Senior Development Associate, Principal Gifts

About The Department

The Department’s mission is to inspire and facilitate philanthropy at the University of Chicago Medicine by building relationships with those who share its goals of advancing excellence in research, education, community, and patient care. We accomplish this mission through expertise, integrity, creativity, and collaboration.

Job Summary

The job implements programs designed to meet fundraising goals for contributed income with moderate guidance. Helps build relationships with alumni, faculty, administrators and organizations with potential to make gifts at the instruction of others. Executes communication strategies for projects.

Responsibilities

• Facilitates, organizes, and executes fundraising and stewardship activities for the Senior Associate Vice President and Senior Director, Principal Gifts.
• Manages logistics and prepares strategic interactions aimed at qualifying, soliciting and stewarding the medical center’s highest level (principal gift) donors and prospects.
• Accounts for driving strategy and next steps following visits and faculty meetings.
• Facilitates internal meetings and fundraiser visits with current and prospective donors to advance prospect strategy.
• Understands and remains current on institutional priorities, programs, events, engagement opportunities and has a general understanding of the diverse research priorities of the University and UC Medicine.
• Prepares briefing documents to prepare participants in cultivation, solicitation, and recognition visits.
• Writes briefings, proposals and a broad spectrum of fundraising materials created for specific audiences such as a donor or prospective donor, family foundation, corporation, or volunteer solicitor in order to support and help achieve their team’s annual fundraising goal.
• Drafts acknowledgements, special greetings, letters for cultivation purposes, and a high volume of messaging for others’ signatures including but not limited to the Senior Associate Vice President, the Senior Director, Principal Gifts, and other executive level staff and faculty members.
• Affords assistance in managing a portfolio of faculty members for the purpose of advancing prospect relationships and identifying funding opportunities.
• Supports the management of portfolios of donors who are in stewardship for existing principal gifts.
• Coordinates recognition and stewardship with the Donor Relations team.
• Performs basic prospect research that informs briefings, strategy, proposals and solicitations.
• Collaborates with Prospect Development team on defining the need for in-depth research and negotiating the timeline for such research.
• Utilizes and keeps up to date a donor database to prospective donor activity and interests.
• Affords assistance in raising $25M+ in new gifts and pledges. Supports the qualification of 4+ PG prospects each year.
• Works with others to maximize prospective donor cultivation.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Education

• Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
• Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Work Experience

• Experience in a university setting or a similarly complex institution.
• Familiarity with database applications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in development or a related field, such as public relations, sales, marketing, or a not-for-profit organization.
• Familiarity with the resources available via the Internet.
• An exceptional work ethic and track record of personal initiative.
• Familiarity with The University of Chicago.

Competencies

• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, including the Alumni Development Database System Griffin, a Microsoft Windows computer environment, Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and Active Planner.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, characterized by the ability to listen, to speak, and to write well with a strong commitment to customer service.
• Excellent organizational skills, and a high degree of flexibility and initiative.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)