Department
 

ARD Individual Giving & Arts

About the Department
 

The primary focus of the Regional Advancement and Individual Giving Team at the University of Chicago is raising significant philanthropic support for the University’s top priorities, academic units, and the faculty and students across the campus ecosystem. In preparation for a new major campaign, the team collaborates with academic divisions and colleagues across the Alumni Relations and Development (ARD) office. They are responsible for executing the University’s regional advancement program strategies, aiming to build a robust and sustainable donor pipeline through personal interactions and curated engagement opportunities.

Leadership Gift Officers (L.G.O.s), as part of this team, manage an active pool of several hundred alumni, parents, and friends who are current or recent donors. Their focus is on renewing, upgrading, and stewarding gifts ranging from $1,000 to $25,000. The L.G.O. portfolio and activities are organized around the calendar timing of past gifts to facilitate personal touchpoints and relationships with these key donors. L.G.O.s are expected to create unique engagement strategies for each individual, leveraging various forms of communication, including email, phone, social media, video conferencing, and texting. Positioned to secure foundational levels of UChicago’s donor pyramid, L.G.O.s raise unrestricted funds for all units while building the major donor pipeline.

Leadership Gift Officers act as personal points of contact for members of the UChicago donor community who might not otherwise receive personal outreach from the campus and provide referrals to regional gift officers and unit-based development teams. The role is crucial in managing programs designed to meet University fundraising goals for contributed income.

We seek to fill Leadership Gift Officer roles as part of our domestic regional teams, West Coast, Central, and East Coast.

Job Summary
 

This position implements programs designed to meet fundraising goals for contributed income with moderate guidance. Helps build relationships with alumni, faculty, administrators and organizations with potential to make gifts at the instruction of others. Executes communication strategies for projects.

Responsibilities

Executes a calendar-based strategy to solicit annual gifts for several hundred donor prospects in units across UChicago each year.Encourages prospects to actively engage in their local UChicago community by proactively sharing information about events and other local opportunities.Identifies when a donor or prospect has interest in deeper engagement with the University and offers to make connections to regional gift officers or school/unit fundraising teams, as appropriate.Champions the University of Chicago, provides information on University developments and programs relative to constituent’s interests, and deepens their engagement with the University.Plans and executes a target of 250 prospect engagements annually.Develops short- and long-term plans for soliciting and stewarding donors who are capable of making gifts between $1,000-$25,000.Delivers timely and effective follow-up in various forms to prospects and donors.Generates timely contact reports in the prospect database.Collaborates with staff throughout Alumni Relations and Development.Maintains expert-level knowledge of the University of Chicago’s giving priorities and annual funds.Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance, including building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions.Writes timely and strategic correspondences to advance relationships.Works with others to maximize prospective donor cultivation.Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

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Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor’s degree.Advanced degree.

Experience:

Minimum two years of professional work experience in nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, public relations, sales or similar professional work experience.Managing gift prospects.Soliciting and closing gifts of $100 or more.

Technical Knowledge or Skills:

Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to the Office of Alumni Relations and Development, including the University's donor relationship management system and Microsoft Windows computer environment, Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.

Preferred Competencies

Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write effectively.Manage confidential information with discretion and tact.Act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.Work collegially and collaboratively in a team setting.Prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through with detail.

Working Conditions

This position has a hybrid work schedule which includes weekly in office presence.Standard office environment.Travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for University business.Work evenings and weekends as needed.This position is located in Hyde Park at 5235 South Harper Court.

Application Documents

Resume/CV (required)Cover Letter, addressed to Hiring Committee (preferred)

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
 

Alumni Relations & Development

Role Impact
 

Individual Contributor

FLSA Status
 

Exempt

Pay Frequency
 

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours
 

37.5

Benefits Eligible
 

Yes

Drug Test Required
 

No

Health Screen Required
 

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
 

No

Posting Statement
 

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.