Development Director

Development Director

Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious Catholic universities. SLU, which also has a campus in Madrid, Spain, is recognized for world-class academics, life-changing research, compassionate health care, and a strong commitment to faith and service.

The Development Director is an intermediate level front line fundraising role responsible for the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individual and major gift donors. This position manages a portfolio of approximately 100 - 120 donors while developing strategies to successfully move donor groups in support of North Campus schools.

Primary Job Responsibilities

• Donor Management: Responsible for managing a portfolio of approximately 100 individual and major gift donors and personally conducts 90-120 personal visits annually with prospects for individual and major giving
• Strategic Planning and Execution: Helps to identify major giving prospects within portfolio and collaborates with other fundraising units to maximize gift potential; utilizes fundraising strategies to secure gifts at major gift levels; helps to identify high caliber external stakeholders who can be effective in support of the university to reach strategic and budget objectives (through networking/opening doors, stewardship of individual donors, sponsorship and serving as an effective brand ambassador)
• Relationship Building: Identifies, cultivates, and solicits philanthropic support by developing and maintaining relationships with individuals including alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and other key personnel; fosters positive and enduring relationships that produce reciprocal benefits; builds strong working relationships with colleagues and other fundraising units, to other fundraising units including Corporate & Foundation Relations, Planned Giving, Prospect Management and Principal Giving, fostering a culture of philanthropic collaboration across the university
• Representation and Networking: Attends donor and alumni engagement events as needed
• Communication, Documentation, and Compliance: Regularly updates database systems with prospects and projections; analyzes weekly fundraising reports; in partnership with Gift Processing, ensures all commitments are documented via gift agreement or pledge forms, and is tracked and received in a timely manner
• Travel: Travels locally and out of town to cultivate, solicit and steward donors and prospects
• Performs other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of development/fundraising concepts and appropriate solicitation techniques
• Demonstrated passion for the organization's cause and a genuine interest in fundraising and development work
• Proficiency in using data analytics to measure the success of fundraising efforts and make data-driven decisions
• Strong verbal and professional written communication skills
• Confidence and effectiveness in public speaking engagements, representing the organization at events, conferences, and meetings
• Project management skills
• Time management skills
• Creativity and innovation to develop new effective fundraising initiatives
• Ability to self-motivate in a partially remote working environment
• Ability to understand the university's business model including school based initiatives, revenue streams, budget and expenses
• Ability to identify and foster strategic partnerships that can enhance fundraising opportunities

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor degree
• Three or more years of experience in fundraising, development, non-profit organizations or a related field
• Valid Driver's license

Preferred Qualifications

• A fundraising background in a higher education setting or a closely related field of education
• Advanced degree or relevant accredited certificates

The salary range for this position is $82,000 $90,000, pay will be dependent on experience and qualifications. In addition to competitive pay, this role includes a comprehensive benefits package (vacation and sick time, paid holidays, tuition remission, medical/dental/vision coverage, and 403B savings plan) as part of being a valued staff member at Saint Louis University.

Function: University Development

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40

Saint Louis University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for the position applied for without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, gender identity, or other non-merit factors. If accommodations are needed for completing the application and/or with the interviewing process, please contact Human Resources at 314-977-5847.