Leadership Gift Officer

About Longwood University:

A comprehensive university with a strong liberal arts foundation, Longwood has a distinctive mission to develop citizen leaders who are prepared to make positive contributions to the common good of society. Founded in 1839, Longwood is the third-oldest public university in Virginia.

Longwood is part of the proud tradition of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Roughly one hour's drive from Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Richmond, Longwood is located in the historic two-college community of Farmville. Longwood currently has approximately 4,300 undergraduate and graduate students and 39,000 alumni. It maintains affiliations with the neighboring Robert Russa Moton Museum of civil rights history and the Longwood Center for Visual Arts, a nationally accredited university art museum. A member of the Big South Conference, Longwood competes at the NCAA Division I level.

Job Description:

Longwood University invites qualified applicants to apply for the position of Leadership Gift Officer (FA115). Leadership Gift Officers work independently and also as members of the Institutional Advancement team, and coordinate their activities with those of other units in Institutional Advancement and across campus. Leadership Gift Officers will develop and foster comprehensive philanthropic support for Longwood University through a systematic program of identification, engagement, solicitation and stewardship of individual gift donors in the Longwood community. This position will report to the Assistant Vice President of University Priorities and works collaboratively and strategically with the Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Associate Vice President of Development, other fundraising professionals, faculty, staff, volunteers and other campus leaders.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain a portfolio of active donors and prospective donors as well as set and carry out strategies for engagement and solicitation of these constituents.
• Assume and achieve annual fundraising and activity goals
• Participate in all aspects of the gift cycle:
  • Initiate contacts with potential constituents
  • Develop appropriate cultivation strategies for them, including working with volunteers
  • Move potential donors in an appropriate and timely fashion toward solicitation and stewardship
  • Make solicitations when appropriate
  • Maintain stewardship contacts with donors; adhere to the highest ethical standards; demonstrate empathetic disposition, and perseverance; reflect optimistic and positive attitude, and convey sensitivity to needs of the donors
• Work in a collegial manner with development team in creating and implementing strategies for qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Maintain a basic knowledge of projects and programs that are the funding objectives for the University and share Longwood's vision with donors
• Determine whether an individual is interested in becoming a donor and devise appropriate engagement strategies for solicitation
• Conduct appropriate and effective reporting of activity and monitor resources and expenditures associated with his/her program and portfolio
• Gather, record and properly store information about constituents utilizing Raiser's Edge software
• Perform other duties as required or assigned

Requirements:

• Master's Degree preferred, or Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of work experience and/or training
• Experience in fundraising, preferably in higher education
• Understanding of the needs and interests of constituents in order to develop relationships between them and the University
• Demonstrated leadership, along with the ability to work both independently and part of a team
• Excellent oral, written and interpersonal skills required
• Strong problem-solving, research and analytical skills
• Solid relationship-building skills, able to interface with multiple audiences, including; faculty, staff, university volunteers, donors, parents and alumni
• Able to initiate, analyze, monitor, evaluate and advance strategic advancement plans
• Must be able to travel extensively around the region/state, with potential out of state travel as well
• Must have a valid driver's license; weekend and evening work will be required

Additional Information:

This is a full-time, administrative & professional faculty, exempt position. A successful fingerprint criminal background investigation is required. AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni are encouraged to apply.

Commonwealth of Virginia benefits accompany this position to include:

• State health and dental benefits & flexible spending accounts
• Paid leave (which may include sick leave, personal leave, annual leave, etc.), and 13 holidays
• Retirement savings plans (some with limited employer match available (VRS)
• Life & Long-Term care insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee discounts for various services, including Verizon.
• Educational benefits for most employees
• Fitness Center membership less expensive than most

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Longwood University will provide, if requested, reasonable accommodations to applicants in need of accommodations in order to provide access to the application and/or interview process. You are not required to note the presence of a disability on your application. If, however, you require accommodations in the application and/or interview process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at 434-395-2074 or humres@longwood.edu.

Per CFR: Title 34, the Title IX Coordinator's contact information can be located through this link http://www.longwood.edu/titleix/.

A diversified workforce is an important part of our strategic plan. EOE/AA

Application Instructions:

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled, position posted 11/3/2023. To apply for this position, qualified applicants must complete the online information section and questions, and attach (under Resume) a letter of interest, resume, and names and contact details of three references