Assistant Director of Principal Gifts

Location: University Development

Regular/Temporary: Regular

Job ID: 608314

Full/Part Time: Full-Time

Workplace Culture

NAU aims to be the nation's preeminent engine of opportunity, vehicle of economic mobility, and driver of social impact by delivering equitable postsecondary value in Arizona and beyond.

https://nau.edu/president/strategic-plan/

Special Information

• This position is posted as Assistant Director of Principal Gifts, which is a working title. The NAU system title for this position is University Development Assistant Director.
• This position is a hybrid position which allows the incumbent to complete their work at both an NAU site, campus, or facility and at a non-centralized site with or without accommodation.

Job Description

As a member of the Principal Gifts team, the Assistant Director works as part of Advancement | Foundation to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward gifts, with an emphasis on principal gifts (gifts of $1 million or more) from a portfolio of current and prospective donors. A principal gift is defined as strategic philanthropy supporting solutions for societal problems. These gifts come from donors who believe in Northern Arizona University, see it as a transformative partner for change, and believe NAU's work is worth a heightened level of investment.

The Assistant Director will collaborate closely with the Advancement | Foundation development team to strategically coordinate engagement and stewardship for the university's most significant donors who are interested in supporting NAU's strategic priorities aligned with https://nau.edu/president/strategic-plan/. This position will be critical in securing lead gifts and partnering with development staff in all colleges as well as in Alumni Engagement, Planned Giving, Annual Giving, and Corporate and Foundation Relations to increase principal level gifts during the university's comprehensive campaign. The university is currently in the quiet phase of its comprehensive campaign.

The Assistant Director works collaboratively with division colleagues to elevate the donor engagement process and enhance strategy for principal gift prospects. The position will provide guidance and support to donor engagement and solicitation activities institution-wide, while preserving and nurturing existing relationships at individual and program levels.¿

The Assistant Director will work closely with all development directors to support the university's principal gift strategy in a consistent, systematic way.¿ The strategic participation of academic partners and other key partners is crucial for several reasons: to nurture donor relationships, collaborate on the development and implementation of a focused and intentional principal gift strategy, and to ensure excellent stewardship of the gift.

The position reports to the Senior Director of Principal Gifts.

Fundraising and Relationship Building - 40%

• Prioritize portfolio of NAU's top principal gift prospects and work collaboratively to execute principal gift fundraising goals.
• Conceptualize and implement leadership level fundraising strategies that enhance and support the university's fundraising priorities.
• Lead and coordinate the cultivation-solicitation-stewardship cycle of significant university prospects and donors, ensuring cross-departmental collaboration through the creation of case statements, complex gift agreements, proposals, donor acknowledgements, and customized impact reports.
• Develop and implement enhanced bespoke stewardship strategies for significant donors.
• Assist, and when appropriate, lead the development of complex proposals for soliciting principal gift level donors, using knowledge from varied sources to ensure they are accurate and complete.
• Create an infrastructure and a platform for collaboration, coordination, and information sharing.

Strategy Development - 35%

• Prepare research profiles for each prospect and make an initial determination of the key partners/relationship builders for each.
• Consistently report on strategy outcomes and engagement with university-wide partners.
• Serve as a strategic partner to Advancement | Foundation and university colleagues by providing timely updates and recommendations on principal giving strategies including next steps.
• Produce strategy and meeting reports to capture a detailed history of donor engagement effectiveness.

Program Administration - 20%

• Help develop and build the consensus around fundraising policies, reporting, and procedures with internal and external partners.
• Observe relevant industry trends to inform strategic decisions.
• Conduct high level analysis, compile information, and develop timely and accurate reports on key metrics for leadership.
• Through collaborative strategy and report generation, identify risk factors and address the need for risk mitigations to ensure fundraising effectiveness.
• Track prospect clearance, proposal strategies, and project monitoring utilizing the NAU Foundation's constituent database.

Other - 5%

• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in relevant field; and
• Minimum of three years' experience as a front-line fundraiser in a comprehensive development program or equivalent experience in a related field, such as sales. Experience includes:

• Established record of closing major gifts of $25,000 or more, or revenue metrics that support organizational priorities; and

• 2-4 years of management experience; or
• Any combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted for the educational requirement on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5 years of relevant experience.
• Master's degree in relevant field.
• Experience in higher education or non-profit setting.
• Experience in major gift fundraising principles and practices at a major university.
• Capital/comprehensive campaign experience.
• Experience developing marketing collateral/written materials for constituents.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

Knowledge

• Working knowledge of a donor database.
• Understanding of and appreciation for Northern Arizona University, its cultural and geographic specificity, and its commitment to student success.
• Direct experience with fundraising, volunteer management.
• Proven ability to solicit and close philanthropic gifts at the five and-six-figure level, or equivalent experience in a related field such as sales.
• Knowledge of common management tactics.
• Knowledge of donor gift agreements.

Skills

• Strong organizational and planning skills with the ability to initiate, collaborate, implement, monitor, evaluate, advance, and report on strategic plans that support the activities of, and contribute to, NAU Advancement | Foundation's overall strategic goals and targets.
• Excellent leadership skills with an ability to manage relationships drives change.
• Excellent written communication skills.
• Superior interpersonal skills with proven ability to successfully interact and collaborate with varied constituencies in a professional manner, exhibiting excellent communication skills, and demonstrating tact, poise and diplomacy while working with a wide variety of personalities.

Abilities

• Proven ability to engage, motivate, and work with prospects, volunteers, university officials, faculty and staff or similar constituencies.
• Proven ability to work independently; a self-starter with energy, humility, and enthusiasm.
• Demonstrated team player with the ability to gain trust and confidence of colleagues and constituents.
• Experience and credibility when presenting materials to both internal and external constituents including individuals from a variety of culturally diverse backgrounds.
• Demonstrated commitment to excellence, honesty, transparency, and high levels of collaboration.
• Must be a detail-oriented, self-starter with a demonstrated ability to work independently and manage multiple projects and priorities to meet aggressive timelines and challenging deadlines with minimal staff support.
• Deep commitment to higher education and with the knowledge and ability to champion Northern Arizona University and its mission.
• Working knowledge of electronic mail and calendars, the Microsoft environment, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and other software such as donor databases, etc. and ability to run, analyze, and summarize computer-generated reports.
• Must be able and willing to travel frequently to attend relevant programs and events, and to meet with current and prospective donors to further cultivation and solicitation strategies (approximately 25 - 50% time).
• Ability to make travel arrangements using prudent fiscal considerations.
• Must be able and willing to work occasional evenings and weekends.
• Entrepreneurial spirit, taking initiative and actively seeking to deepen current donor relationships and forge new ones.
• Experience working with sensitive information and ability to maintain strict confidentiality.

Background Information

This position has been identified as a safety/security sensitive position. Therefore, per AZ Revised Statute, Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, employment history investigation, degree verification (in some cases) and fingerprinting. If you are applying for a job that requires a CDL, you will be required to register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse and adhere to the clearinghouse requirements. Additionally, as an employer in the state of Arizona, NAU is required to participate in the federal E-Verify program that assists employers with verifying new employees' right to work in the United States. Finally, each year Northern Arizona University releases an https://in.nau.edu/police-department/annual-security-and-fire-safety-reports/.. The report is a result of a federal law known as the Clery Act. The report includes Clery reportable crime statistics for the three most recent completed calendar years and discloses procedures, practices and programs NAU uses to keep students and employees safe including how to report crimes or other emergencies occurring on campus. In addition, the https://in.nau.edu/police-department/annual-security-and-fire-safety-reports/. is combined with the Annual Security Report for the NAU Flagstaff Mountain Campus as this campus has on-campus student housing. This report discloses fire safety policies and procedures related to on-campus student housing and statistics for fires that occurred in those facilities. If you would like a free paper copy of the report, please contact the NAUPD Records Department at (928) 523-8884 or by visiting the department at 525 E. Pine Knoll Drive in Flagstaff.

Salary

Salary range begins at $77,871. Annual salary commensurate with candidate's qualifications and related experience.

FLSA Status

This position is exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and therefore will not earn overtime or compensatory time for additional time worked.

Benefits

This is a Service Professional (SPF) position. NAU offers an excellent benefit package including generous health, dental and vision insurance; participation in the Arizona State Retirement System or the Optional Retirement Program; 22 days of vacation and 10 holidays per year; and tuition reduction for employees and qualified dependents. More information on benefits at NAU is available on the https://in.nau.edu/human-resources/benefits/. NAU is a tobacco and smoke-free campus. Service Professionals are hired on a contract basis, renewable each 6 months according to https://public.powerdms.com/ABOR/documents/1499270. Employees offered a position will be eligible for state health plans (including NAU's BCBS Plan). New employees are https://in.nau.edu/human-resources/eligibility-enrollment/ on the first day of the pay period following their enrollment, after their employment date. Employees will have 31 days from their start date to enroll in benefits. If a new employee chooses the ASRS retirement option, participation in the Arizona State Retirement System, and the long-term disability coverage that accompanies it, will begin on the first of the pay period following 6 months after the new employee's start date. New employees who choose to participate in the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP), which is an alternative to the ASRS plan for faculty and other appointed staff, will begin to participate on the first day of the pay period following election. Additionally, the long-term disability plan that accompanies the ORP will begin on the first day of the pay period following election.

Learning and Development

Your career at Northern Arizona University includes the opportunity for professional development. https://in.nau.edu/human-resources/orientation/ includes courses to be completed within the first 30 days.

Immigration Suppt/Sponsorship

NAU will not provide any U.S. immigration support or sponsorship for this position.

Application Deadline

April 14, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply" button on this page. You must submit your application by clicking on the "Submit" button by midnight of the application deadline. If you need assistance completing your application there are instructions available on the https://in.nau.edu/human-resources/or in person in the Human Resources Department located in Building 91 on the NAU Campus - on the corner of Beaver and DuPont Streets.

If you are an individual with a disability and need reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process, please contact the Disability Resources Office at 928-523-8773, http://DR@nau.edu, or PO Box 5633, Flagstaff AZ 86011.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Northern Arizona University is a committed Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution. Women, minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. NAU is responsive to the needs of dual career couples.

https://in.nau.edu/Human-Resources/Posters-Required-by-Law/

NAU is an Employer of National Service. AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other National Service alumni are encouraged to apply.

To apply, visit https://apptrkr.com/6080866

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