Executive Director, Campaign Planning (0554U), University Development and Alumni Relations #88334

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging makes it a special place for students, faculty, and staff, who are among the most talented and accomplished anywhere. Since our founding in 1868, we have been an engine for innovation—driving intellectual, economic, and social progress that benefits California, the U.S., and beyond. We actively support professional development by providing all full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours of paid time per year and offer numerous employee resource groups to build supportive colleague communities.

About the Department

University Development and Alumni Relations (UDAR) increases support for and enhances knowledge of UC Berkeley through communications, public outreach, and fundraising. The department is responsible for centralized fundraising and donor engagement, working to strengthen unit development offices by consulting and partnering with campus fundraisers. UDAR handles a range of central activities, including events, communications, stewardship, prospect development, gift management, and database management.

About the Role

The Executive Director, Campaign Planning designs, develops, delivers, and administers the University’s comprehensive campaign and associated fundraising programs, working in consultation with campaign counsel and the Vice Chancellor of University Development and Alumni Relations and Associate Vice Chancellor Constituent Programs. This strategic position collaborates closely with campus leadership, fundraising leaders, and volunteers to support and deliver measurable annual and long-term outcomes. The role involves developing campaign materials, marketing plans, and organizing related programs and events, as well as cultivating, stewarding, and potentially soliciting donor prospects. This position reports to the Associate Vice Chancellor, Constituent Programs, UDAR, with a dotted line report to the Vice Chancellor, University Development and Alumni Relations.

Responsibilities

• Campaign planning and direction:
  • Serve as an expert or lead development professional in campaign planning and direction, engaging donors capable of making significant contributions.
  • Develop, implement, and assess the campaign plan, recommending strategies such as campaign architecture (themes, overall goal, sub-goals), timeline and phases, volunteer organizational structure, and campaign team budget and staffing.
  • Collaborate with UDAR units on campaign stewardship, communications, outreach, and events plans.
  • Conduct and/or oversee campaign feasibility assessments and goal setting. Track and report progress to high-level campus and volunteer leaders, as well as the UDAR management team.
  • Develop and track progress against the campaign timeline, recommending corrective actions or adjustments as needed.
  • Serve as the primary liaison between UDAR and campaign counsel, including scheduling consultations and processing payments.
• Campus multidisciplinary themes:
  • In collaboration with the Provost, Vice Chancellor for Research, and deans, staff and manage campus multidisciplinary themes during the public phase of the campaign, including developing transformational gift opportunities and identifying, cultivating, and soliciting principal and major gift prospects.
  • Staff and manage ongoing needs assessment and priority-setting processes during the campaign’s public phase.
• Marketing plans/strategies:
  • Develop, create, write, implement, and evaluate individualized marketing plans and strategies for cultivation and solicitation of major gifts, gift planning, or corporate/foundation prospects.
  • Attend strategy meetings for principal gift-level prospects and ensure alignment with overall campaign strategy.
• Executive advisor:
  • Serve as an executive advisor, interacting with prospects, donors, staff, and outside professionals to provide information, advice, and counsel on specialized programs.
  • Develop an internal communications strategy to keep colleagues within development/advancement and across the university informed of campaign priorities, progress, and status.
  • Attend meetings of UDAR fundraising teams (e.g., PGSI, Major Gifts, SED) to facilitate coordination with prospects and campaign strategies.
  • Participate in key campaign-related meetings, such as Board of Trustees and select committee meetings, needs assessment and priority-setting meetings, campaign volunteer leadership meetings, and stakeholder meetings for multidisciplinary themes.
  • Act as a campaign liaison to other university offices as appropriate.
  • Convene specialized communities of practice to promote campaign goals and assessment.
• Prospect and volunteer constituencies:
  • Create, establish, and evaluate methods for building and maintaining prospect and volunteer constituencies, including identifying, recruiting, and directing high-level volunteers.
  • Provide staffing for the campaign chair/co-chairs and National Campaign Steering Committee, including scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, briefing leadership, ensuring follow-up, and communicating decisions.
  • Develop individual relationships with NCSC co-chairs and members.
  • Oversee the development of campaign volunteer resources, such as handbooks, newsletters, training opportunities, and high-level volunteer meetings and events.
• Fundraising and advancement programs:
  • Analyze needs and create strategic, long-range plans for fundraising and advancement programs, with authority to make precedent-setting decisions regarding program design and development.
  • Collaborate with colleagues in development/advancement services to develop campaign gift tables, counting and gift tagging protocols, reports, and other tools to track and report campaign progress.
  • Ensure predetermined fundraising goals are met.
• Campaign team leadership:
  • Manage and provide leadership for the campaign team, establishing and assessing overall team strategy and goals.
  • Mentor and coach team members.

Requirements

• Expert collaboration, relationship-building, and trust-building skills to work effectively with a broad range of stakeholders and partners.
• Strong ability to navigate organizational complexities and decentralized environments and to lead successfully through influence.
• Expert knowledge of comprehensive campaigns, particularly in a university setting.
• Expert knowledge of various aspects of fundraising, such as donor and public relations, communications and marketing, planned giving, stewardship, and front-line fundraising.
• Expert knowledge of diverse stakeholder groups, teams, departments, achievements, and activities of a major and complex organization, including current issues in higher education.
• Expert knowledge of, and/or ability to quickly learn, the UC Berkeley campus, including its vision, mission, goals, objectives, achievements, and infrastructure.
• Expert knowledge of applicable laws, rules, regulations, and risks in the nonprofit and fundraising field.
• Expert written, oral, listening, and interpersonal communication skills, including advanced political acumen, to establish and maintain good working relationships at all organizational levels and with outside constituencies.
• Expert skill in making persuasive and compelling presentations of campus goals/objectives and securing gifts.
• Expert analytical, critical thinking, problem-solving, and conflict resolution skills.
• Expert project/program management skills, including setting and meeting goals and objectives within budget and time constraints.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including the ability to build trust, influence others, and drive results.
• Strong skills to lead and develop high-performing teams, including setting strategic direction, establishing clear expectations, coaching staff, fostering collaboration, and managing accountability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience/training (required).
• Advanced degree (preferred).

Pay

The budgeted annual salary range for this position is $175,400.00 - $240,000.00. The full range associated with the job classification is $142,400.00 - $279,400.00. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

Schedule

This is a full-time (40 hours/week), exempt, monthly-paid career position eligible for UC benefits. The role requires a weekly on-site/on-campus presence with the possibility of some telecommuting days, as determined in partnership with your supervisor.