fundraising fundamentals.

Work Performed

Prospect/Donor strategy development and implementation. The Program Coordinator will proactively develop and implement strategies to maximize a Development Directors’ fundraising impact at each stage of the solicitation cycle:  qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.

  • Qualification. Analyzes alumni databases and all relevant Prospect Management (PRMA) tools developed to create prioritized lists of suspects for qualification- including mapping potential prospects to key University (Campaign) priorities.
  • Cultivation. Partners with RDD/SrRDDs to proactively develop materials to be utilized in donor meetings and materials sent as follow up to donor/prospect meetings based on the donor/prospects’ specific interests.
  • Cultivation/Stewardship.  Develop and implement plans to maximize connecting prospects through campus and regional events.
  • Cultivation/Stewardship. Maintains a robust knowledge of University-wide funding priorities and a general knowledge of school and unit funding priorities and develops personalized “touch points” for donors/prospects managed by RDD/SrRDDs, based on prospects’ interest areas.
  • Solicitation.  Collaborates with MCS and school-based officers to produce white papers and proposals.
  • Solicitation.  Partners with RDD/SrRDDs to drive strategy meetings for all prospects with a team for whom there is a ready solicitation.
  • Stewardship.  Designs and implements individualized prospect stewardship and donor relations plans (inclusive of written materials, stewardship meeting strategies etc.) for all donors in the Development Directors portfolios – with a special focus on leadership level donors, consistent major or leadership level donors and new ‘first time” major gift level donors.
  • Cultivation/Solicitation/Stewardship. Plans and implements donors’ campus visits related to board exploration, exploration of philanthropic interests, and stewardship of gifts. Meets with donors during campus visits as appropriate.

Other

  • Serves on AED task forces and committees as appropriate.
  • Serves as mentors to Development Associates.
  • Drives Major & Leadership Gift special projects as they emerge and are directed by the Assistant Vice President of M&LG and/or Director of M&LG.
  • Supports regional Campaign volunteer programs as assigned as they may emerge.
  • Drives Virtual Small Group Meeting Series (Partnering for Impact) in coordination with Special Events.

Competencies: 

  • Attention to Detail:  Regularly follows up with others to ensure information is complete. Work requires no review.
  • Planning, Prioritizing, and Multi-tasking:  Seamlessly organizes and prioritizes the work of self and others. Refers to the larger objective to create and delegate priorities and timelines. Anticipates potential issues and creates a backup plan.
  • Shares Knowledge:   Identifies novel approaches to organizational processes and procedures to increase effectiveness and efficiency in said processes/procedures, and shares this information with others at staff/program meetings to maximize benefit. Involves people with relevant expertise in projects and activities. Creates and supports systems and procedures that individuals can use to file, catalogue and share knowledge. Makes effective use of available media to share knowledge across the organization. Encourages others to use knowledge sharing systems. Encourages communication and collaboration.
  • Collaborating with others: Ability to work collaboratively, formally and informally within one’s team and across the organization.
  • Expressing ideas orally and in writing: Ability to effectively and persuasively communicate ideas, thoughts, and facts orally and in writing.
  • Curiosity & Information Seeking: Expresses an underlying curiosity in people and an ability to go beyond questions that are routine to gain an understanding of the prospects capacity, affinity and inclination.

Preferred Qualifications 

  • Bachelor’s degree and/or and at least 3-5 years of fundraising, donor relations/stewardship, prospect research, or communications experience, preferably in higher education, or related experience with a successful track record.
  • Ability to prioritize and execute multiple tasks and projects, working both independently and as a team member.
  • Exceptional ability to think strategically and analytically.
  • Excellent writing and speaking skills and strong organizational skills required.
  • Strong initiative, creativity and attention to detail.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Work requires communications, analytical and organizational skills normally acquired through completion of a bachelor’s degree program.

Experience

Work requires one year of experience in fund raising, alumni affairs, public relations,student activities, program administration or a related field to become familiar with activities involved in planning special events or programs.  OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual’s age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.

To apply for this job please visit careers.duke.edu.