"Associate Director, Philanthropy (Leadership Annual Giving)"

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Philanthropy and Pipeline Discovery (Annual Giving), the Associate Director, Philanthropy (Leadership Annual Giving) is a forward-thinking, highly innovative fundraiser who supports building an inclusive leadership giving and pipeline program to identify, engage, qualify, solicit, and steward the next generation of donors for Rice University. This role focuses primarily on growing the leadership giving donor program with special emphasis on total dollars raised and growth in unrestricted giving for Rice University at the $10,000+ level. In support of the donor pipeline, the Associate Director will work collaboratively within the Individual Giving team to ensure newly identified major and principal giving prospective donors have a seamless experience, either as a joint solicitation or as a referral to another fundraiser. As a fundraiser who balances both front-line and digital engagement with donors, this position is responsible for the high-level cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of philanthropic individuals in his/her portfolio and will be responsible for annual fundraising revenue and commitment goals, qualifications, referrals, and visits.

The ideal candidate will have experience soliciting leadership-level gifts from $10,000 to $99,999 and qualifying current and future donors to understand their philanthropic passions for Rice. This person cares deeply about building a sustainable donor pipeline with the aid of emerging digital technologies in conjunction with traditional fundraising practices.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. This position currently has a hybrid work arrangement with a minimum of two days per week in the office. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Must possess (or have the ability to obtain within 30 days of hire) and maintain a valid Texas driver's license with no more than three moving violations and/or at-fault accidents within the past 36 months, and no convictions or deferred dispositions for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) or Driving Under the Influence (DUI) within the past five years.

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.*

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted.
• 3+ years experience in
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted.

Skills:

• Ability to learn new strategies
• Ability to develop and initiate new strategies
• Advanced problem-solving skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work well under pressure and manage projects simultaneously
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office suite
• Strong data analysis skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet expected deadlines and schedules
• Collaborative and dexterous at influencing fundraising outcomes across teams
• Adept at problem-solving, creating contingency plans, and handling issues when necessary
• Strong client service orientation
• Strong attention to detail and ability to quickly understand and remember details about alumni/donors and projects to which they are assigned

Preferences:

• 4+ years of progressive experience in soliciting annual or leadership gifts over $5,000 at an institution of higher education or non-profit organization
• Experience with both digital and face-to-face solicitations
• Ability to demonstrate good judgment in dynamic situations
• Ability to utilize strong time management skills
• Ability to learn new systems
• Demonstrated experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), and digital communication tools such as WebEx, Zoom, and video
• Proficiency with a fundraising CRM
• Experience using generative or predictive artificial intelligence to support fundraising outcomes
• Demonstrated skills in collaborating with fundraisers in Major Gifts, Principal Gifts, and/or Gift Planning
• Skilled at creating personalized donor experiences for cultivation, stewardship, and engagement
• Knowledge of leadership giving and prospect management best practices
• Ability to think strategically, work collaboratively, prioritize, and create and follow processes
• Personal initiative and curiosity to learn
• Desire to help invent and grow new donor-centric philanthropic programs

Essential Functions:

• Works with a portfolio of assigned prospects/donors with a capacity of making gifts from $10,000 - $99,999 to cultivate, solicit, and steward their support
• Develops fundraising strategies, and tracks and analyzes results of development activities
• Identifies and prioritizes prospects, prepares background material for qualifications and solicitations, and follows up with staff to ensure completion of assigned solicitations
• Serves as a key collaborator in developing a donor pipeline for fundraising initiatives
• Establishes ongoing relationships with individual alumni
• Monitors, analyzes, and reports on overall results to internal and external constituencies, as needed
• Exercises a key role in the design and management of targeted appeals, focusing on specific key populations to maximize fundraising potential
• Ensures adherence to ethical fundraising practices, compliance with regulations, and alignment with industry standards
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions:

• Open office environment
• Some weekend and evening work hours may be required
• Some out-of-town travel required
• Requires extensive contact within the university at all levels, including upper-level administration, in person, in meetings, in writing, and by telephone
• Requires extensive contact outside the university with alumni, parents, and friends of Rice University, often in person or virtually, with follow-up by traditional or digital channels

Special Instructions to Applicants:

All interested applicants should attach a cover letter and resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.