Description:
The Director of Development – Major Gifts plays a crucial role in shaping the organization’s public image and success as a frontline fundraising with responsibilities to discover, cultivate, and successfully solicit individual donors for the purposes of securing major, annual, and planned gifts for Ball State University. If you are a dynamic leader with a passion for philanthropy, we invite you to join our team and make a difference. Join us in our mission to support students in realizing their purpose, achieving their dreams, and leading meaningful lives.
Position Function
What you'll do and what you'll bring:
Discover, cultivate, and successfully solicit individual donors for the purposes of securing major, annual, and planned gifts for Ball State University; plan and implement ongoing major gift activities on behalf of the university in order to increase the number and size of private gifts.
Duties And Responsibilities
- Provide development leadership by identifying, engaging and successfully soliciting individuals for major gifts towards annually determined fundraising and solicitation goal.
- Develop solicitation strategies for assigned major gift donors. Cultivate and prioritize top prospective donors, create plans for engaging donors with the university, and establish philanthropic relationships leading to major gifts.
- Responsible for conducting a minimum of 125 substantive contacts annually with donors and prospects once trained.
- Provide overall philanthropic leadership for a major gift priorities as assigned. Exercise independent judgment and initiative in creating comprehensive major gift strategies which are aligned with the fundraising priorities of the university.
- Coordinate relationships and development activities with other administrative areas, campus units, peer development officers, and departmental leaders.
- Manage and monitor donor relationships and prospects effectively; ensure appropriate contact reports and gift documentation are properly recorded in the system of record.
- Contact donors as needed for purposes of gift acknowledgment, stewardship, pledge fulfillment, and gift renewal.
- Promote information about giving societies and donor recognition to prospects and donors.
- Participate in planning or managing special donor events and other functions, when necessary.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
- At least three years of experience in philanthropy, fundraising, or related profession.
- Willingness and ability to travel extensively; possess and maintain a valid driver’s license and be insurable under the university’s auto fleet policy.
- Ability to work as part of an organization without direct daily supervision.
- Outstanding oral, written, and listening communication skills are necessary in order to articulate institutional viewpoints, goals, priorities, and needs.
- Candidates for searches must have current authorization to be employed in the U.S. without employer sponsorship.
- Requires successful completion of a background check and education verification.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree from an accredited institution.
- Prior fundraising experience in a higher education setting.
- Strong organizational management and interpersonal skills together with self-motivation, personal accountability, and ability to motivate others, including staff, faculty and volunteers.
- Ability to work as a team member within a complex institution.
- Knowledge of or experience in an educational setting.