Development Officer, Leadership Giving

Overview

Yale University seeks a driven and successful fundraiser to join the division of Alumni Affairs and Development. The Leadership Giving Officer will solicit prospective donors for gifts of $50,000 to $500,000 and collaborate with colleagues in Major Gifts, the Alumni Fund, Reunion Giving, and Planned Giving.

Required Skill & Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to consistently close philanthropic gifts.
• Utilizes best practices and a donor-centric approach to manage a donor portfolio.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to meet prospects; includes work during evenings and weekends.
• Maintains strict confidentiality.
• Active listener with successful track record of interacting with donors, volunteers, and colleagues.
• Leverages relationships to implement strategic solicitation of donors for stretch gifts.
• Proactive, productive team contributor with a positive attitude and sense of humor.
• Commitment to an inclusive workplace.
• Initiative, resourcefulness, data-driven work ethic, innovative, flexible, excellent organizational, written, and oral communication skills.
• Persistent, results-oriented, and driven to succeed.
• Exhibits behavioral and linguistic flexibility as well as strong intellectual and social curiosity.
• Exhibits behavioral and linguistic flexibility as well as strong intellectual and social curiosity.
• Demonstrated ability synthesizing and prioritizing information from a wide array of sources while maintaining an attention to detail and effectively managing overall workflow.

Principal Responsibilities

• Qualifies, cultivates, and solicits Yale alumni capable of making leadership annual and capital gifts to the University.
• Devises and implements cultivation and solicitation strategies and meets activity and revenue goals by planning, managing, and maintaining an aggressive travel schedule.
• Executes cultivation methods to solicit gifts.
• Raises leadership annual and capital gifts to fund university priorities.
• Develops and implements retention strategies to upgrade donors.
• Recognizes disinterested donors and devises strategies to redirect their interests.
• Participates in execution of events and programs in support of development activities.
• Engages key volunteers and effectively utilizes events and other activities to move solicitations forward.
• Conducts appropriate stewardship activities to further enhance the relationship between assigned donors and Yale.
• Initiates and maintains contact to promote positive donor relations.
• Solicits leadership annual and capital gifts working with donors directly and working with department colleagues and volunteers.
• Qualifies prospects for potential major gift capacity and interest.
• Provides appropriate background on prospects to be assigned to Major Gift portfolios.
• Effectively communicates progress of cultivation efforts and results of visits to appropriate personnel.
• Exercises good judgment in discussing alumni, issues, and results.
• Maintains composure and calm demeanor in difficult situations.
• Acts as liaison between various university departments and donors.