Job Description
KU FOUNDATION
Established in 1970, the NKU Foundation was created to manage privately donated gifts for Northern Kentucky University. The Foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization governed by an elected Board of Directors. Since its inception, the Foundation has helped transform NKU into a thriving, metropolitan university that has spent the last 50 years dedicated to living our mission of engaging, empowering and elevating the people and region we serve.
NKU is a growing metropolitan university of more than 14,000 students served by approximately 2,000 faculty and staff on a thriving campus near Cincinnati. While we are one of the fastest growing universities in Kentucky, our professors still know our students’ names. Dr. Ashish Vaidya has served as Northern Kentucky University’s sixth president since July 1, 2018.
NKU is committed to reducing barriers and improving affordability of education. A central goal is to increase the number of first-generation, post-traditional, international, and underrepresented students.
In pursuit of these goals, NKU launched Further, Faster: The Campaign for NKU in May 2019 with a goal of raising $75 million. Already 65% to completion, this position will be a key member of the fundraising team that will complete the campaign.
NKU COLLEGE OF INFORMATICS
The College of Informatics is hiring a Director of Development to lead its advancement initiatives. Join the Dean, Dr. Kevin Kirby, and the central advancement team to positively impact the students and programs of this exceptional college of informatics.
A degree from the College of Informatics offers a 21st century perspective on the disciplines that have information at their core. We are home to the departments of Communication, Computer Science, and Business Informatics.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, COLLEGE OF INFORMATICS
The Director of Development reports to the AVP of Development and works closely with the Dean, internal colleagues and external stakeholders across the university to engage, acquire, cultivate, solicit and steward major donors.
Duties include:
- Responsible for identifying, executing and providing strategic direction to fulfill the priorities of the College of Informatics. Activities will include conducting high-level cultivation events, strategic and operational planning for the fundraising program, stewardship, volunteer engagement, and corresponding meetings and communications.
- Work closely with the Dean, faculty, volunteers and other staff to prioritize needs, define ‘case for support,’ and present fundraising priorities
- Identify, manage and personally solicit a portfolio of 75-100 donor prospects for gifts of $25k and above; conduct 15 personal visits with current donors and prospects monthly; collaborate with prospect researchers and appropriate faculty/staff to identify prospects
- Write and deliver compelling major gift proposals and analyze major gift program progress and performance
- Advise the Dean on external and development activities and important events and programs to attend; be a highly informed advocate for the college inside and outside of campus. Assist and advise the Dean on personal cultivation and solicitation of donors.
- Develop an ongoing comprehensive strategy to raise a minimum of $500,000 individually and $1,000,000 as a team for assigned unit annually while adhering to agreed performance metrics
- Document and maintain quality records in the donor database (Raiser’s Edge NXT)
- Provides peer leadership, mentorship and coaching within the team. As needed, provides training to staff within or outside of immediate department or division in regard to function
- Coordinate appointments and materials used by senior staff faculty, board members, and volunteers for meetings, visits, events, or phone calls. Work with shared administrative staff to ensure effective daily operations.
Requirements:
- Bachelor Degree
- Some travel and weekend/evening work required
Qualifications:
- 5 years of professional experience preferably in development, equivalent experience considered
- Solid knowledge of fundraising techniques and ability to cultivate and solicit donations from individuals at a major gift level preferred
- Organizational perspective, ability to work in a fast paced environment, comfortable with change and associated ambiguity are valued competencies
- Strong written and verbal communication skills to prepare, edit and present effective correspondence, proposals, and persuasive solicitation materials for individuals and groups
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain meaningful relationships to deliver measurable results
- High attention to detail, experience managing multi-phase projects from inception to completion while building consensus
- Ability to problem solve and generate creative solutions in order to maintain and strengthen high quality relationships with donors
- Exceptional ethics and integrity, ability to be discrete and maintain confidentiality
- Must have passion for philanthropy, higher education, NKU, and the community that it serves
Apply:
Send cover letter and resume to Laurie Woodhouse at laurie@woodhousearch.com
This position will be open for applications until September 30, 2019