Assistant Director, Development, Arts and Humanities

Department

ADV Humanities 1

About the Department

The Advancement Office engages alumni (~220k), current students, parents, and friends of the University through intellectual, professional and social activities on campus, around the world and online. Advancement raises $600 million annually to support faculty and researchers, practitioners and patients, and students and programs across the University. Our work supports priorities in every division, school, department, and institute.

A central component of Advancement, the Division of the Arts and Humanities Development enterprise is a team of three fundraising professionals who work collaboratively to secure annual, major, and principal gift support for divisional priorities and objectives, as set by the Dean, and foster increased engagement with the division. The team undertakes this work through in-person meetings, carefully curated cultivation and stewardship events, and other forms of donor engagement.

Job Summary

The Assistant Director, Development, Arts and Humanities, provides essential professional support for assigned development activities within the division, including annual giving, stewardship, and event activities. This role executes fundraising projects, including data management and content development for cultivation programs for prospective donors and the division’s advisory council; and leads event planning for Advancement Arts and Humanities. This position provides professional support of assigned development activities with instruction from others. Executes fundraising projects, cultivation programs for prospective donors and for visiting committees. This role may also have donor-facing responsibilities, including qualifying, cultivating, and stewarding leadership annual giving donors and prospects over Zoom and in person.

Responsibilities

• Manages and leads the team's stewardship program, including timely and considered gift acknowledgments, developing an annual comprehensive divisional report, gathering data on individual fund usage, compiling data into written reports, and managing report deployment.
• Assists in the planning and execution of divisional events, including strategic engagement, cultivation, and stewardship events, as well as events involving volunteers.
• Coordinates annual giving activity, including direct appeal efforts across all giving channels (email, mail, phone), and develops compelling appeals and other direct response materials for donors and alumni.
• Manages the strategy for leadership annual giving donors and prospects with the goal of renewing and upgrading their support annually.
• Supports the team by gathering information from divisional partners on events, stories, and other donor-engagement channels.
• Reflects, analyzes, and synthesizes data to prepare program performance reports, identify and quantify opportunities to improve outcomes, and build on successful activities.
• Provides support for Advisory Council activities, including council communications, stewardship initiatives, roster and reporting updates, quarterly newsletter management, and coordination of council meetings and faculty spotlight events, including logistics, materials preparation, registration, and stakeholder engagement support.
• Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance, including building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions.
• Has a moderate/high level of authority in drafting informational and marketing materials for review for assigned programs. Assists in developing support materials for specific fundraising activities.
• Cultivates and maintains relationships with donors and volunteers. Establishes and maintains donor records and accounts.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of two years of relevant professional work experience in nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, public relations, sales, or similar field.
• Managing complex cross-team projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Background working with volunteers.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to quickly learn, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to Advancement, including Phoenix, the University's Donor Relationship Management System.
• Proficient in Microsoft Windows computer environment, especially Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Drive, Box, Adobe Suite, Marketo, Qualtrics, Oracle, Zoom, and Access.

Preferred Competencies

• Demonstrated fluency and comfort with technology and adapt quickly to new systems and platforms.
• Self-motivated and entrepreneurial with a demonstrated ability to take initiative.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write effectively.
• Act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
• Work collegially and collaboratively in a team setting.
• Prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through with detail.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading.
• Enthusiasm for the mission and vision of the University and Division of the Arts and Humanities.
• Manage confidential information with discretion and tact.

Working Conditions

• This position has a hybrid work schedule which includes weekly in office presence.
• Standard office environment.
• Travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for University business.
• Work evenings and weekends as needed.
• This position is located in Hyde Park at 5235 South Harper Court.
• This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter addressed to Hiring Committee (required)

Job Family

Alumni Relations & Development

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$63,750.00 - $75,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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