"Senior Philanthropic Advisor, Estate and Gift Planning"

Advertised Job Summary:

Under limited supervision, reporting to the Associate Vice President (AVP) for Development and Legal Liaison to University Foundations, the Senior Philanthropic Advisor (SPA):

• Directs and manages blended, planned and estate gifts, both deferred and major tax-advantaged for the University of South Carolina.
• Partners closely with the colleges/units serving as an expert to provide advice and guidance to donors and prospective donors capable of giving large donations to the University.
• Responsibilities include focusing on particularly alumni and non-alumni friends that require interaction with the Dean’s, University’s President, Vice President for Development, other key leadership positions, and top volunteers.

This position:

• Proactively identifies significant prospects and works with other fundraisers to determine specific strategies, coordinate all gift planning cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship steps, both those managed centrally and across all units and colleges.
• Will be part of the University Development team and will operate within the system and procedures of USC Development to ensure consistent and well-coordinated activities.
• Provides significant support to the AVP to communicate to a variety of audiences the different vehicle options available to donors and prospective donors to donate to the University.
• Actively engage externally through creativity, discovery, and outreach efforts to cultivate donors and prospective donors for estate and planned gifts.
• Performs duties requiring the analysis of broad problems and the planning of various inter-related departmental activities; must be able to aggressively pursue prospective donors with great diplomacy and tact.

Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in a job related field and 4 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and 8 years proven experience estate and planned gifts/development in higher education and/or hybrid development model.
• Previous campaign experience including experience soliciting and closing estate and planned gifts. Familiarity with Blackbaud CRM donor database preferred.
• Acceptable certifications include law degree, accounting degree, trust and estates background (trust officer), and financial planner.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Thorough knowledge of principles and methods of gift planning and contributing to a comprehensive, large scale fundraising program.
• Proven track record of visiting and qualifying major and/or gift planning donors and cultivation towards large, significant gifts.
• Gift planning solicitation experience is required.
• Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with faculty, alumni, donors, students, volunteers, businesses and the general public.
• Outstanding oral, written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to travel, work evenings and weekends, as required inside and outside of South Carolina to cultivate, solicit, and steward prospects for the teams to which they are assigned and for others as needed.
• Must be able to present to small and large groups about “planned giving” with a knowledge of basic and complex gifts.
• Effective computer experience including database operation and word processing.
• Experience in developing, mentoring and training development directors are required to learn estate and gift planning.
• Proven ability to develop relationships with leaders in a broad range of professions.
• Ability to relate and comprehend fundraising programs to University program goals and objectives. Very strong organizational skills, tact, diplomacy, and very donor-centric are required.