Director of Major Gifts, College of Nursing & Health Sciences at University of Vermont Foundation in Burlington, Vermont

Job Description:

The Director of Major Gifts has primary responsibility for mid-level and major gift fundraising to support the College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS). As a member of the University of Vermont Foundation (UVMF) staff and broader UVM Academic Health Sciences (AHS) Team, the Director of Major Gifts provides an essential link between the academic leaders for the college and colleagues within the UVMF and AHS to advance donor-centered gift conversations. Effectively communicating CNHS philanthropic priorities will strengthen relationships with alumni and parents of the college. The AHS Team is focused on fundraising for CNHS, the Larner College of Medicine, UVM Medical Center, UVM Children's Hospital, and UVM Cancer Center.

The UVMF and AHS Teams are deeply committed to diversity and building an inclusive professional environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities. We seek to hire colleagues who bring a diversity of experiences, talents, and viewpoints to their work. We additionally seek individuals committed to learning and professional development and continually incorporating fundraising best practices into their daily work.

The Director of Major Gifts reports to the Assistant Vice President for Development, Academic Health Sciences (AHS) and works in close collaboration with the CNHS Dean. The Director of Major Gifts also must be committed to forging great working relationships and partnerships with key internal stakeholders and supporting ongoing initiatives to build stronger cultures of philanthropy at UVM, the UVMF, CNHS, and AHS.


ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
The Director of Major Gifts is fully dedicated to fundamental gift officer work, with a strong emphasis on fundraising productivity and enterprising activities to identify, engage and solicit CNHS alumni, family, and donors; deepen their relationship with UVM and their affinity for CNHS; and move them along the donor continuum toward increased and sustained philanthropy.

75% Proactively develop and manage a portfolio of individual donor prospects.

• This includes as much as 15% of activities dedicated to outreach via email, phone, mail, and other channels to UVM alumni and prospective CNHS mid-level and major gift donors to request and secure personal visits for yourself and sometimes others, including the CNHS Dean and UVM President.
• This also includes as much as 60% or more of activities dedicated to qualifying alumni, family, and other CNHS prospects for their capacity and affinity to make mid-level and major gifts in support of CNHS or other areas of UVM; and then cultivating, soliciting, closing, and documenting these mid-level and major gifts.

10% Ensure effective collaboration with academic leadership across CNHS, including the Dean, CNHS faculty and staff; the CNHS Dean's Advisory Board; UVMF and AHS colleagues in major gifts prospect management, annual giving, alumni relations, gift administration and gift records; and with other CNHS, AHS and UVMF gift officers, in support of outreach, qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship gift officer work.

10% Execute targeted and strategic gift stewardship and relationship management activities, to include the Dean, UVM President, and other academic and UVMF leaders; and accurately document all prospect contact, gift work, relationship management, and stewardship activities in the UVMF prospect management database in a timely manner.

5% Other duties as assigned.


Specific performance goals will be captured as metrics in an annual business plan.

Occasional overnight travel, night, and weekend work will be required, as will frequent travel.



MINIMUM SKILLS & ABILITIES

• General knowledge of the principles and techniques of development and fundraising, sales, or similar customer-centered activities and work.
• Enterprising self-starter with the demonstrated ability and desire to achieve a high level of productivity, outputs, outcomes, and success.
• Collaborator and team player, with a track record of forging strong professional partnerships with colleagues and working effectively with others toward common goals.
• Effective and persuasive communicator in person and virtually, in writing and by phone, with the ability to craft donor correspondence and follow-up, gift agreements language, content for presentations, briefings, program overviews, talking points, etc.
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills. Demonstrates curiosity and excellent listening abilities. Adept at engaging, responsive, insightful conversations. Champions with purpose and enthusiasm.
• Exercises discretion as needed in complex, evolving situations.
• Creative problem solver.
• Comfortable working independently to initiate contact with donors, potential donors, alumni, and others, and securing personal appointments.
• Demonstrated commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, combined with the ability to meaningfully apply those principles to strategy development and implementation.
• Consistently seeks new opportunities to learn and develop professionally.
• Commitment to professionalism and ethical conduct.
• Frequent, regular travel required via air, train, and automobile. Willingness to work evenings and weekend when needed. Valid driver's license required.
• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite.

PREFERRED SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Experience in front-line fundraising. Demonstrated success working with individual donors and securing philanthropic investments in the five to seven-figure ranges.
• Experience working in higher-education development and fundraising.
• Understanding of the dynamics in academic medicine between education, clinical care, and research, and within complex university and health system structures.
• Experience working in a customer-centered professional environment.
• Experience/proficiency working in a relationship management database.

MINIMUM EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree.
• At least 3 years of successful front-line fundraising experience and/or similar sales or customer-centered, professional experience from which comparable knowledge, skill, and abilities can be demonstrated.
  

CNHS COMMITMENT TO HEALTH EQUITY

We are committed to teaching our students culturally inclusive health perspectives and practices, compassionate care, and advocacy. We pledge to empower them to recognize the complexities of health inequity and the dynamics of power experienced by many when interfacing with health and community systems, acknowledging that disparities in health outcomes are unjust and primarily preventable. We support one another, embracing our differences as we strive for a future where everyone has fair and just access to optimal health.

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