Senior Director of Development, School of Communications, American University

Position Title: Senior Director of Development, School of Communication

Reports to: Dean of School of Communication

Position: Full-Time, Hybrid, 2- 3 days a week on campus. Exempt

Location: Washington, D.C.; Maryland; Virginia. 

Travel: This position requires regular travel, and out of area travel approximately 25-40% of the time.

Salary: $120,000 - 140,000 annually

About American University

“We are a University of strivers and dreamers, activists and artists, scholars and servant-leaders. We realize that when we all contribute, we all succeed. We are, quite literally, one AU.” – President Sylvia Burwell

American University is a student-centered research institution in Washington, DC, with highly ranked schools and colleges, internationally renowned faculty, and a reputation for creating meaningful change in the world. Our students distinguish themselves with their service, leadership, and ability to rethink global and domestic challenges and opportunities.

At AU passion becomes action; students actively engage in the world around them; and the leaders of today train the leaders of tomorrow.

We are looking for candidates who reflect the diversity of our student body. At AU, we are deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. American University was founded to respond to the needs of a changing world, with a set of guiding values—diversity, equity, and inclusion. AU cannot be excellent without being truly inclusive, and without taking the concrete, specific steps to improve our campus climate.

BIPOC, LGBTQ+, immigrants, multilingual, mature or differently abled candidates, and people of all faiths or none at all are encouraged to apply.

About Change Can't Wait: The Campaign for American University

With a $500 million goal, Change Can’t Wait will create transformative educational opportunities for students, advance research with impact, and build stronger communities locally, nationally, and globally. Why us? Changemaking is in our DNA. Why now? We know change can’t wait.

Find out more about the campaign here.

The Role

Working in and reporting to the University Office of Advancement, the Senior Director of Development for the School of Communications ("SOC") is the principal fundraiser for SOC at American University. The Senior Director works on behalf of the Dean of SOC, shaping and executing plans for fundraising to advance the mission of SOC and fulfill the Dean's academic priorities for the school. The Senior Director of Development works primarily in major gift fundraising for SOC and participates in the Dean's senior management team to understand fully and discuss implications of academic programs for development. The Senior Director of Development plans, implements, and oversees the major gift fundraising program ($50,000 and higher) for SOC with emphasis on gifts of $100,000 to $1,000,000+.

The Senior Director serves as a key member of Dean's management team and as an ambassador of SOC. The Senior Director of Development supervises the activities of an additional fundraiser (Associate Director of Development, SOC), and they work as a collaborative team in support of donor cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, alumni programming, and planning of special events. In coordination with the Dean, the SOC Development team strategically cultivates and recruits members for the SOC Dean's Council. The Senior Director of Development and SOC Development team strive to maximize the Council's effectiveness, working closely with the Dean's office to establish agendas and programs for meetings and communications.

Responsibilities  

Strategic Partnership with the Dean

• Work with the Dean of SOC to engage the Dean in donor/constituent-specific development strategies.
• Secure dates and plan for the Dean's development activities, including local and regional constituency events, travel for cultivation and solicitation, correspondence, and regular contact with donors.
• Develop, execute, manage fundraising strategies, priorities, schedules, and tactics for the Dean of the School of Communication.
• Identify and engage prospects around the Dean's academic priorities.
• Add a development perspective to relevant matters that emerge in the School or on the Dean's leadership team.

Portfolio and Pipeline Management

• Management and strategy development of a portfolio of prospects generally rated $100,000–$1,000,000+.
• Meaningful contact or consistently demonstrated attempted contact of 100% of the assigned portfolio during any six-month period.
• Regular maintenance of prospect pipeline to reflect a minimum of 15 major gift solicitations per year.
• Collaborate independently with the Dean to actively define and execute strategies for major and principal gift prospects.
• Meet or exceed established benchmarks for proposal development, solicitations, and securing philanthropic investments that support the academic priorities of the Dean, other units, or the University.

Internal Collaboration and Prospect Coordination

• Coordinate closely with Annual Giving to ensure messages and priorities align with mail and phone programs.
• Work with directors in Planned Giving, Regional Advancement, Strategic Partnerships, and other units on mutual interest prospects and programs.
• Partner with Principal Gifts Team, Planned Giving Team, and Office of Prospect Research & Management to conduct entrepreneurial prospect identification and qualification.
• Establish annual performance goals and financial objectives in consultation with the Assistant Vice President of Advancement, based on pipeline capacity and readiness.

Team Leadership and Event Planning

• Manage, motivate, and evaluate the School of Communication’s development team: Associate Director of Development and Development Coordinator.
• Develop major gift strategies and revenue expectations, donor stewardship initiatives, and special event plans.
• Delegate and assign associated tasks, including creation and design of related publications.
• Manage all aspects of the Dean’s Advocacy Council, including developing strategy to cultivate and solicit council members for leadership giving.

Annual Giving and Other Responsibilities

• Work with AU’s Annual Giving team to manage techniques and messages for direct marketing and phone programs, ensuring SOC information is accurate and aligned with fundraising goals.
• Collaborate with the Director of Development, Annual Giving, on the Dean’s letter or equivalent solicitations, ensuring alignment with AU’s direct marketing calendar.
• Other duties as assigned in support of the objectives of the Vice President of Development & Alumni Relations.

Additional Responsibilities

Supervisory Responsibility:

• Associate Director of Development, SOC.
• Development Coordinator, SOC.

Competencies:

• Collaborative Leadership.
• Thinking Broadly.
• Building and Supporting Teams.
• Leading and Inspiring People.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

• Full-Time.
• 35 hours per week.
• The position also requires occasional evening and weekend work.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited educational institution.
• 8-10 years of relevant experience.
• Eight or more years progressively responsible advancement experience required, with at least four years in demonstrated success in securing major gifts of $100,000+.
• Supervisory experience.
• Familiarity with and experience following guidelines of an established Prospect Management System.
• Computer literacy with MS Office suite or equivalent and familiarity with fundraising systems.
• Superior written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Master's degree or equivalent.
• Master's degree preferred with experience in higher education, working with high-level executives/academics/leaders, managing volunteers, major gift solicitation and closure at the $500,000+ level.
• Attention to detail, ability to analyze and articulate reasons for giving, strong priority setting, ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously in a deadline-oriented environment.
• Maturity and diplomacy.
• Analytical, research, and project management skills.

Additional Information About the Position

Travel Required:

• This position requires regular travel, and out of area travel approximately 25-40% of the time.

Additional Information:

• Employees in the School of Communication are required to work on campus in a full presence modality for the first month of their employment.

Benefits

AU offers a competitive benefits package including a 200% matching retirement plan, tuition benefits for full-time staff and their families, several leadership development certificates, and has been recognized by the American Heart Association as a fit-friendly worksite. Click here to learn about American University's unique benefit options.

Other Details

• Hiring offers for this position are contingent on successful completion of a background check.
• Please note this job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
• American University is an E-Verify employer.

American University has retained the services of Charity Search Group to coordinate the search for this position. To apply, please complete this online application. If you have questions or need accommodations, please contact Mariya Yurukova at mariya@charitysearchgroup.com​or visit www.charitysearchgroup.com

American University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution that operates in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin,  religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, personal appearance,  gender identity and expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, veteran status, an individual’s genetic information or any other bases under federal or local laws (collectively "Protected Bases") in its programs and activities.