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Description
Position Summary
The Senior Director of Giving provides strategic oversight of all frontline fundraising and donor engagement activities. This role guides major and institutional gift strategies and ensures strong coordination across the giving team. As a member of the Development leadership team, the Senior Director plays a central role in building a robust donor pipeline and sustaining long-term relationships. The Senior Director is responsible for directing and overseeing the work of staff engaged in major gift fundraising and the Friends program. This role provides strategic leadership in portfolio development, cultivation and proposal management to advance institutional priorities. The Senior Director provides supervision, guidance, and support to the major giving and Friends program staff, balancing strategic planning with hands-on execution to achieve sustainable philanthropic growth.
Essential Job Duties
Program Oversight (20%)
- Work closely with the Senior Director of Development Operations and the Executive Director of Development to ensure the success of the department.
- Provide strategic leadership and supervision to giving officers, setting goals with the Executive Director of Development, monitoring frontline KPIs, and ensuring accountability for fundraising outcomes.
- Foster coordination and alignment across the giving team, ensuring coordination of individual and institutional fundraising activity.
- Contribute to the overall strategic direction of the Development Office as a member of the leadership team.
- Support professional development and effectiveness of staff through mentorship, feedback, and training.
- Stay current on Institute priorities, programs, and initiatives to ensure MGOs and donors receive accurate and compelling information.
Fundraising (50%)
- Manage a portfolio of approximately 100 major gift-level prospects and donors, including qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding relationships.
- Develop and implement individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies using research, analytics, and donor insights.
- Prepare, edit, and present donor-facing materials including proposals, reports, presentations, and correspondence.
- Coordinate donor visits, meetings, and events in partnership with the Executive Director of Development and Institute leadership.
- Maintain accurate and timely records of prospect and donor interactions, proposals, and stewardship activities in the development database.
- Serve as a primary fundraising liaison for designated constituencies (e.g., geographic regions, programmatic areas, or affinity-based groups).
- Maintain currency regarding IAS faculty, scholars, and institutional priorities.
- Represent the Institute at cultivation events, site visits, and special programs, with travel and evening/weekend work as required.
Friends Program (30%)
- Provide strategic guidance and oversight for the Friends of the Institute program to strengthen engagement and philanthropy. Friends engage in the IAS community with an annual contribution of $2,000 or more.
- Plan, organize, and manage Friends programs, events, and committees.
- Serve as Secretary for the Friends Executive Committee, coordinating meetings and preparing materials.
- Cultivate and steward Friends members to encourage repeat and increased contributions.
- Integrate the Friends program with overall fundraising and donor engagement strategies, ensuring alignment with institutional goals.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience.
- Three years management experience.
- Ten years experience in development.
- Ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality in all matters related to the Institute’s Development programs and all matters requiring sensitivity and discretion.
- Proven strong writing and project management experience.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work productively as a team member.
- Excellent organizational, written, verbal, analytical, and interpersonal skills, and the ability to manage deadlines and multiple projects simultaneously.
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects with flexibility and detail orientation. Able to prioritize, work under pressure, and meet short deadlines.
- Experience working with volunteers.
- Flexibility and detail orientation. Able to prioritize, work under pressure, and meet short deadlines.
- Experience working with donors, creativity and ability to develop donor strategies.
- Strong knowledge of and ability to use computer technology to efficiently accomplish work, including proficiency with Microsoft Office programs, Raiser's Edge, email marketing, and online giving platforms.
- Experience in an educational or research institution.
- Experience with individual donors.
Supervisory Responsibilities
- Development Coordinator
- (2) Director, Major and Planned Giving
Working Conditions
- Must be able to remain in a stationary position for prolonged periods of time.
- Occasionally moves objects weighing up to 20 pounds across campus for various needs.
- Travel is required.
- Evening and weekend work are required.
How To Apply
The Institute for Advanced Study retains the right to change or assign other duties to this position at any time.
To perform this role successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.
The anticipated pay range for this position is $165,000 to $175,000. We offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, short- and long-term disability coverage, flexible spending accounts, paid holidays, paid time off, tuition assistance, retirement plans, and an employee assistance program.
For consideration, please provide a cover letter with your resume using this link:
The Institute for Advanced Study is an Equal Opportunity Employer.