The Executive Director of the Annual Giving —Academic Health Sciences is responsible for coordinating the Academic Health Sciences annual fund programs to benefit strategic priorities at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, UVM Medical Center, UVM Cancer Center, and UVM Children’s Hospital and for building and implementing annual giving services that can be offered collaboratively across the UVM Health Network. The position reports to the AVP of Advancement Services, Academic Health Sciences, and works in close collaboration with the Executive Director of Annual Giving at the UVM Foundation.

Essential Functions:

70% Manage annual fund programs for LCOM, UVMMC, UVMCH, UVMCC and CNHS, including both direct marketing and individual giving. • Supervise the Assistant Director of Annual Giving, AHS, whose work focuses specifically on the UVM Larner College of Medicine.

• Supervise the Community Fundraising Team (one Supervisor and one strategist), whose work focuses primarily on fundraising for the UVM Children’s Hospital.
• Supervise the Assistant Director of Leadership Annual Giving, whose work focuses on cultivating and soliciting leadership annual giving donors ($2,500+), and identifying and qualifying new prospects, in support of the Academic Health Sciences at UVM.
• Execute a robust and timely grateful patient and annual fund solicitation program that includes acquisition and renewal and grows overall fundraising results year over year.
• Organize strategies that leverage the care delivery, research and educational aspirations of the Academic Health Sciences with grateful patients and local/regional community members. Establish benchmarks for program evaluation and establish best practices that enhance the participation in and fundraising totals of each solicitation.
• Work with University, Medical Center, and Foundation leadership to develop a compelling case for engagement and support that will attract annual fund donors in a highly competitive philanthropic environment.
• Actively partner with the alumni relations, stewardship, and major gifts teams to build and sustain an engaging donor-centered environment.
• Manage the expenses associated with all AHS annual fund programs and ensure the most cost-effective expense and income ratios, including any contracts with outside service providers.

20% Build and implement a sustainable and collaborative shared service model for annual giving and grateful patient fundraising for UVM Health Network that maximizes philanthropy for all affiliates, remains local, is donor centric, and builds efficiencies.

10% Steward annual giving donors to ensure future giving as well as to shepherd them up the pipeline. Stewardship will include direct outreach as well as mass communication. The Executive Director of Annual giving will partner with the Director of Administration and Stewardship on all annual giving stewardship activities and will coordinate with the Associate Director of Leadership Annual Giving.

Specific standards of performance will be captured as metrics in an annual business plan.

Minimum Skills & Abilities: 

• Collaborative and team-oriented style combined with the ability and desire to achieve a high level of productivity and success
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience in exercising discretion in a complex, evolving environment
• Knowledge of principles and techniques of annual fund solicitations or similar high-end financial management or sales
• Effective problem-solving skills with the ability to communicate effectively in person, in writing, and by phone
• Self-starter able to secure personal appointments and qualify/disqualify current donors and new prospects.
• Enduring commitment to learning and ethical conduct.
• Supreme strategist who can overcome hurdles and maximize donor impact while handling multiple projects
• Must be willing and able to travel frequently inside and outside of Vermont, via air, train and automobile. Valid driver’s license required.
• Demonstrated commitment to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, combined with the ability to meaningfully apply those principles to donor engagement and fundraising

Preferred Skills & Abilities:

• An understanding of the dynamics of academic medicine, including education, clinical care, and research
• Demonstrated achievement in developing annual fund programs and securing philanthropic investments in the four, five, and six and figure ranges
• Proven success in developing cultivation and stewardship strategies that lead to further philanthropic investments
• Adept at navigating the need for road travel and in-office relationships and follow-up

Minimum Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 4 years of successful professional fundraising-related experience, preferably in higher education and healthcare; or any equivalent combination of education and/or experience from which comparable knowledge, skill and abilities can be demonstrated.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience managing fundraising staff.

Preferred Education & Experience:

Master’s degree and at least 6 years of successful professional fundraising and annual fund leadership experience, preferably in academic medicine and/or science and technology-based industries; or any equivalent combination of education and/or experience from which comparable knowledge, skill, and abilities have been developed.