Director for Advancement, Graduate School

What You Will Do

• Fundraising (45%)
  • Direct the identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of individual prospects, alumni and corporate partners.
  • Manage a portfolio of prospects, with an emphasis on high capacity-level donors.
  • Create and execute strategies to build strong, long-term relationships between unit leaders and donor prospects.
  • Utilize the University's prospect management and tracking system to maintain accurate data.
• Strategy, Engagement and Planning (20%)
  • Work closely with the Assistant Vice Provost for Academic and Student Affairs Advancement and the Dean of the Graduate School to establish short- and long-term advancement goals, annual objectives, strategies and an operating plan aligned with institutional priorities.
  • Develop and implement an integrated communications strategy to promote fundraising priorities, donor impact and engagement opportunities in support of graduate education.
  • Partner with UW Retirement Association leadership to engage members as advocates and philanthropic supporters of graduate education through targeted outreach, stewardship and engagement strategies.
  • Provide strategic oversight of the Graduate School Advancement budget, ensuring alignment of resources with fundraising priorities, engagement strategies and stewardship initiatives and advising leadership on adjustments that support advancement goals.
  • Regularly review donor portfolio trends and giving histories to inform fundraising strategy, pipeline development and stewardship approaches, translating insights into actions that strengthen relationship management and philanthropic outcomes.
• Engagement & Communications (20%)
  • Contribute to strategic planning by helping determine value-add funding needs and priorities for graduate student success, including fellowships, Top Scholar Program, Office of Graduate Student Equity & Excellence (GSEE) and Office of Public Lectures.
• Leadership and Team Management (10%)
  • Lead and support a team that implements all aspects of the Graduate School’s advancement programs, including annual gifts, major and planned gifts, corporate and foundation gifts, donor recognition and stewardship.
  • Collaborate with advancement teams across campus on shared initiatives.
• Other duties as assigned (5%)

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree AND at least six years of experience in development/advancement.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience cultivating and soliciting major gifts, preferably in an R1 higher education environment.
• Ability to manage, develop, mentor and coach staff and colleagues on advancement principles.
• Ability to effectively communicate objectives, energize and inspire staff to achieve results and meet goals while creating a culture of trust and collaboration.
• Proven stakeholder management experience, including shaping consensus within groups with conflicting viewpoints.
• Ability to make decisions and meet goals in ambiguous situations while exercising good, data-informed judgment in a fast paced, dynamic and deadline driven environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite for correspondence, special reports, spreadsheets, databases, forms, etc.
• Demonstrated creativity, organizational ability and strong attention to detail.