Assistant Director Of Advancement - School Of Social Work

Assistant Director of Advancement

• School of Social Work

Office of Advancement

• School of Social Work

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Based in Urbana-Champaign or Chicago with hybrid opportunities

The School of Social Work (SSW) and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement (OVCIA) invites applications and nominations for a full-time Assistant Director of Advancement to engage with alumni and community members and secure financial support for the people and causes important to our society.

The School of Social Work embraces the University's mission of enhancing the lives of citizens in Illinois, across the nation and around the world through leadership in learning, discovery, engagement and economic development in order to prepare tomorrow's leaders to be advocates for, and agents of, social innovation.

Organizational Relationship

The Assistant Director of Advancement reports to the Senior Director of Advancement and will work closely with faculty and other members of the administrative team in the School of Social Work, along with advancement colleagues across campus, to successfully carry out the Advancement priorities.

The Assistant Director of Advancement will assist the School of Social Work in designing strategies to broaden and strengthen development activities, and will require travel of varying durations, up to 30-50%, including some evenings and weekends. This position will be responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gift prospects and donors to increase private giving in support of the School of Social Work and the philanthropic interests of donors. The successful candidate will be a collaborative team member who values inclusion, is a self-starter, and is skilled at building strong internal and external collaborative relationships.

Job Summary

This position will be responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gift prospects and donors to increase private giving in support of the School of Social Work and the philanthropic interests of donors.

Duties & Responsibilities

Fundraising

• Build and manage a portfolio of major gift prospects from identification through qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

• Meet with donors and donor prospects via travel, on-campus visits, phone, and video conferencing, including some evenings and weekends, as deemed appropriate by the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO).

• In collaboration with the CAO, develop and implement targeted solicitation strategies for the SSW Annual Fund, the SSW Fund for Field, the SSW Student Support Fund, and other priorities as needed.

• Identify and maintain records of how these current use funds are being spent for both solicitation and stewardship purposes.

• Develop and maintain close collaborative partnerships with campus and unit colleagues, including within advancement, corporate relations, and foundation relations, to ensure a strong baseline knowledge of campus, college, and unit programs and priorities.

• Document all activities and interactions in the alumni/donor database.

Constituent Engagement

• Develop and execute a strategic plan to increase engagement with SSW constituents, which can include, but not limited to students, alumni, donors, faculty, staff, community organizations, corporations, foundations and more.

• Seek new and innovative ways for alumni to become more involved with the school, including affinity groups, mentorships, continuing education, etc.

• Establish a relationship with SSW students aimed at educating students on the impact of philanthropy and creating a culture of volunteerism and giving.

• Build strong partnerships with community organizations to better understand their needs and how the SSW can best interact with and support them. o Create new avenues to engage faculty and staff with the impact of philanthropy.

• Partner with the CAO and Director of Communications to design and implement a comprehensive constituent communications plan, including the creation and dissemination of a monthly SSW newsletter, maintaining the SSW website, and managing SSW social media outlets.

• Assist in the preparation and execution of events, including annual scholarship celebrations, commencement ceremonies, and any other campus or unit events as needed and/or deemed appropriate.

• Oversee all aspects of the SSW Community Engagement Advisory Board (CEAB), a volunteer board of community leaders and SSW alumni.

Impact in Your First Year

At Illinois Advancement, we value our employees and provide resources to help you continually learn and grow. We foster a strong, collaborative community of people who are driven by their ability to make a difference.

Within 3 months, you'll:

• Become familiar with the strategic vision and priorities of the School of Social Work

• Meet your assigned Prospect Development Analyst and begin to dig into your portfolio

• Attend professional development and networking activities for newcomers within Advancement

• Be introduced to fundraising fundamentals terminology adopted from Plus Delta Partners

Within 6 months, you'll:

• Begin cultivating relationships with key prospects/donors/alumni in an effort to create and implement solicitation strategies

• Partner with stewardship and donor relations, events, alumni relations, and communications colleagues on unit-wide initiatives

• Be able to share multiple meaningful impact stories of transformative gifts

By the end of the first year, you'll:

• Cooperatively set annual goals with your supervisor and portfolio management team

• Continue portfolio growth of qualified prospects and successful solicitation strategies

• Receive one-on-one coaching from Talent Management to help your transition to your new role

• Build a robust network of colleagues across campus

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree

• A minimum of two years of successful advancement and/or alumni relations experience, or three years of experience in a closely related field which requires strong relationship-building and outcome-driven components.

• Documented success working collaboratively in a cross-functional environment with competing priorities

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in higher education advancement

• Experience managing alumni and/or student programs and devising innovative programs to engage alumni and/or donors to support programmatic priorities

• Experience working with academic and/or community leaders

• Experience identifying new ways to engage individuals with high net worth who are unfamiliar with philanthropy

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated understanding of major donor prospect qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, preferably in a higher education environment.

• Superb oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with an emphasis on engaged, active listening.

• Demonstrated ability to represent an organization in visits with key constituents.

• Strong relationship management skills.

• Strong interpersonal communication skills and the ability to navigate varying personality types in a positive and effective manner

• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and with minimal supervision

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Academic Professional position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after close date. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience, while also considering internal equity. The salary range starts at $60,000.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on July 8, 2024. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting and upload a resume, cover letter, and the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of three professional references. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact Zsayla Brummett at zbrummet@illinois.edu and/or visit our How To Apply site for tips. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

Please note: Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

The Illinois Advancement community is committed to an ongoing, proactive process to foster and achieve diversity and inclusion in its development, alumni relations and communication activities. We will respect and encourage different voices, perspectives and ideas as we strive to represent individuals of all backgrounds and cultures which includes but are not limited to the following: nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, spirituality, age and ability who represent our alumni, donors and friends of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY:

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive and major public land-grant university (Doctoral/Research University-Extensive) that is ranked among the best in the world. Chartered in 1867, it provides undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conducts theoretical and applied research, and provides public service to the state and the nation. It employs about 3,000 faculty members who serve over 33,000 undergraduates and 17,000 graduate and professional students. More information about the campus is available at www.illinois.edu.

The university is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana (total population 226,000) in east-central Illinois, and is situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 125 miles west of Indianapolis, and 170 northeast of St. Louis. The University and its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational environment ideally suited to the work of a major research institution. For more information

about the community, visit: Living in Champaign-Urbana, Experience Champaign Urbana, or Champaign County Chamber of Commerce.

Health insurance is available to employees (with the option to purchase coverage for spouse and dependents), required participation in State Universities Retirement System (SURS), with several options for participation in additional retirement plans. Learn more about employee benefits at the University of Illinois. Newly hired employees are covered by the Medicare portion of Social Security and are subject to this deduction.

The University of Illinois has a strong commitment to work-life balance and family-friendly programs for faculty and staff: Work-Life Balance & Family-Friendly Programs and Other Work-Life Programs.

When you pursue a career with Illinois Advancement, you'll join our tight-knit community of professionals who treat each other with as much care and respect as we treat our donors. At Illinois, we invest in you. Our leaders are eager to partner with you on the next phase of your career and have the tools and experience to help you succeed. Illinois Advancement values creativity and fosters a collaborative, flexible environment to develop new ideas that become best practices - and we're looking for your unique skills. Learn more about what others have to say about their experiences: Opportunity Awaits.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal, or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu.

Requisition ID: 1025286

Job Category: Administrative

Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu