Director of Development, School of Pharmacy (Hybrid)

Position Summary

The Director of Development is a frontline fundraising position primarily focused on securing major ($50,000 ) and principal ($1,000,000 ) gifts. The Director is the focal point of collaboration and communication between the UConn Foundation and School of Pharmacy (SOP). The position provides counsel to the Dean and faculty on promoting a positive culture of philanthropy and achieving annual and long-range fundraising goals. As Director, this position will serve as the lead development officer for the School of Pharmacy. The Director is responsible for advancing philanthropic opportunities and cultivating longer-term, donor-centric relationships built on a firm understanding of the donor’s interests, passions, and values.

Primary Responsibilities

• Identify, cultivate, solicit and steward a caseload of current and prospective major gift donors; meet or exceed annual metric goals.
• Create written strategic action plans for best prospects with intent of deepening relationships that lead to increased comprehensive giving including annual, major and deferred gifts.
• Foster strong working relationships with Foundation colleagues, adhering to Prospect Management Guidelines to review caseloads, provide timely and appropriate documentation of interactions and solicitations, and track progress against unit goals.
• Partner with the Assistant Vice President for Development, dean, associate deans, department heads, and members of the faculty and staff within SOP to manage donor and prospect activity and translate university priorities into fundraising plans and goals.
• Assemble and engage collaborative teams of staff and volunteers to implement engagement and solicitation strategies.
• Establish and refine standards for best practices that encourage the highest levels of quality in all interactions with current and prospective donors.
• Update and maintain contact reports in a timely manner and implement next steps of moves process according to prospect/donor engagement strategies.
• Articulate the School of Pharmacy and University Programs fundraising plans and goals to central development staff to broadly engage the Foundation’s fundraising staff and ensure activities are aligned towards unit goals.
• Create opportunities to engage key volunteers and University leadership in the cultivation, and where appropriate, the solicitation of current and potential donors.
• Serves as the academic unit lead to the Dean of the School of Pharmacy.
• Values the diversity of Foundation colleagues, faculty and staff, alumni, families, and community members and how that positively impacts the work of philanthropy.
• Other duties as assigned.

Key Competencies

• Demonstrate the ability to personally solicit gifts at $250,000 .
• Champion for inclusion and diversity both internally and externally.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, tact, and diplomacy. Ability to facilitate personal interactions in formal and informal social settings.
• Demonstrates strategic and leadership capabilities in a comprehensive development environment.; high level of initiative, motivation and assertiveness
• Demonstrate the ability to think strategically and takes initiative to resolve challenges that present.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, including ability to effectively communicate University priorities to donors and prospects, and to positively represent the University and Foundation.
• Ability to engender trust and confidence of donors and prospective donors and to maintain confidentiality of donor information; ability to represent the UConn Foundation to prospects, donors, faculty, administrators and others.
• Adept in use of computers and information management tools, such as CRMs (Blackbaud).
• Ability to handle multiple tasks, to assess and order priorities, and to track details in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work to the demands of the position, which may exceed a 40-hour work week
• Must be willing to travel extensively and reliable personal transportation is required for this position.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license issued from state in which employee resides. Employee must maintain at their expense, automobile liability insurance coverage in the minimum amount of $500,000 or a combination of umbrella and automobile liability insurance coverage of $500,000. A certificate of automobile insurance evidencing the limit, must be provided to the Foundation at hire and annually thereafter.

The University of Connecticut Foundation is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering diversity in its workforce.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree.
• 4 years’ experience as a major gift fundraiser or relevant transferrable experience.
• Competence in Microsoft Office suite and donor management systems.