Director, Leadership Giving

Northeastern University seeks a collaborative, intentional and entrepreneurial Director, Leadership Giving. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, Leadership Giving, the Director, Leadership Giving, will play a key leadership role while implementing and leading strategies to advance the leadership giving program at Northeastern University.

By working collaboratively across the university and creating strategies that will engage the next generation of donors, the Director, Leadership Giving will play an active role in the growth and success of the leadership giving program in terms of both development activity and philanthropic giving to all colleges, programs and units.

The Director, Leadership Giving will manage a portfolio of donors and prospects comprised of alumni, parents and friends from a select group of colleges, programs and/or units, engaging them to make gifts at the leadership giving level ($10,000 to $100,000). The Director will hold face-to-face, phone and virtual meetings with donors/prospects as needed to move the constituent closer to a leadership level gift. The Director will quickly and thoughtfully make decisions on the long-term trajectory of the donor/prospects based upon both leadership giving activities and donor/prospect research with the goal of engaging the next generation of donors to the university. The Director will be a highly effective collaborator and partner who is able to work across both University Advancement and the greater university to ensure the fundraising success of the program. The Director will acquire and articulate an understanding of Northeastern University and its various colleges, programs and units to be able to have informed conversations with donors/prospects. The Director will close gifts and cultivate qualified donors/prospects for larger gifts with the goal of deepening the donor pipeline and helping to increase the number of donors moving to the major, principal and planned giving levels.

The Director will manage and supervise a team of at least two leadership giving frontline fundraisers who are responsible for the identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of donors with the capacity to give at the $10,000 to $100,000 level. The Director will aid in the growth and development of their direct reports as frontline leadership giving fundraisers. This management and supervision will include, but not be limited to, weekly/bi-weekly fundraising activity meetings, monthly progress meetings and quarterly portfolio reviews. The Director will prepare and present semi-annual and fiscal year-end performance reviews in conjunction with the Executive Director. Additionally, the Director will analyze individual and group leadership giving data and activity reports to best guide their direct reports in their career growth and development.

Select Responsibilities

• Manage and supervise at least two Leadership Giving frontline fundraising staff members to increase fundraising results to benefit Leadership Giving and the respective college, program or unit and to help enhance their development and fundraising skill set.
• Manage a portfolio of prospective 60-80 donor/prospects at the leadership level who exhibit considerable promise for evolving to major, principal and planned gift level capacity over time.
• Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward this portfolio of donor/prospects to strategically enhance their giving potential and likelihood.
• Acquire and articulate an understanding of Northeastern University’s various colleges and units to be able to have informed and educated conversations with donors and prospects.

Select Qualifications

• The University is seeking a highly collaborative, intentional, entrepreneurial and energetic individual who has 6 to 8 years of progressive development experience.
• Proven success in fundraising, including, but not limited to, donor/prospect portfolio management and making gift solicitations at the annual gift ($1,000 to $10,000) and leadership gift ($10,000 to $100,000) level(s) is required. Major gift level fundraising experience is not required but is a plus.
• Higher education fundraising experience is not required but is a plus.
• Proven success in managing and supervising frontline fundraising staff resulting in increased fundraising results and enhanced fundraising skills is required.
• Strong working knowledge of development including but not limited to gift processing, portfolio management, prospect research and donor stewardship is required.