Class Giving Officer, Reunion Campaigns

Stanford University seeks an experienced fundraiser to serve as Class Giving Officer, Reunion Campaigns, reporting to a Senior Class Giving Officer. Reunion giving is a cherished tradition at Stanford University. Class Giving fosters the tradition of class connection and philanthropy through robust reunion campaigns, ranging from the 5th to the 70th reunion. Our frontline fundraising team works with undergraduate alumni to honor their time at Stanford and strengthen their lasting connection to the university through philanthropy. Working in concert with volunteers, donors and campus partners and leaders, OOD staff members strive to accelerate purposeful impact in the world. Stanford is committed to a donor-centric approach to development, and every member of the Office of Development plays a role in providing the university's donors with the service and attention that ensures an exceptionally positive and fulfilling philanthropic experience.

The Class Giving Officer is responsible for building and training a committee of reunion campaign volunteers, as well as identifying and cultivating new leadership donors ranging from annual donors and leadership annual donors to major donors to strengthen affinity for and philanthropic support of Stanford. In addition, the Class Giving team is a driver for pipeline and discovery within our undergraduate alumni population.

The Class Giving Officer will develop a comprehensive reunion campaign strategy to personally solicit and close all levels of gifts, but focusing mainly on five- and six-figure gifts in support of both unrestricted and restricted giving goals. The position partners closely with major gift officers, planned giving colleagues, and other campus fundraising partners to develop coordinated strategies for closing major and planned gifts during the reunion cycle. The ideal candidate brings a strong belief in the importance of engagement and philanthropy, outstanding communication skills, and the creativity and initiative to thrive in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

Travel is required, extensively, commensurate with Stanford's expectations for fundraising activity, contact and travel. Travel may include up to five (5) regional trips per year, typically 2-4 days per trip. Candidates who are remote from Stanford will also be expected to travel to campus up to four (4) times per year, in addition to and sometimes overlapping with campus travel. Overall travel is estimated at 12-15% annually (less for candidates based near Stanford).

In this role, you may also support fundraising efforts through strategic class events, partnering with volunteers, donors and campus colleagues.

This position is an ideal opportunity for a high-performing, strategic, flexible and experienced development professional to help make an impact on Stanford reunion's current and future fundraising success.

In this role you will:

• Work with a portfolio of assigned prospects and donors to cultivate, solicit, and steward their support. Regularly solicit and close total annual gifts typically in the $2M-$4M figure range per fiscal year.
• Utilize industry best practices and a donor-centric approach in managing a donor portfolio.
• Partner with gift officers across campus to cultivate, solicit and steward leadership annual and major gifts as a part of a volunteer, reunion, or other special engagement.
• Establish ongoing relationships with individual alumni through personal visits, phone calls, and meaningful contacts, uncovering information about their philanthropic priorities and capacity, serving as a pipeline to major gifts.
• Identify, recruit, and train volunteers for peer-to-peer fundraising as part of the reunion campaign strategy through frequent contact, meetings, visits, email, and telephone calls.
• Prepare volunteers for future service, including serving on the Board of Trustees or other high-level committees, through educating them about university philanthropy.
• Qualify prospects for potential major gift capacity and interest. Provide appropriate background on prospects to be assigned to Major Gift portfolios. When appropriate, make introductions to major gifts officers and facilitate cultivation activities for major gifts asks.
• Participate in execution of events and programs in support of development activities. Engage key volunteers and effectively utilize events and other activities to move solicitations forward.
• Develop fundraising strategies, evaluate results across individual campaigns or efforts, and share results internally and with volunteers and donors to shape strategy and drive results.
• Work closely with other colleagues in development to align program goals with the overall giving goals of the university's development organization.
• Monitor, analyze, and report on overall results to internal and external constituencies.
• Design annual gift programs and goals targeted at increasing unrestricted support for a school or unit.
• May manage a small team, special projects or team-wide initiatives or projects on an ongoing basis to advance reunion strategy within the unit.

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Bachelor's degree and five years of experience, or a combination of education and relevant experience
• Demonstrated experience with fundraising in a higher education environment.
• Ability to develop and initiate new strategies.
• Adept at problem solving, creating contingency plans and handling emergencies when necessary.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse constituencies and effectively develops relationships that enhance overall development goals.
• Ability to work well under pressure and manage projects simultaneously.
• Skilled at articulating compelling cases for major gifts and annual discretionary support.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, including the ability to set and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated experience with Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).