Associate Director/Director of Advancement

Associate Director/Director of Advancement

College of Law

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Flexible/Hybrid Opportunities

The College of Law and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement (OVCIA) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seek a full-time major gift officer. The Associate Director/Director of Advancement will secure private support for funding priorities within the College as determined by the Assistant Dean for Advancement and the Dean. This staff member will play a critical role in efforts to implement an integrated approach for impact and mission driven priorities across the College.

Founded in 1897, the College of Law resides on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system. One of the nation’s most respected public law schools, the College boasts an exceptional faculty and student body, enjoys a strong legacy of excellence in legal research and education, and has more than 11,000 alumni holding prestigious positions in law, business, government, and the legal academy. To learn more about the College of Law, please visit https://law.illinois.edu.

In June of 2022, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign successfully concluded With Illinois, an ambitious $2.25 billion philanthropic campaign – the largest in the school’s history. The campaign recorded $2.7 billion in gifts and commitments. The College of Law raised over $57 million, surpassing its goal by almost 145%. Fundraising efforts will continue and, in addition to the respective priorities within each of the colleges and units, the University remains resolute in its commitment to secure additional private resources towards student scholarships, faculty and staff support, capital projects, and other life-changing programmatic initiatives.

Organizational Relationship

The Associate Director/Director of Advancement reports to the Assistant Dean for Advancement and works closely with academic leadership, including the Dean and faculty, as well as with advancement colleagues within the College and across the campus. This position will assist the College of Law in designing strategies to broaden and strengthen development activities in defined territories within the United States – Chicago, in particular – and will require travel of varying durations, up to 30-50%, including some evenings and weekends. The successful candidate will be a collaborative team member, a self-starter, and someone who is skilled at building strong internal and external relationships. The primary responsibility is to identify, cultivate, and solicit prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000 or more in support of the college, with an emphasis on solicitations in the six-figure range or higher.

Job Summary
Will secure private support for funding priorities within the College as determined by the Assistant Dean for Advancement and the Dean. This staff member will play a critical role in efforts to implement an integrated approach for impact and mission driven priorities across the College. The primary responsibility is to identify, cultivate, and solicit prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000 or more in support of the college, with an emphasis on solicitations in the six-figure range or higher.

Duties & Responsibilities

• 
  Identify, assess, analyze, and design appropriate strategies for approaching prospects and donors in a specified geographic region – Chicago, in particular. Plan and implement effective outreach and cultivation activities to enhance prospect identification and move solicitation and stewardship processes forward. Determine and prioritize lists of donor prospects, alumni, and other stakeholders to be contacted for personal visits.

• Qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of identified major gift prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000 or more, with an emphasis on solicitations in the six-figure range or higher, making the vitally important match between donors’ philanthropic interests and the programmatic and curricular vision of the College of Law. Document all activities and interactions in the alumni/donor database and follow-up activities for stewardship.

• Develop and maintain close collaborative partnerships with faculty and staff to gain a strong knowledge of the academic and clinical programs to identify and define priorities to be funded through private support. Partner closely with other advancement professionals, including gift officers and corporate relations professionals.

• Collaborate with OVCIA and/or UIF colleagues in areas such as planned giving, prospect research, etc., to continually broaden fundraising knowledge and grow prospect pipeline.
  

Impact in Your First Year
At Advancement at Illinois, we value our employees and provide resources to help you continually learn and grow. We foster a strong, collaborative community of people who are driven by their ability to make a difference.

Within 3 months, you’ll:

• Become familiar with the strategic vision and priorities of the College/specific departments
  
• Meet your assigned Prospect Development Analyst and begin to dig into your portfolio
  
• Attend professional development and networking activities for newcomers within Advancement
  
• Be introduced to fundraising fundamentals terminology adopted from Plus Delta Partners
  
  Within 6 months, you’ll:
  
• Begin cultivating relationships with key prospects/donors/alumni in an effort to create and implement solicitation strategies
  
• Partner with stewardship and donor relations, events, alumni relations, and communications colleagues on department and College-wide initiatives
  
• Be able to share multiple meaningful impact stories of transformative gifts
  
  By the end of the first year, you’ll:
  
• Cooperatively set annual goals with your supervisor and portfolio management team
  
• Continue portfolio growth of qualified prospects and successful solicitation strategies
  
• Receive one-on-one coaching from Talent Management to help your transition to your new role
• Build a robust network of colleagues across campus
  Minimum Qualifications
  

  • Bachelor’s degree
  • For the title of Associate Director, a minimum of three years of successful advancement experience or more than six years of experience in a closely related field which requires strong relationship-building and outcome driven components. For the title of Director, a minimum of five years of successful experience or ten years of experience in a closely related field which requires strong relationship-building and outcome driven components.
  • Experience working in a collaborative, team-oriented environment
  Preferred Qualifications
  

  • Documented success as a major gift fundraiser
  • Advancement experience in an academic unit that produces degrees and conducts rigorous academic research
  • Experience managing alumni and/or student programs and devising innovative programs to engage alumni and/or donors to support academic priorities
  • Experience working with faculty

  Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

  • Demonstrated understanding of major donor prospect qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, preferably in a higher education environment
  • Superb oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with an emphasis on engaged, active listening
  • Demonstrated ability to represent an organization in visits with key constituents
  • Strong relationship management skills

  Preferred

  • Knowledge and/or experience working in the major components of advancement including development, communications and public relations, alumni engagement, and special events.
  • Knowledge of planned giving fundraising vehicles.
  
  

Appointment Information
This is a 100% full-time Academic Professional position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after close date. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience, while also considering internal equity. The salary range for this position starts at $70,000 for the title of Associate Director, and $85,000 for the title of Director

Application Procedures & Deadline Information
Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (CST) on January 5, 2023. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact Katie Walker at walker74@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal, or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu.

Requisition ID: 1013775
Job Category: Administrative
Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu