Development Program Specialist, College of Letters & Science

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA)*, the private fundraising and alumni relations organization for UW-Madison, is recruiting for a Development Program Specialist to support UW-Madison, College of Letters & Science. This is a non-exempt position supporting donor and campus relations, stewardship, prospect data management, and office administration activities that advance team goals and objectives. This position is a hybrid role and will require you to work in the office at least two days weekly. 

Who is the College of Letters & Science?

The College of Letters & Science (L&S), with more than 200,000 living alumni, represents 45% of UW-Madison enrollment, and 65% of the undergraduate credit hours taught at the University. L&S is home to 39 academic departments and professional schools that conduct a broad and diverse range of research in the natural & social sciences, arts & humanities.  Ranked 11th nationally, the History department is home to 64 faculty, over 400 undergraduate majors and 130 graduate students in both History and the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology.

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.

Donor and Campus Relations 

• Serve as primary liaison to campus partners, working to build mutually beneficial relationships, improve communication and collaborative teamwork, and increase campus understanding of the development process.
• Coordinate fund administration process, including all activities related to the creation, documentation, notification, review, and stewardship of unit funds.
• In coordination with events team, plan, implement, and manage all aspects of events designed to identify and cultivate new prospects and build relationships with existing donors. Ensure that appropriate data is entered into ABE during event follow-up.
• Actively participate in meetings and other activities with campus partners that support unit development efforts.
• Provide directors of development with materials as requested in preparation for donor visits and appropriate follow-up in CRM, etc.
• Assist directors of development with donor visits to campus, including on-site logistics, greeting and hosting guests, and responding to miscellaneous needs as they arise.
• Respond to donor and campus questions regarding unit gifts and funds, identifying those inquiries, requests, or issues that require additional review and action.
• Assist directors of development with the preparation, signature routing, and final distribution of gift legal documentation (e.g. Memoranda of Agreements, Fund Operation Agreements, Pledge Agreements, etc.) in accordance with established WFAA business processes.

 Stewardship 

• Prepare gift, milestone, and other acknowledgements for assigned team members.
• Coordinate and distribute routine gift reports.
• Coordinate and manage the gift impact reporting
• Work with directors of development to assist in reviewing and implementing new opportunities for donor engagement.
• Work with the business intelligence team as needed, refine and customize donor lists for special mailings, invitations, donor recognition, etc.
• Assist directors of development with other prospect and donor stewardship activities as required.

  Prospect Data Management 

• Pull self-service reports. Work with unit prospect pool identified by the research and prospect management team to assist directors of development in qualification and portfolio management.
• Maintain contact updates, donor biographic information, and other constituent management duties.
• Work with Research to request profile and capacity information.
• Maintain advisory board memberships, donor recognition society memberships, and other affiliated groups.
• Work with unit prospect development analyst to ensure that development director portfolios are accurate and up to date.
• Serve as a resource for development directors on portfolio management best practices, including how to use our CRM,ABE.

Office Administration 

• Coordinate the direct mailing of solicitations, announcements, event invitations and provide development support for advanced administrative needs when necessary or appropriate (i.e. travel and expense reports, scheduling meetings with multiple constituents and various needs requirements, etc.)
• Suggest areas for process improvement and assist in improvement implementation.

Required Qualifications

• 1 + years of relevant professional work/internship experience
• Proficient in MS Office, particularly Word, Excel and Outlook;

Other Qualifications

• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• High degree of familiarity with online communities, social media and the Internet;
• Previous database reporting and experience with constituent relationship management software preferred;
• Creativity, innovation, flexibility and ability to work with loosely defined parameters

WFAA is committed to provide our employees with an environment that is inspiring, creative and respectful.  We offer competitive pay and an excellent benefits program, which includes a 10% 401k contribution after 1 year of service!

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 (supportuw.org) and the Wisconsin Alumni Association (uwalumni.com). Its legal corporate name is registered as the University of Wisconsin Foundation.