Assistant Director/Associate Director/Director of Advancement – College of ACES

Assistant Director/Associate Director/Director of Advancement –
2 openings

College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
(ACES)

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Based in Urbana-Champaign with hybrid opportunities.

The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
(ACES) and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional
Advancement (OVCIA) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
invite applications and nominations for two full-time major gift
officers. The Assistant Director/Associate Director/Director of
Advancement will secure private support for funding priorities
within the College as determined by the Dean, Unit Heads, and
Assistant Dean for Advancement. While each gift officer may be
assigned to liaison/represent various departments/units, they will
play a critical role in efforts to further implement an integrated
approach for impact and mission-driven priorities across the
college, departments, and units.

Be a part of our story. You will be part of a
remarkable community of faculty, staff, and students within the
College of ACES who are striving to meet the critical challenges of
our time. The Assistant Director/Associate Director/Director of
Advancement position is housed within the ACES Office of
Advancement, which includes frontline fundraising, advancement
communications, corporate and alumni engagement, and stewardship
and donor relations. 

Everything we do is designed to improve the quality of life of
the people in the state of Illinois, across the nation, and around
the world. We discover, develop, translate, and disseminate
knowledge to address societal concerns and train the next
generation of experts and leaders in a way that empowers them to
expand the boundaries of science to higher levels of
understanding.

We have nearly 38,000 living alumni and raise approximately $20
million annually in private support from individuals, corporations,
and foundations. Our annual expenditures from all sources are more
than $160 million. ACES plays a key role in national and
international research initiatives in bioenergy, biotechnology,
integrated landscapes, environmental sustainability, food and
agricultural systems, global climate change, family resiliency,
public policy, and much more.

In 2024, the ACES Advancement team will launch an exciting $100
million capital priority fundraising campaign to prepare the
college to continue its mission for the next 100 years.

Job Summary

The Assistant Director/Associate Director/Director of
Advancement reports to the Assistant Dean for Advancement and works
closely with advancement colleagues, unit heads, faculty, and staff
throughout the college and the university. The primary
responsibility is to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward
prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000 or more in support of
ACES. Travel of varying durations is required, from 30-50%, and
includes some evenings and weekends. The successful candidate will
be a collaborative team member who is a self-starter, strategic
thinker, internal and external relationship builder, trusted
connector in their assigned academic departments/programs, and
inclusive partner.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Identify, assess, analyze, and design appropriate strategies
  for approaching prospects and donors, making the vitally important
  connection between donors’ philanthropic interests and the
  College’s programmatic and curricular needs. Plan and implement
  effective outreach and cultivation activities to enhance prospect
  identification and move forward solicitation and stewardship
  processes. Qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of
  major gift prospects, with an emphasis on gifts of $25,000 or more,
  determining the frequency of contact needed. Document all
  activities and interactions in the alumni/donor database.
• Develop and maintain close collaborative partnerships with
  faculty and staff to gain a strong knowledge of the academic and
  research programs to identify and define priorities to be funded
  through private support. Attend faculty meetings, departmental
  alumni activities, and appropriate ACES events to further build
  connections. Partner closely with other advancement professionals,
  including individual and corporate gift officers and alumni
  relations, stewardship, and donor relations professionals.
• Determine and prioritize lists of donor prospects, alumni, and
  other stakeholders to be contacted for personal visits.
• Prepare and educate faculty and other unit volunteers to
  participate in cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of major
  gifts as needed

Impact in Your First Year
At Advancement
at Illinois, we value our employees and provide resources to help
you continually learn and grow. We foster a strong, collaborative
community of people who are driven by their ability to make a
difference.

Within 3 months, you’ll:

• Become familiar with the strategic vision and priorities of the
  College of ACES
• Become embedded in your assigned academic
  departments/programs
• Meet your assigned Prospect Development Analyst and begin
  getting acquainted with your portfolio
• Attend professional development and networking activities for
  newcomers within Advancement
• Be introduced to fundraising fundamentals terminology adopted
  from Plus Delta Partners

 

Within 6 months, you’ll:

• Begin cultivating relationships with key
  prospects/donors/alumni in an effort to create and implement
  solicitation strategies
• Partner with colleagues working in stewardship and donor
  relations, events, alumni relations, and communications on
  unit-wide initiatives
• Be able to share multiple meaningful impact stories of
  transformative gifts

 

By the end of the first year, you’ll:

• Cooperatively set annual goals with your supervisor and
  portfolio management team
• Continue portfolio growth of qualified prospects and successful
  solicitation strategies
• Receive one-on-one coaching from the People and Culture team to
  help transition into your new role
• Build a robust network of colleagues across campus

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• For the title of Assistant Director, a minimum of two
  years of successful advancement experience or three years of
  experience in a closely related field which requires strong
  relationship-building and outcome-driven components. For the title
  of Associate Director, a minimum of three years
  of successful advancement experience or more than six years of
  experience in a closely related field which requires strong
  relationship-building and outcome-driven components. For the title
  of Director, a minimum of five years of successful
  advancement experience or ten years of experience in a closely
  related field which requires strong relationship-building and
  outcome-driven components.
• Experience working in a collaborative, team-oriented
  environment

 Preferred Qualifications

• Documented success as a major and/or principal gift fundraiser
  and as a direct supervisor or manager.
• Advancement experience in an academic unit that produces
  degrees and conducts rigorous academic research.
• Experience working with academic leaders, faculty, and staff
  and demonstrated experience in teaching and engaging them directly
  with prospects and donors.
• Demonstrated strategic planning and/or fundraising campaign
  planning in higher education.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Superb oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills,
  with an emphasis on engaged, active listening.
• Demonstrated ability to represent an organization in visits
  with key constituents
• Understanding of major donor prospect qualification,
  cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Strong relationship management skills
• Knowledge of advancement strategies including best practices
  related to development at institutions of higher education

Salary

Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and
experience, while also considering internal equity. The salary
range for this position starts at $65,000 for the title of
Assistant Director; $75,000 for the title of
Associate Director; and $85,000 for the title of
Director.

To Apply

To ensure full consideration, application materials must be
received by March 18, 2024.  The expected start date is as
soon as possible after the close date. Apply for this position
using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting and
upload a resume, cover letter, and the names, addresses, phone
numbers, and email addresses of three professional references.
Applications not submitted through the http://jobs.illinois.edu site will
not be considered. For further information about this specific
position, please contact Zsayla Brummett at zbrummet@illinois.edu and/or
visit our Application
Tips site for helpful tips. For questions regarding the
application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

Please note: Immigration sponsorship is not
available for this position.

The Illinois Advancement community is committed to an ongoing,
proactive process to foster and achieve diversity and inclusion in
its development, alumni relations and communication activities. We
will respect and encourage different voices, perspectives and ideas
as we strive to represent individuals of all backgrounds and
cultures which incudes but are not limited to the following:
nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, spirituality, age
and ability who represent our alumni, donors and friends of the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity
employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran
status, and complies with all applicable state and federal
employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment
Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement
and find additional information about required background checks,
sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, COVID-19 vaccination
requirement, and employment eligibility review through
E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may
request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with
Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or
interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable
accommodations
portal, or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations
Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by
emailing accessibility@illinois.edu.

CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY:

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive
and major public land-grant university (Doctoral/Research
University-Extensive) that is ranked among the best in the world.
Chartered in 1867, it provides undergraduate and graduate education
in more than 150 fields of study, conducts theoretical and applied
research, and provides public service to the state and the nation.
It employs about 3,000 faculty members who serve over 33,000
undergraduates and 17,000 graduate and professional students. More
information about the campus is available at www.illinois.edu.

The university is located in the twin cities of Champaign and
Urbana (total population 226,000) in east-central Illinois, and is
situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 125 miles west of
Indianapolis, and 170 northeast of St. Louis. The University and
its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational
environment ideally suited to the work of a major research
institution. For more information about the community,
visit: Living
in Champaign-Urbana, Experience Champaign Urbana, or
Champaign County Chamber
of Commerce.

Health insurance is available to employees (with the option to
purchase coverage for spouse and dependents), required
participation in State Universities Retirement System (SURS), with
several options for participation in additional retirement plans.

Learn more about employee benefits at the University of
Illinois. Newly hired employees are covered by the
Medicare
portion of Social Security and are subject to this
deduction.

The University of Illinois has a strong commitment to work-life
balance and family-friendly programs for faculty and staff:
 Work-Life
Balance & Family-Friendly Programs and  Other
Work-Life Programs.

When you pursue a career with Illinois Advancement, you’ll join
our tight-knit community of professionals who treat each other with
as much care and respect as we treat our donors. At Illinois, we
invest in you. Our leaders are eager to partner with you on the
next phase of your career and have the tools and experience to help
you succeed. Illinois Advancement values creativity and fosters a
collaborative, flexible environment to develop new ideas that
become best practices – and we’re looking for your
unique skills. Learn more about what others have to say about their
experiences:
Opportunity Awaits.