Associate Director of Leadership Giving Initiatives

Associate Director of Leadership Giving Initiatives

Amherst Campus
Full Time
JR5603

Amherst has taken a leadership role among highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities in successfully diversifying the racial, socio-economic, and geographic profile of its student body. The College is similarly committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration and staff.



Amherst College invites applications for the Associate Director of Leadership Giving Initiatives position. The Associate Director of Leadership Giving Initiatives is a full-time, year-round position, starting at $85,000 per year - commensurate with experience. Given Amherst's distinction as one of the most diverse liberal arts colleges in the country, the successful candidate will demonstrate the ways in which they bring value to and will work towards supporting a broadly diverse community.

The Associate Director of Leadership Giving Initiatives is a member of the Major and Planned Gifts team, reporting to the Director of Leadership Giving. The Associate Director will be a seasoned relationship builder responsible for convening campus partners and stakeholders in support of targeted fundraising initiatives with a focus on the Mead Art Museum. They will serve as a point of knowledge for colleagues and will advise on coordinated strategies aimed to maximize giving to strategic priorities and specifically the Mead. The Associate Director works closely with academic leaders, department leaders, fundraising colleagues, faculty, and volunteers to develop compelling ideas that attract gifts based on institutional initiatives focused on elevating the arts at Amherst.

In addition, the Associate Director will manage a diverse portfolio of prospects. Specifically, they will develop and implement strategies to increase leadership gifts from the College's highly diverse alumni, parents and friends. They will work with a portfolio of current and future prospects to build the leadership giving pipeline by engaging with those prospects and identifying opportunities to build community and connection to the College.

The Associate Director will meet frequently to engage these key members of the Amherst community in conversations leading to increased gifts in support of the Mead Art Museum and other priorities at the college. In the case of alumni from more recent classes and those without a record of philanthropy to the college, the Associate Director will lay the foundation for future generosity to Amherst and the Mead. Reporting to the Senior Major Gift Officer, Director of Leadership Giving, this role will serve as a vital partner and connector, working closely with the Mead Art Museum to support targeted fundraising initiatives. While reporting through Advancement, this position will have a strong partnership with Mead, playing a key role in advancing its fundraising efforts.

The person in this role is expected to work as part of a collaborative and inclusive team including taking appropriate actions to support a diverse workforce and participating in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment. In addition, all advancement staff members are required to support and staff key events such as Reunion, Homecoming, Family Weekend and events related to advancing college priorities, including Mead. These events may require evening and weekend hours.

Summary of Responsibilities:

Coordination, Strategy & Planning

• Manage key internal relationships and set goals with internal stakeholders, including the Mead Art Museum and other divisions of the College
  
• Evaluate current fundraising activities, identify untapped potential, and help develop strategies and tactics to maximize opportunities
  
• Develop and maintain a thorough understanding of the organization's programs and priorities to effectively engage prospects
  
• Collaborate with volunteers/committee members to support fundraising strategies and leverage their networks
  
• Plan and execute events, including targeted donor specific cultivation events for the Mead
  
• Prepare briefings, stewardship plans, and other correspondence/collateral
  
• Work closely with key stakeholders, including board members, senior advancement staff, and campus colleagues
  
• Partner closely with the Director of the Mead to facilitate support and advancement of the priorities of the Museum
  
• Collaborate with the Director of the Mead to effectively leverage the Mead Advisory Council
  

• Manage a diverse portfolio of 80 prospective leadership donors
  
• Responsible for designing and implementing prospect cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies
  
• Frequent travel along with virtual (Zoom) visits to engage these key members of the Amherst community
  
• Develop a strategic marketing plan for the Friends of the Mead program
  
• Closing five and six-plus figure gifts in support of Amherst's established priorities, including the Mead Art Museum and other college priorities
  

• The Associate Director consults with the Senior Major Gift Officer, Director of Leadership Giving to organize their own work-flow in accordance with the priorities of donor cultivation and solicitation and support for overall priorities including the Mead
  
• Determines how to carry out job responsibilities; makes operational/tactical decisions following established guidelines/procedures/policies
  
• Participates in a collaborative approach making recommendations and building effective lines of communication to colleagues including the Director of the Mead
  
• Analyzes data, making data-driven decisions impacting the operations of the department
  
• Displays a high level of critical thinking and analysis in bringing resolution to high-impact, complex and/or cross-department and division problems
  
• Work requires prompt decisions when faced with complex and often contradictory alternatives. Problems generally require significant analysis and judgment
  

• Bachelor's Degree
  
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in a complex academic environment
  
• Demonstrated ability to motivate peers, manage complex relationships, and drive projects to successful completion
  
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate and advance relationships strategically and proactively
  
• Excellent judgment and integrity
  
• Personal capacity to thrive in a fast-paced environment
  
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and written and verbal communication skills
  
• Strong project management and event planning abilities
  
• Able to travel up to 50% of the time
  
• Commitment to working with diverse communities