Job Description:

• Leads the Universityâ™s best-in-class stewardship program for principal gifts donors and serves as the University-wide liaison to colleagues for creative, meaningful, and personalized engagement practices.
• Working with relationship managers, creates and executes customized stewardship plans for individuals in portfolio informed by requirements detailed in existing gift agreements and donor preferences.
• Provides strategic direction for, and project manage the development and delivery, of high-impact, customized, timely stewardship reports and other relevant stewardship touches. Explores creative ways to share impact beyond written reports.
• Conceives and develops recognition events and other activities such as gift events, luncheons/dinners, faculty and student meet-and-greets, and other engagement opportunities to communicate gift impact and honor, thank, and inspire donors.
• Leads, inspires and motivates the principal gifts stewardship team, including through active mentoring and by promoting professional growth opportunities that adhere to programmatic needs.
• Serves as the central authority, creating and implementing stewardship policies, procedures, and programs for principal gift levels of donor recognition.
• As part of the Universityâ™s campaign readiness, serves as the University principal gifts stewardship thought leader, aligning the program with ARDâ™s core values and the Universityâ™s mission, vision, and values.
• Partners closely with units including Booth, Law, and Medicine and Biological Sciences Development (MBSD). Actively contributes within key University working groups, meetings, and events, providing knowledge and guidance in order to advance principal gifts stewardship programming and best practices.
• Works with senior leadership, officers and deans to design strategic objectives and action steps that will lead to the successful realization of principal gifts stewardship project work.
• Plans and manages the central principal gifts stewardship budget.
• Sets priorities for short-term and long-term projects, based on departmental goals.
• Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance including attending webinars, seminars, building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions.
• Develops stewardship plans for special projects that require coordination with other development professionals from across the University. Manages a team of professionals responsible for University-wide stewardship endeavors, including donor recognition activities and other types of stewardship activities. Identifies cues from donors that indicate the most effective way to steward them.
• Ensures that gifts are reported on accurately. Prepares detailed narratives and financial portfolios, which describe in non-technical terms complicated scientific and technical research being carried out at the University for the highest-level donors. Coordinate materials with applicable development staff.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Coursework in project management, business, finance, economics, communications, analytics, library and information science, or non-profit management.

Experience:

• Minimum of seven years of professional experience in nonprofit management, donor relations, development, alumni relations, marketing, public relations, sales or similar professional work.
• Minimum of three years leading a project team or managing staff.
• Minimum of one year developing and monitoring budgets.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• 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 Phoenix (the University's Donor Relationship Management System).
• Proficient in Microsoft Windows computer environment, Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.

Preferred Competencies

• Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write effectively. Explain complex ideas clearly and simply. 
• Manage confidential information with discretion and tact. 
• Act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality. 
• Work collegially and collaboratively in a team setting. 
• Self-motivated and take initiative.  
• Prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through with detail. 
• Sound judgement and persuasiveness necessary to establish a balance between the fundraising priorities and the interest of donors, faculty, and other campus partners.
• Excellent organizational skills, and a high degree of flexibility and initiative. Prioritize and manage multiple projects independently with a high attention to detail.
• Think strategically and holistically to solve complex problems and formulate innovative solutions.

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.  
• Attend evening and weekend functions when necessary.
• This position is located in Hyde Park at 5235 South Harper Court. 

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (preferred)

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected 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 the Applicant Inquiry Form.

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About University of Chicago (UC)

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