Director, Advancement II - Lindenwood University, MO

Cassie Chilcutt

Benefits of Being a Lindenwood Employee:

• Upon hire, employer-paid tuition benefits for bachelor’s (employee, spouse, and dependent) and master’s degree programs (employee and spouse only).
• Tuition discounts for doctoral programs (employee only).
• Comprehensive benefits plan: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability insurance, and retirement options.
• Paid holidays: MLK Jr. day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving break (Wednesday – Friday), and winter break (Dec. 23 – Jan. 1).
• Free lunch Fridays: LU employees are eligible for a free meal on Fridays at the Evans Commons Dining Hall or Spellman Dining Hall; Chick-fil-A and Qdoba included.
• Professional development opportunities through the Lindenwood Learning Academy.

JOB TITLE SUMMARY

Job Title: Director, Advancement II

Division: Advancement and Community Engagement

Evaluation Group: Staff

FLSA Status: Exempt

Reports To: Assistant Vice President, Advancement

Positions Supervised: N/A

Job Summary

The director, advancement II plays a leadership role in furthering the mission of Lindenwood University and the advancement team by conducting relationship- and impact-focused fundraising. This position will identify, cultivate, and solicit individual, corporate, and foundation prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000 or more, with an emphasis on donors of $100,000+.

Essential Job Functions and Performance Indicators

The intent of this job description is to provide a representation of the types of duties and level of responsibility that will be required of positions given this title. This job description shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

Job Responsibilities and Execution

• Ensures the Advancement office conducts prospect research, solicitation, and donor stewardship with a focus on major gifts of $25,000 and above
• Manages a personal portfolio of roughly 80-100 principal and major gift donors and prospects
• Coordinates with assistant vice president, advancement and prospect research team to develop and implement strategies to meet annual and campaign fundraising goals
• Plans and attends fundraising-related University and special events
• Meets individual and department fundraising goals and utilizes appropriate development reporting processes
• Serves as a liaison between the Advancement office and the University’s planned giving vendor
• Manages the relationship between the Advancement office and assigned college(s), serving as primary liaison

Service Excellence

• Supports the mission of the University and serves as an ambassador of the Q2 culture of service excellence
• Models, supports, and holds others accountable to the University’s values – integrity, dedication, excellence, creativity, and teamwork
• Conducts meaningful and authentic donor acknowledgement and stewardship activities
• Cultivates strong relationships with individual donors, alumni, foundations, corporations, and friends of the University

Communication, Teamwork, and Collaboration

• Advises division leaders on internal and external constituency relations
• Provides leadership to campus constituents on current, effective fundraising techniques
• By virtue of experience, mentors other members of the advancement team in industry best practices

Job may require other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications – An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience will be considered. Additional requirements may be designated by position.

• Bachelor’s degree
• Master’s degree preferred
• Minimum of 5 years experience in soliciting major donors and gifts
• Experience in higher education environment, ideally having participated in a comprehensive or capital campaign
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge preferred
• Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) certification preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities – May be representative, but not all inclusive, of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform this job competently.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse communities and cultures
• Deep understanding of the principles that drive fundraising success, including prospect discovery, donor lifecycle, storytelling, and pipeline segmentation and analysis
• Experience in writing proposals
• Demonstrated ability to effectively build relationships and alliances with internal and external audiences
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
• Knowledge of the field’s best and current concepts, practices, and procedures
• Proven track record of securing major gifts of $25,000 and above OR comparable results within a business-to-business (B2B) or inside sales setting
• Knowledge of planned giving techniques and vehicles
• Skilled in providing attention to detail
• Empathetic listener with corresponding excellence in verbal and written communication
• Ability to maintain accuracy under time pressure with multiple priorities and deadlines
• Ability to provide discretion with confidential information

Work Environment – Environmental or atmospheric conditions commonly associated with the performance of this job’s functions.

• Flexible work environment consisting of regular in-office and remote workdays as assigned by supervisor
• Occasional night and weekend work
• Serves as regional representative for Lindenwood Advancement; regular travel to assigned region to conduct donor visits and alumni engagement events

Physical Abilities – The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform this job’s essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Ability to work effectively at a computer for up to eight hours daily
• Ability to sit for extended periods of time
• Regular attendance is a necessary and essential function

Equal Opportunity Employer

Lindenwood University is an Equal Opportunity employer. The University complies with appropriate federal, state, and local laws and provides equal employment opportunities and access to educational programs without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other protected status to all qualified applicants and employees. Lindenwood University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and dedicated to providing a positive discrimination-free educational work environment.