Associate Vice President, Major Gifts & Planned Giving

Associate Vice President, Major Gifts & Planned Giving

Wayne State University is searching for an experiencedAssociate Vice President, Major Gifts & Planned Givingat its Detroit campus location.

Wayne State is a premier, public, urban research university located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan where students from all backgrounds are offered a rich, high-quality education. Our deep-rooted commitment to excellence, collaboration, integrity, diversity and inclusion creates exceptional educational opportunities which prepare students for success in a global society.

Essential functions (job duties):

Job Purpose

Provide vision, strategy and leadership for the major gift officers in the schools and colleges, with the exception of the School of Medicine, and the planned giving team in the central planned giving unit. Provide strategic collaboration and oversight of the fundraising initiatives for the schools and colleges to fund university priorities and enhance the university's philanthropic support. Participate in the coordination, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of major and planned gifts. This position reports to the Vice President of Development and Alumni Affairs.

Essential Functions

(Essential functions are the primary duties/major job responsibilities that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation. The essential functions are listed in order of importance.)

Essential Function % Time

Collaborate with deans, department chairs and faculty in identifying fundraising needs and priorities for the respective schools and colleges. Collaborate with direct reports to develop major gift fundraising plans and strategies; establish realistic and achievable timelines; remain current with fundraising trends and serve as a resource on successful development activities, techniques, and methods. Personally manage a small portfolio of major gift prospects. 35%

Collaborate with division leadership and direct reports to develop fundraising plans and strategies for increasing planned gifts to the university. Provide oversight to manage and strengthen creative donor-centered marketing strategies as the key communications tool for the planned giving program. 20%

Collaborate within Development and Alumni Affairs (e.g., Corporate Relations, Foundation Relations, Donor Experience, Prospect Development and Alumni Relations), as well as other university units, to ensure coordination with major and planned giving prospects and donors. 15%

Supervise a diverse staff, effectively managing performance to meet individual and team initiatives; foster a collegial and highly productive work environment. Recruit, interview, hire, train, coach, evaluate, and discipline staff. Establish and communicate performance expectations in a manner that motivates and empowers staff to fulfill job duties. Encourage, support, and ensure employee participation in training and development programs. 15%

Manage annual expense budget. Develop expense projections, approve expenditures at unit level, and monitor transactions for compliance with university policies and procedures. 10%

Network with outside professional groups and organizations to keep abreast of current industry trends and best practices related to fundraising. Represent the university at industry or community meetings at the request of leadership. Special projects and other duties as assigned. 5%

WORK CONTEXT

This grid characterizes the position scope.

Job Reports to: Vice President/AVP/Dean

Leadership Accountability: Develops policy and strategic plans

Supervisory Accountability: Supervises through management personnel

Organizational Accountability: Manages department

Financial Accountability: Approves expenditures

Customer Accountability: Interfaces with officials and executives

Freedom to Act: Sets broad policies and objectives

Unique duties

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education Bachelor's degree

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in marketing, public relations, business administration or related field. Master's degree preferred.

Extensive knowledge, understanding and experience with university policies and procedures.

Experience

Expert (established subject matter expert, 7+ years experience)

Minimum 8-12 years' experience in the planning, development and implementation of fundraising strategies, policies and procedures for comprehensive campaigns. Candidate should have at least 5 years of senior-level management responsibility in a complex organization, preferably higher education. Minimum five (5) years of experience managing personnel, preferably in an advancement, higher education, or non-profit environment.

Proven ability to qualify, cultivate and solicit high level donors and prospects. Track record of closing seven-figure gifts.

Professional understanding of, and interest in, Development and Alumni Affairs best practices and general operations. Understanding of trends and best practices within higher education fundraising.

Positive and collaborative professional philosophy, recognizing that this position is integral to the achievement of the goals and objectives of Development and Alumni Affairs.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

ANALYTICAL AND PRESENTATION SKILLS: Ability to evaluate, interpret, and present complex information effectively in professionally prepared documents or presentations. Must possess a demonstrated attention to detail in order to achieve a high degree of accuracy.

COLLABORATION: Exhibits a willingness to partner with diverse units across the university with integrity and high character to reach unified goals. Possesses the ability to navigate difficult situations with grace and understanding while being respectful and accepting of individual differences.

COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS: Ability to communicate clearly, concisely and professionally both orally and in writing. Strong interpersonal skills are a must. Ability to work successfully with persons from diverse backgrounds.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION: Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion through continuous development, modeling inclusive behaviors and proactively managing implicit bias.

LEADERSHIP SKILLS: Demonstrated strong leadership skills that can influence and motivate individuals and groups to achieve results.

LEARNING AGILITY: Independent and innovative self-starter who displays an ability to learn quickly and easily adapts to changing situations. Experience researching topics to gain knowledge and understanding when information gaps exist.

PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION: Ability to manage several projects simultaneously, prioritize and plan work activities while meeting respective deadlines. Strong organizational and time-management skills required. Maturity, sound judgment and ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously in a deadline-oriented environment.

TEAMWORK: Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues within the division and other units to gain full understanding of the project and desired outcome; ability to produce high quality and consistent results with assistance of team members; provide support to teammates when tackling complex projects.

TECHNICAL SKILLS: Proficient in the use of complex administrative systems software, preferably in the higher education environment. Proficient with Microsoft Office suite, especially Word, Excel and Teams. Ability to understand and translate complex concepts into lay terms.

Working Conditions

Normal office environment.

Adhere to confidentiality and data usage policy for the division.

This position requires a high level of commitment and enthusiasm. Due to travel requirements, evening meetings and special events, etc., candidate must be willing to work consistently on an extended and flexible schedule.

Preferred qualifications

School/College/Division:

H86 - Development & Alumni Affairs

Primary department

H8605-Developmnt office

Employment type

• Regular Employee

• Job type: Full Time

• Job category: Staff/Administrative

Funding/salary information:

• Compensation type: Annual Salary

• Hourly rate:

• Salary minimum: $200,000

• Salary hire maximum: $225,000

Working conditions

Normal working conditions

Job openings

• Number of openings: 1

• Reposted position: No

• Reposted reason: None (New Requisition)

• Prior posting/requisition number:

Background check requirements

University policy requires certain persons who are offered employment to undergo a background check, including a criminal history check, before starting work. If you are offered employment, the university will inform you if a background check is required.

Equal employment opportunity statement

Wayne State University provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. The university encourages applications from women, people of color and other underrepresented people. Wayne State is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.