Director of Development, School of Dental Medicine

Reporting to the Executive Director of Development (EDOD) and working in close collaboration with the Dean of the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM), the Director of Development (DOD) serves as a proactive leader seeking connections with alumni and friends to manage a major gift donor/prospect portfolio. The DOD plays a critical role in enhancing the school’s individual giving efforts and fundraising results, while focusing on advancing donor and prospect relationships. They utilize all Foundation resources, tools, technology, policies, and procedures to achieve annual fundraising goals and performance metrics.

• Manage a portfolio of major gift ($25,000+) prospective donors, corporations, and foundations, with independent responsibility to develop and execute strategies leading to successful cultivation and solicitation activities
• Work within the Rutgers University Foundation (RUF) prospect management and tracking system, following all protocols for visits and solicitations
• Actively solicit prospects and donors and meet mutually established goals related to solicitations, gift closures, prospects met, and qualifications. This includes utilizing various giving vehicles, such as outright, pledged, in-kind, and planned gifts
• Identify and prioritize funding opportunities with deans, faculty chairs, EDOD, and other university administrators to generate new gifts and commitments
• Develop positive, professional working relationships with RSDM faculty and staff members and liaise with RSDM Alumni groups
• Other duties as assigned

Leadership

• Demonstrate ability to successfully manage and lead a team (and/or staff volunteers) in a way that maximizes potential of each team member
• Lead a comprehensive unit or central development department/program

Autonomy

• Manage an implementation team and projects/program with moderate supervision from leadership
• Set goals, manage budgets, and meet deadlines for themselves and the team
• Manage a personal major gift donor/prospect portfolio with a primary focus on securing gifts at or above the $100,000 level and a personal fundraising goal of $1M

Complexity

• Partner with other peer directors and department leads across the organization
• Effectively engage and manage relationships with your supervisor and University partners across the enterprise
• Able to devise and execute increasingly complex projects
• Set direction and approach in partnership with assigned RU leader’s vision
• Able to adapt to changing situations and different fundraising partners

Strategy

• Demonstrate an ability to set priorities and determine strategy for unit, including staffing and budgets
• Develop and submit written proposals, budgets and other collateral materials as needed for securing philanthropic investments

Bachelor's degree and/or 6+ years of professional experience in fundraising, alumni relations, non-profit organizations, event planning, higher education, or related fields.

This position requires clarity of focus while juggling complex projects or deadlines with little physical effort. Will work evenings, weekends, or odd hours to meet resource-raising commitments. Typical working conditions with an absence of disagreeable elements. This position requires some early mornings and late evenings to accommodate meetings, travel, events, and external constituents’ schedules.

This is classified as an office-centric hybrid position. Colleagues working under an office-centric hybrid arrangement have a primary workstation in a university or foundation location and are in the office between one and five days a week. The frequency with which they are present in the office depends on their role and function and the interdependency of other functions.