Director of Major Gifts and Leadership Annual Giving

Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with Wellesley
College in the search for a Director of Major Gifts and Leadership
Annual Giving.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Development, the
Director of Major Gifts and Leadership Annual Giving will provide
deeper and broader coverage of Wellesley’s robust alumnae and donor
pool. The Director will serve as part of the frontline unit
(principal gifts, gift planning, corporate and foundations
relations, major gifts, and leadership annual gifts) while
simultaneously creating and overseeing a new fundraising unit
comprised of two teams, the Major Gifts (MG) team and the
Leadership Annual Giving (LAG) team. The Director also will
maintain and grow their own pool of prospects. The Director will
identify and use AI programs and other digital and technological
resources to complement and supplement officer assignments and to
ensure coverage of donors in anticipation of a campaign and for the
long-term future. The MG team will be anchored by a seasoned
gift officer and will ultimately have up to four additional gift
officers to cover a portfolio of 2,200 prospects and donors rated
$250K up to $5M. The LAG team will start with three officers to
cover a portion of the 6,500 prospects and donors rated between
$10K up to $250K, with the potential to grow as the success of the
team increases.

Wellesley is known as a unique community that sends accomplished
women out into the world, committed to making a difference.
Situated on a breathtaking campus in the quintessentially New
England town of Wellesley, and home to over 2,400 of the
highest-achieving female undergraduates in the world, Wellesley is
a lively learning community dedicated to probing inquiry and
creative, cross-disciplinary thinking. With a focus on
collaboration, students are encouraged to question, debate, and
refine their points of view with each other, and the world-class
faculty. As a private, liberal arts institution, Wellesley places a
great deal of importance on preparing its graduates for the
real world in all senses. The College’s full-engagement
philosophy ensures that the student voice is central in
decision-making with students serving on major committees of the
Board of Trustees, participating in faculty searches, and
contributing to strategic planning. Accredited by the New England
Commission of Higher Education, Wellesley grants bachelor’s degrees
in more than 50 majors and boasts an 8:1 student to faculty
ratio.

With an alumnae base of more than 35,000, the women of Wellesley
continue to support the institution, and one another, long after
they leave the beautiful campus. This powerful network of alumnae
helped the College raise a record breaking $514 million in its most
recent campaign, The Wellesley Effect.

Wellesley’s motto, Non Ministrari sed Ministrare (Not
to be ministered unto, but to minister), is evident in the
College’s mission to provide an excellent liberal arts
education to women who will make a difference in the world.
This mission is advanced by working together as a community,
focused on shared values of intellectual discovery and excellence;
gender equality; diversity, equity, and inclusion; connection and
community; empowerment and social change; and integrity and
academic freedom.

Wellesley students come from all 50 states, the District of
Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. They hail from
87 countries of citizenship and 59 countries of residence. At least
one language other than English is spoken in 47% percent of
students’ homes; over 30 languages are spoken on campus. 52 percent
of the class of 2023 identify as students of color. 18 percent of
students in the class of 2023 will be the first
generation in their families to graduate from college. The
Office of Intercultural Inclusion and Engagement—whose mission is
to promote cultural competence through intercultural programs and
activities—equips students with the skills they need for life and
leadership in a diverse, inter-dependent, and every-changing
world.  There are also a multitude of formal and informal
advising and mentoring for students of color and LGBTQ+ students.
13 religious organizations serve students from agnostic to
Zoroastrian and everything in between.

Wellesley graduates are ready to make a difference in the world,
evidenced by the fact that 98 percent of the most recent graduating
class were in jobs, graduate education, the military, or service
within six months of graduation. The 2024 US News and World
Report ranks Wellesley College as the fourth best national
liberal arts college in the nation, #20 in best undergraduate
teaching, and sixth in best value schools. Wellesley received an A+
rating from NECHE (New England Commission of Higher Education).
Wellesley is the only liberal arts college that consistently rates
in the top 50 colleges and universities in producing the largest
number of women Ph.D.s in STEM. Considered to have created the
most powerful women’s network, Wellesley College was ranked
#57 in the top colleges and universities of 2023 by Forbes
and #36 in private colleges. Not forgetting the beautiful setting
of Wellesley, the College was voted first among the best river and
lake colleges by College Consensus.

Wellesley College seeks a strategic and self-driven
Director of Major Gifts and Leadership Annual
Giving who possesses an ability to inspire donors, lead with
deliberate optimism, contribute toward building a positive culture
on campus and beyond, and foster an engaged and productive
environment. The Director should combine a desire to collaborate
with superior coaching and team building skills. A bachelor’s
degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and
at least eight years of frontline fundraising or comparable
experience, including conducting successful solicitations, closing
gifts, and familiarity with reunion giving or alumni/ae development
experience in an academic setting, is preferred for this position
as is at least five years of management experience. Wellesley
College will consider candidates with a broad range of backgrounds.
If you are excited about this role and feel that you can contribute
to the College, but your experience does not exactly align with
every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply. All
applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé.
Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of Wellesley
College as well as the responsibilities and qualifications stated
in the prospectus.

The salary range for this position is $160,000 to $165,000
annually.

Wellesley College is committed to the inclusion of all qualified
candidates. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing
this application, interviewing, or participating in the selection
process, please contact Kim Farr at [email protected].

To apply for this position, visit:
https://opportunities.aspenleadershipgroup.com/opportunities/1410.