Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Role Summary:

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President Student Affairs/Executive Director, Career Center and in close partnership with University development teams, the Associate Director, Development for Student Affairs executes and leads programs and strategies to identify, cultivate and solicit alumni, parents, and friends of the University for significant gifts to fund identified divisional and University wide campaign priorities. Focused on amplifying engagement across student experience domains such as Health and Wellness, Diversity and Inclusion, Capital Projects, and QuadEx initiatives, this position requires a great deal of innovation and collaboration, working on complex gifts and collaborating with senior leaders across the division of Student Affairs and the university. This role will focus on high-capacity prospects, including a focus on leadership and principal gift prospects, and will be pivotal in driving the strategic vision of the division forward.

WORK PERFORMED

Development Administration (35%):

• In collaboration with the Vice Provost/Vice President of Student Affairs and Student Affairs Senior Leadership (SALT) coordinate the crafting and execution of a comprehensive fundraising program tailored for each of our core areas within Student Affairs, including but not limited to Health & Wellbeing; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, QuadEx; Capital Projects; Student Success, etc.
• Identify, articulate, and regularly evaluate a comprehensive set of giving priorities/opportunities for the Division.
• Harness innovative ideas based on divisional priorities and transform them into actionable proposals for both individual donors and foundations or grants.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for prospect engagement inquiries from University-wide fundraisers and collaborate with these colleagues on the identification and cultivation of prospects.
• Maintain a robust knowledge of University-wide funding priorities, and a general knowledge of school and unit funding priorities; keep abreast of institutional and departmental priorities, university programs, personalities and events.
• Meet regularly with Student Affairs Leadership and key Alumni Engagement & Development colleagues to ensure a shared vision and focus in the transmission of divisional goals, priorities, opportunities as it relates to philanthropic projects.
• Leverage expertise and knowledge from comparable institutions to create compelling narratives and engagement strategies.
• Meet bi-weekly with the Assistant Vice President and VPSA Chief of Staff order to discuss, determine, monitor, or assess fundraising priorities for the Division. Provide regular written progress reports to VPSA and Senior Leadership.
• Learn and adhere to Duke’s Prospect Management systems and protocols to ensure transparency and collaboration.

Communications & Content Development (35%):

• Draft, develop, and present gift proposals in alignment with the objectives of each Student Affairs department, its programs, and overarching priorities for individual donors, and foundations at the major and principal gift level.
• Generate development and alumni communications content as well as marketing and branding pieces for the Division in partnership with the Director of Communications for Student Affairs. Provide curated content to Alumni Engagement & Development for use as engagement and stewardship tools with a broad base of diverse donors.
• Work closely with various stakeholders across the division, ensuring consistent messaging and alignment in communications across multiple platforms and channels, strengthening the Student Affairs brand and mission.
• Leverage donors' gifts to illustrate impact and effective and efficient giving for other donors.

Reporting and Analytics (15%):

• Collaborate with research and analytics departments to drive efforts in identifying prospective donor pools, analyzing prospects, and monitoring fundraising progress.
• Work with university fundraising partners to identify, prioritize and triage prospect lists; maintaining a master watch list for the Division and independently qualifying and adding prospects as they emerge.
• Work with the AVP for Resource Administration and Planning to create and designate fund codes and process gifts as needed for the Division.

Stewardship (10%):

• In collaboration with the staff and students of the Division, develop content in support of philanthropic proposals, donor relations, stewardship letters, impact reports, giving stories, financial reporting, etc.
• Create personalized, strategic, month by month stewardship plans for top donors in collaboration with colleagues in Alumni Engagement & Development.
• Develop a stewardship plan for the entire division and communicate with key leadership. Generate timely gift acknowledgment letters and provide current use impact reporting for the division.
• Draft specialized stewardship for leadership gifts, board members, and high-impact donors, ensuring they feel valued and appreciated.

Other Responsibilities: (5%):

• Perform other related duties incidental to the work described above

Education/Training

Work requires communications, analytical and organizational skills generally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program.

Experience

Work requires the ability to plan and administer programs and direct program activities in a specific functional area, generally acquired through a minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience, preferably in alumni affairs, public relations, fund raising, sales and promotions, marketing, student activities or a related field in order to acquire skills necessary to administer, coordinate and/or participate in general fund-raising activities and proposal development. OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and strategically with diverse constituencies to achieve shared success.
• High level of comfort with ambiguity and an ability to respond to change and commit to decisions under pressure.
• Experience in fundraising, preferably in an educational, foundation, or wellness setting.
• Demonstrated proficiency in crafting and executing proposals.
• Demonstrated skill in strategic thinking, particularly in transforming priorities into actionable plans.
• Data-driven decision-making capabilities.
• Familiarity with the ethos of institutions comparable to Duke, allowing for a nuanced understanding of our unique narrative.
• Demonstrates awareness and understanding of the mental health and wellness landscape, and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and consistently stays abreast of developments in both areas.

• Strong sense of organizational awareness and ability to use this to achieve objectives.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Attention to detail and follow-through.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• A commitment to continuous learning
• Project and data management skills

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Work requires communications, analytical and organizational skills generally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program.

Experience

Work requires five years experience in alumni affairs, public OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE relations, fund raising, sales and promotions, marketing, student activities or a related field in order to acquire skills necessary to administer, coordinate and/or participate in general fund raising activities and proposal development.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.