PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Assistant Director of Gift Planning is a frontline fundraiser and vital member of Mount Holyoke College’s Development Team. This individual manages a portfolio of approximately 120 alums, families, and friends, cultivating relationships that lead to impactful philanthropic commitments, including six- and seven-figure life income gifts, estate gifts and complex outright gifts. Reporting to the Director of Gift Planning, this role contributes to the success of the College’s upcoming comprehensive campaign by advancing strategic gift planning efforts and collaborating with internal and external partners. 

The Assistant Director partners across the Development team to develop customized gift strategies and provides expertise on planned giving vehicles.  Success in this role requires empathy, curiosity, technical acumen, and a commitment to inclusive donor engagement.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 120 Mount Holyoke College gift planning prospects and donors, guiding individuals through the full donor cycle: identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

• Conduct 100+ substantive donor interactions annually, including 25+ gift solicitations, with 35–50% domestic travel required.

• Build meaningful relationships with alums, surviving spouses, and other supporters, leading to impactful philanthropic commitments.

• Collaborate with colleagues across annual giving, leadership gifts, principal gifts, and donor relations to develop and implement integrated donor strategies.

• Provide technical expertise and consultative support on planned giving vehicles to donors and internal partners.

• Prepare and present customized proposals and gift illustrations for charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts, and complex outright gifts using PG Calc and TIAA Kaspick. Review and coordinate contracts for gift annuities and trusts in collaboration with College counsel, as needed.

• Conduct in-depth conversations regarding complex gift planning opportunities, including gifts of real estate and closely held stock, in partnership with the Director of Gift Planning.

• Oversee the planning and execution of regional Mary Lyon Society stewardship and cultivation events.

• Maintain accurate and timely records of donor interactions and proposals in the College’s Salesforce-based fundraising CRM.

• Support marketing efforts for planned giving, including the creation and review of print and digital outreach materials.

• Serve as backup to the Director of Gift Planning in collaborating with the Finance Office to track and monitor estate gifts through the settlement process.

• Secure planned gifts aligned with departmental and campaign fundraising goals.

• Contribute to a team culture centered on collaboration, transparency, and data-informed decision-making.

• Participate in ongoing professional development in charitable planning, fundraising ethics, and equitable philanthropy practices.

• Actively support Mount Holyoke College’s commitment to creating a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment.

• Remote work flexibility is available, as determined by the Director of Gift Planning.

SKILLS/ KNOWLEDGE/ CERTIFICATIONS:

Required

• Bachelor’s degree

• Minimum of 4 years of professional experience in fundraising, financial planning, law or a related field. 

• Proven success closing five-figure or larger gifts, or comparable high-stakes client engagements.

• Strong interpersonal, organizational and written/verbal communication.

• Demonstrated ability to explain complex financial or legal concepts in a donor-friendly way.

• High level of discretion and integrity in managing confidential information.

• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and respectful engagement with a diverse donor base. 

• Availability for frequent domestic travel and occasional evening/weekend work.

Preferred

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in gift planning, or a related discipline (e.g. law, finance, trust services).

• Familiarity with charitable planning tools, tax and inheritance law, and complex gift instruments.

• Experience using fundraising CRMs and proposal software (Salesforce, PGCalc, TIAA Kaspick tools).

• Knowledge of fundraising best practices and campaign planning stages.

SUPERVISION:

• Reports to the Director of Gift Planning. Organizes their own work-flow in accordance with the priorities of donor cultivation and solicitation and in consultation with the Director of Gift Planning. The Assistant Director of Gift Planning does not supervise other personnel. 

PHYSICAL/ MENTAL/ WORK ENVIRONMENT DEMANDS:

• Sedentary work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.

• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.

• Sufficient clarity of speech required includes those which permit the employee to discern verbal instructions and communicate effectively in person and by telephone.

• The employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and extensive reading.

• Employees operate office equipment and computers to perform essential duties and responsibilities.

Hiring Range: $88,794 – $105,021

DISCLAIMER:

This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described, and may be amended at any time at the discretion of the Employer.

Background Checks:

Mount Holyoke College is committed to providing a safe and secure environment, supported by qualified employees that will allow all of its students, faculty, staff and those associated with them to successfully carry out the mission of the college. As a condition of employment, the College will conduct appropriate background checks for all new hires. Mount Holyoke has designated the Office of Human Resources as the office responsible for ensuring that background checks (CORI, SORI, Credit History, & Driver Credential) are completed and utilized in the hiring process and Five College Office of Compliance and Risk Management as the office responsible for facilitating background checks as articulated in this policy.

Special Instructions for Applicants: 

Apply online; application materials must include:

• A cover letter summarizing interests and qualifications

• A complete resume or curriculum vitae

• For faculty positions, statements on mentoring, teaching, and research will also be required.