Assistant Director, Major Gifts

About the Opportunity

Reporting directly to the Director of Development, the Assistant Director of Major Gifts (AD) will work to raise philanthropic support from major gift-rated prospects and help implement a refreshed strategic fundraising plan for Athletics. In their capacity as a frontline fundraiser, the AD will personally manage a portfolio of select major gift prospects, including alumni, friends, parents, and university leaders, with a focus on raising gifts of five- and six-figures while also ensuring a strong pipeline. This will require the identification of new prospects, discovery and qualification calls, designing cultivation and solicitation strategies, and making solicitations with an eye towards a high level of engagement from this constituent group.

The AD will identify new prospective donors and direct the engagement of those capable of making major gifts to the range of Northeastern Athletics programs, as well as broader university education, research, and global initiatives. This person will create meaningful and substantive engagement opportunities that deepen and enhance the donor experience with Northeastern, strategically involving constituents in special programs and events and connecting them to other university leaders and supporters.

In addition to representing Northeastern Athletics, this AD will embrace the communities across Northeastern’s 14-campus global network, from Boston to London to Oakland among other locations, seeking opportunities to collaborate with colleagues in other colleges, units, and campuses as they learn what is most important to a donor.

The successful candidate will be an engaged and energetic fundraiser with a full sense of the donor engagement cycle and how to create tailored moves management experiences during the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major donors. They will bring an “all-in” mentality, ready to roll-up-their-sleeves and contribute to the success of activities along the full donor continuum. The AD will be a natural relationship builder who takes a solutions-focused approach to development and believes there are no dead-ends, only other roads to pursue. A true team player, they will demonstrate collaborative instincts, an inclination to integrate efforts, and the tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty in a complex, interdisciplinary environment.

Qualifications

• 1-3 years of progressive fundraising experience including success at the five-figure gift level.
• Tested ability to work closely with high-level decision makers, trustees and other top-level volunteers.
• Strong interpersonal skills necessary for building relationships with external (donors, prospects, trustees) and internal (deans, faculty, staff, colleagues) constituents.
• Maturity to navigate complex relationships.
• Highly entrepreneurial, energetic, and collaborative style.
• A proactive approach that takes initiative and actively seeks to deepen current donor relationships and forge new ones.
• Ability to work independently to achieve both engagement and revenue goals.
• Ability to manage multiple priority projects at once with ease and efficiency.
• Resourceful and collaborates with colleagues and external constituents at all levels.
• Superior verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
• Excellent attention to detail; strong organizational skills.
• Proficient in Salesforce, or a similar relationship management solution, MS Office Suite.
• Ability to travel (including nights and weekends).
• Lived experience as a college athlete is helpful.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

• Develop and manage a portfolio of 120 major gift prospects with a focus on raising gifts of five- and six-figures.
• Make strategic use of the Director of Development, Executive Director of Development, Athletic Director, and Coaches to advance key relationships and gift discussions; provide them with data and information that will maximize fundraising efforts.
• Travel both individually and as part of a university team to qualify new prospects, and to build relationships with alumni, parents, and friends who possess major and principal gift capacity. This will include traveling to attend athletic events and games both at home and away.
• Coordinate donor cultivation efforts with central Development staff, such as Planned Giving and Family Philanthropy, to successfully meet donor interests and leverage their full philanthropic potential.
• Utilize Salesforce to log activity, create call reports and progress reports, and maintain data integrity of prospect portfolio.
• Collaborate with the Annual Giving team on Northeastern's University-wide Giving Day.
• Work closely with Alumni Relations team on quarterly engagement opportunities including the newsletter and other organic engagement opportunities. 

Expected Salary range is $74,000 to $93,000

Position Type

Advancement

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.  

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.