Director of Strategic Initiatives and Advancement Operations- Development and Alumni Relations
About the role
The Director of Strategic Initiatives and Advancement Operations serves as a senior leader within Midwestern University's advancement organization. Reporting to the Vice President for University Advancement, this position leads strategic planning, campaign readiness, advancement operations, prospect research, wealth screening, reporting and analytics, gift administration, and donor agreement management. The Director accelerates philanthropic growth by translating institutional priorities into integrated advancement strategies, strengthens operational infrastructure, expands the major gift pipeline, and ensures the effective administration of systems, processes, and resources that support fundraising, alumni engagement, donor stewardship, and campaign success across Midwestern University's Glendale and Downers Grove campuses.
Responsibilities
Lead the development and implementation of multi-year advancement strategies that align with Midwestern University's mission and institutional priorities.
Translate executive-level objectives into actionable project plans, budgets, timelines, and measurable performance indicators.
Conduct environmental scans, benchmarking studies, and strategic analyses to identify opportunities for growth and innovation.
Support the Vice President in advancing strategic priorities, special initiatives, and institutional fundraising goals.
Lead campaign planning, readiness assessments, case development, prospect segmentation, and fundraising strategy for major institutional initiatives.
Coordinate campaign infrastructure, policies, procedures, and reporting systems to support comprehensive and multi-campus fundraising efforts.
Partner with academic and administrative leadership to develop compelling philanthropic priorities and cases for support.
Monitor campaign performance and recommend strategic adjustments to maximize fundraising.
Oversee prospect research, wealth screening, donor analytics, and prospect management programs to identify, qualify, and prioritize major, principal, planned, corporate, and foundation giving.
Develop prospect profiles, briefing materials, capacity assessments, relationship mapping, and strategic recommendations for University leadership and frontline fundraisers.
Monitor pipeline performance and establish metrics to assess prospect movement, portfolio health, and fundraising effectiveness.
Support major, principal, planned, corporate, and foundation fundraising strategies through data-driven decision-making.
Provide leadership and oversight for advancement operations, including constituent records management, data governance, gift processing, reporting, advancement technologies, and operational effectiveness.
Ensure the accuracy, security, integrity, and compliance of advancement data and records.
Develop operational policies, procedures, and best practices that enhance efficiency, accountability, and service excellence.
Collaborate with Information Technology, Finance, and other University departments to strengthen advancement systems and reporting capabilities.
Lead the development and maintenance of dashboards, performance metrics, fundraising reports, and key performance indicators.
Provide strategic analysis of fundraising performance, donor trends, campaign progress, and pipeline activity to University leadership and the Board of Trustees.
Leverage technology, automation, predictive modeling, and business intelligence tools to improve fundraising outcomes and operational efficiency.
Champion a culture of data-informed decision-making and continuous improvement throughout University Advancement.
Oversee the accurate processing, acknowledgment, receipting, reconciliation, and reporting of all charitable contributions.
Coordinate the preparation, review, execution, tracking, and management of gift agreements, endowment agreements, memoranda of understanding, and other philanthropic commitments.
Ensure compliance with donor intent, institutional policies, accounting standards, IRS regulations, and applicable legal requirements.
Monitor restricted and endowed funds to ensure stewardship obligations, reporting commitments, and donor expectations are fulfilled.
Partner with Finance, Legal Affairs, and University leadership to ensure proper administration of philanthropic funds and donor-supported initiatives.
Serve as a strategic liaison between University Advancement and academic, clinical, and administrative leadership on both campuses.
Facilitate collaboration among deans, faculty, clinicians, and external partners to identify and advance philanthropic opportunities.
Support donor engagement strategies that align institutional priorities with donor interests and community needs.
Represent University Advancement on institutional committees, task forces, and strategic initiatives.
Develop and implement systems, processes, templates, and performance metrics that strengthen organizational effectiveness.
Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Assist with budget development, resource allocation, and operational planning for University.
Supervise assigned staff and provide leadership, coaching, and professional development.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in Business Administration, Nonprofit Management, Public Administration, Communications, or a related field required.
Minimum of seven (7) to ten (10) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in advancement, development, fundraising operations, sales, advancement services, alumni relations, or related fields, preferably within higher education, academic medicine, healthcare, or other complex nonprofit.
Demonstrated experience developing and implementing strategic fundraising initiatives, campaign planning, prospect management systems, and organizational effectiveness strategies.
Experience overseeing or working closely with advancement operations, prospect research, wealth screening, gift administration, donor stewardship, reporting, and constituent relationship management (CRM) systems.
Proven ability to analyze and leverage data to support fundraising strategy, pipeline development, performance measurement, and organizational decision-making.
Experience managing projects, budgets, timelines, and cross-functional initiatives involving multiple stakeholders and departments.
Demonstrated success building collaborative relationships with executive leadership, faculty, deans, trustees, volunteers, donors, and community partners.
Strong supervisory experience with a demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop professional staff while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Exceptional written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation communication skills, including the ability to prepare executive-level reports, donor communications, and strategic planning documents.
High degree of professionalism, discretion, judgment, and integrity when handling confidential donor, financial, and institutional information.
Demonstrated commitment to customer service, relationship building, and advancing mission-driven philanthropic outcomes.