Oct 18th, 2024
Spelman College
Director of Leadership & Planned Giving
( Georgia | Hybrid )
About the Organization
Spelman College, a historically Black college and a global leader in the education of women of African descent, is dedicated to academic excellence in the liberal arts and sciences and the intellectual, creative, ethical, and leadership development of its students. Through diverse learning modalities, Spelman empowers the whole person to engage the many cultures of the world and inspires a commitment to positive social change.
Job Description
Position reports to: Assistant VP of Advancement Relations
The Director for Leadership and Planned Giving will provide direct supervision for the strategic planning, programs and activities of the Leadership and Gift Planning department and will assist the Assistant Vice President for Advancement Relations on achieving Spelman College fundraising efforts.
The Director for Leadership and Planned Giving will lead the individual high-dollar fundraising efforts of the College through planning, management, and evaluation of fundraising strategies. They will provide leadership and advice on prospect moves management and oversee the operational budget for the team. The Director for Leadership and Planned Giving will also provide guidance regarding the planning for future comprehensive campaigns. The Director for Leadership and Planned Giving will spearhead the planned giving efforts for the College and continue to build a comprehensive planned giving program. This position will manage a small portfolio in addition to team management responsibilities.
-Responsible for ensuring the effectiveness of the prospect strategy.
-Maximizes the work of leadership and planned giving fundraisers, as well as the Assistant Vice President for Advancement Relations (AVP), by analyzing data and developing strategies for securing contributions in partnership with the Prospect Research Unit, including optimal solicitation timing and pledge fulfillment.
-Supports the AVP in achieving divisional priorities and targets, consistent with the College’s strategic plan and campaign priorities.
-Informs regularly and accompanies them on appropriate cultivation and/or gift request visits.
-Provides briefings for the AVP and other senior leaders, as appropriate, for meetings with leadership gift prospects and donors.
-Collaborates with the Advancement Services Department to build a pool of prospective leadership and planned giving prospects, assigns prospects to leadership gift and planned giving fundraisers, and monitors the size of their portfolios.
-In partnership with the Advancement Services Department, tracks the moves management and progress toward leadership and planned giving fundraising goals.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
In coordination with the Director of Advancement Communication:
-Ensures the development of all necessary leadership and planned giving collateral and a communication plan to key stakeholders and audiences to include the College website and email communications.
-Edits gift request proposals for the leadership and planning giving officers and provides oversight for the editing and routing of proposals for approval, as well as for other internal and external fundraising communications.
-Manages a small portfolio to identify, negotiate, and close substantial gifts and pledges.
-Represents Spelman College in fundraising efforts in local and national communities.
-Partners with other members of the Advancement Leadership Team to ensure effective division-wide collaboration and execution of objectives. Areas of collaboration include alumnae engagement, donor relations, stewardship, research, and fundraising reporting.
-Works closely with the AVP for Advancement Operations to develop the focus and agenda for prospect strategy meetings and fundraising updates.
-Supervises at least four direct and indirect reports representing the leadership and planned giving team. -This would include the development and implementation of metrics for the leadership and planned giving team, as well as continuing to build and strengthen their fundraising outcomes.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree with 6 – 8 years of successful fundraising experience and demonstrated success in leadership and planned giving required. Prior experience with planning, executing and completing a capital or comprehensive campaign is strongly preferred. Supervisory experience is required. The successful candidate should have a comprehensive understanding of planned giving principles and execution of planned giving documents.
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work with a diverse group of people and organizations are essential. The successful candidate must have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, and the ability to think in a strategic manner. Strong management abilities are also required.
Outstanding oral communication skills are necessary for interaction with both internal and external constituents in one-on-one and/or group settings, must also have strong public speaking and presentations skills. Excellent writing skills are required for writing and editing of proposals, reports, and other documents. Also, must be able to read, analyze, and interpret complex and legal documents.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must have the ability to perform intermediate level computer skills using the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). In addition to producing business correspondence, duties may involve assignments that require creating spreadsheets with formulas, PowerPoint presentations, and computer-generated graphics. Internet navigation and use of Outlook are required. CFRE certificate preferred.
Contact email for applicants davidsoleil@spelman.edu