Senior Development Program Specialist / Development Program Manager, Office of Gift Planning

Overview

Are you ready to make a difference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison? The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA), the private fundraising and alumni relations organization for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is seeking a dynamic, self-driven Senior Development Program Specialist / Development Program Manager to support our Office of Gift Planning. In this hybrid role, you’ll collaborate with a fast-paced development team, manage key relationships, and lead innovative marketing and stewardship projects that advance our mission. This position requires significant self-directed work as well as demonstration of independent judgment in managing projects, prioritizing responsibilities and time, and communicating progress to team members. 

Who is WFAA?The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is a private, nonprofit corporation that encourages individuals and organizations to make gifts to the university and to connect with the UW. In 2014, the UW Foundation merged with the Wisconsin Alumni Association® to better serve a growing population of UW alumni and donors. We believe that private support grows out of good relationships between campus leaders, faculty and program staff who need support, and the alumni and friends who want to invest in UW–Madison. We provide important engagement opportunities to link UW–Madison alumni to each other and to their alma mater, building a strong community of Badgers.

Diversity and Inclusion:

Just as the university community benefits from differing viewpoints, perspectives, and experiences, inclusion and diversity are imperative for the success of our mission. WFAA values people and the differences that they bring to the organization, and creates an environment in which all staff members and constituents feel respected and have opportunities to thrive. 

Essential Functions

Relationship Management and Team Administration 

• Serve as a contact point for external (donors, estate representatives, campus) and internal partners regarding planned gifts. Triage, negotiate, and respond to all inquiries, requests, proposals and issues while continuing efforts to build mutually beneficial relationships, improve communication and collaborative teamwork, and increase understanding of development and estate administration processes.
• Develop working knowledge of the team’s functional workflows to ensure continuity and support during periods of high demand, team absences, or transitions.
• Collaborate with directors of development on donor cultivation, including obtaining informational materials and stewardship items, and responding to miscellaneous needs as they arise.

Marketing Strategy Development, Planning, and Project Execution 

• Work in active partnership with team leaders to plan, implement, manage and evaluate marketing strategies, initiatives, and projects designed to enhance and advance the unit’s priorities/goals, prospect and donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship and successfully move projects to completion.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for external consultants and the internal marketing team in the development of marketing projects.
• Create and implement consistent standards of practice and procedure that result in exemplary prospect and donor outreach experiences.
• Management of marketing responses and results, and conversion of that data into internal CRM.

 Stewardship 

• Coordinate and manage existing and planned Wisconsin Legacy Society procedures.
• Direct and monitor the acknowledgment process in coordination with internal staff.
• Proactively develop and create stewardship recommendations and/or projects in collaboration with team leaders and the Central Stewardship team.
• Collaborate with stewardship work groups within the unit and Foundation to review and assess stewardship activities and implement new opportunities for growth, meaningful donor engagement and impact reporting.
• Assist directors of development with the planning of special stewardship experiences.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree is preferred or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• 3 years of relevant professional work experience; non-profit or fund-raising environment preferred

Other Qualifications:

• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint); previous experience with database reporting and constituent relationship management software preferred.

At WFAA, we are dedicated to creating an inspiring, creative, and respectful work environment for our employees. We offer competitive pay and an outstanding benefits program, including a generous 10% 401k contribution after just one year of service! Join us and be part of a team that values your growth and well-being. Click here to learn more about our employee benefits! 

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer *The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is the “doing business as” name of the merged organization comprising the University of Wisconsin Foundation (advanceuw.org) and the Wisconsin Alumni Association (uwalumni.com). Its legal corporate name is registered as the University of Wisconsin Foundation