Senior Director of Principal Gifts

The University of Connecticut is a top-ranked national university and health-system with its flagship campus located in idyllic Storrs. Designated a Carnegie Research 1 institution, UConn is the state land- and sea-grant university focused on education, research, and service to the state of Connecticut and beyond. The University serves over 33,000 students across seven campuses, 8,550 first-in-family students, and boasts numerous national championships. UConn Health is a top-ranked health provider that delivers groundbreaking medical education, research, and hospital and clinical services to over one million patients each year. In addition, UConn has nearly 300 scientists who are in the top 2 percent of researchers investigating everything from cancer to AI.

UConn continues its meteoric rise as a top public University with a record number of applications, continued investment in student success, health, and wellness, recruitment of top faculty, innovation in research, and top-tier athletic programs focused on the health and financial literacy of student-athletes. This includes the men's and women's basketball teams, which have brought home three consecutive NCAA National Championship trophies in the last three years. UConn is proud to have 26 national championships across all sports.

Guided by the public launch of our most ambitious campaign in history, Because of UConn The Campaign for UConn Nation, we are moving boldly into the future. The $1.5B comprehensive campaign spans all schools, colleges, campuses and UConn Health and focuses on four pillars designed to make education more affordable and elevate UConn among its national peers.

• Students First: making transformative investments in financial aid, student health, career readiness, and life skills to improve time-to-degree and career outcomes.
• Academic & Innovation Excellence: driving investment in top faculty and graduate fellows and building the innovation ecosystem of the state and beyond.
• Health & Wellness of People & Planet: focusing on patient care, medical research, and development of life-changing technologies that improve healthcare outcomes.
• Husky Pride: investing in athletic excellence and supporting a thriving UConn Nation that includes more than 290,000 alumni worldwide.

Because of UConn will have a profound impact on the University. It will double the number of named scholarships, fund scientific breakthroughs and advanced lifesaving therapies, and engage UConn Nation in the life and mission of the University like never before.

We seek the top talent in the country to join Husky Nation and help us drive our mission and UConn into the future. We are committed to a caring and supportive work culture, professional and leadership development, and flexibility for high achievers with a passion for higher education.

We're looking for dedicated professionals to drive success and excellence and exemplify our values.

The UConn Foundation is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. We celebrate different perspectives and are committed to a welcoming environment that values your unique experiences and identity. As an organization, we strive for continued growth each and every day.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Director of Principal Gifts leads a team of principal gift fundraisers and supports the principal gift program management through direct partnership with the Vice President of Principal Gifts. The Senior Director is responsible for growing fundraising from UConn alumni parents and friends of the university within the $1M and $5M+ gift bands. They will collaborate with the unit-based gift officers, alumni relations colleagues and university leaders to support engagement in the area and grow a culture of philanthropy among constituents. They are committed to successfully advancing the campaign and raising crucial funding that aligns with the campaign pillars. The Director is responsible for setting and executing ambitious personal fundraising goals and growing the pipeline of relationships. The Senior Director regularly collaborates with the Deans, University, and Foundation colleagues to achieve goals and elevate the profile of the University This position will partner closely with the Vice President for Principal Gifts to align on strategy and collaborate on the programming and administrative needs of the principal gift team, ensuring its effective operation and long-term success

Primary Responsibilities

• Manage a prospect portfolio of 50-75 prospects rated at the leadership level $1M+ and the principal gift level $5M+.
• Raise $5-7M+ per year.
• Conduct 10+ qualification meetings at 500k+level; 12+ solicitations at the $500K level; and 100+ face-to-face, meaningful meetings per year.
• Collaborate closely with donors, campaign volunteers, and University leaders to identify new prospects.
• Perform administrative duties related to advancement work Including documenting activity, writing proposals, inputting engagement plans in relationship management database, and adhering to Foundation policies.
• This position will drive performance across the principal gift team by managing and mentoring other principal gift fundraisers to achieve ambitious goals.
• The role will support the development and execution of donor strategies across the university, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and campaign objectives
• Establish realistic, yet challenging performance metrics for frontline fundraisers; mentors, trains, supervises and evaluates staff.
• This position will continuously benchmark the principal gift program against peer and aspirant institutions, sharing insights and best practices with colleagues; collaborate across the Foundation and university to ensure alignment with institutional priorities; and adapt strategies to meet evolving donor expectations in order to elevate the program's visibility, effectiveness, and long-term impact.
• Contribute to the overall productivity and efficiency of the Division/Department's development staff, by meeting or exceeding goals in a metrics-driven environment.
• Support clearly defined and strategic fundraising priorities within the campaign and articulate compelling cases to advance these priorities.
• Model and articulate the Foundation's organizational core values at all times.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Principal Gift Fundraising

Demonstrate the ability to personally solicit gifts of $5M and above.

Potential Donor Discovery

Collaborate with the Prospect Management and Research team to increase and grow the major gift pipeline and overall fundraising success of the unit.

Engagement

Collaborate with Stakeholder Engagement to steward donors, engage with alumni, and support events specific to your unit.

Leadership

Provide visible leadership across the entire organization by engaging in organization-wide activities such as development management meetings, all-staff meetings, and staff events.

Key Competencies

• Champion for inclusion and diversity both internally and externally.
• High level of motivation, as well as an ability to exercise independent judgment.
• Strong interpersonal skills, tact, and diplomacy.
• The ability to build productive, beneficial relationships with a broad range of constituencies.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills, including ability to effectively communicate University priorities to donors and prospects, and to positively represent the University and Foundation.
• Familiar with the use of computers and information management tools, such as CRMs (Blackbaud).
• Ability to handle multiple tasks, to assess and order priorities, and to track details in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to engender trust and confidence of donors and prospective donors and to maintain confidentiality of donor information; ability to represent the UConn Foundation to prospects, donors, faculty, administrators, and others.
• Ability to work to the demands of the position, which may exceed a 40-hour work week.
• Attention to and concern for others.
• Must be willing to travel extensively. Reliable personal transportation is required for this position.
• Must possess a valid driver's license issued from the state in which the employee resides. Employees must maintain at their expense, automobile liability insurance coverage in the minimum amount of $500,000 or a combination of umbrella and automobile liability insurance coverage of $500,000. A certificate of automobile insurance evidencing the limit, must be provided to the Foundation at hire and annually thereafter.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred
• 8+ years of experience as a major gift fundraiser and/or relevant transferrable skills.
• Competence in Microsoft Office suite and donor management systems.

Salary:

The expected salary for this position is $165,000+. It will be commensurate with qualifications and experience, while also placing an emphasis on internal equity.

Benefits:

Benefits start from day one. We offer medical, dental, and vision plans and will make an annual contribution to your health savings account if enrolled in one of the high-deductible health plans offered by the Foundation.

In addition, there are a few other perks to being a UConn Foundation employee:

• We offer a generous contribution to your 403(b)-retirement plan to help you plan for retirement.
• We place an emphasis on work/life balance. In addition to a hybrid schedule, you will receive thirteen paid holidays, five weeks of paid time off per calendar year, and additional sick time.
• We invest in your professional development. Aside from opportunities to participate in various trainings, committees, and conferences throughout the year, you will also be eligible for tuition reimbursement after one year of employment.

Please inform a Human Resources Representative if you need any assistance completing any forms or participating in any part of the application process due to a disability.