Director of Development - School of Social Work

VCU is a public research university unlike any other. We're dedicated to serving the needs of students and patients and our passionate community isn't afraid to tackle difficult challenges others can't or won't. We're home to creativity, teaching, discovery and healing. Our location in the heart of downtown Richmond, Virginia, means the nonstop energy of our city ignites our innovation and provides unlimited opportunities.

All full‑time university staff are eligible for VCU's robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax‑deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well‑being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Development for Colleges, Schools, and Units, the Director of Development will serve as the lead development officer and strategic fundraising thought‑partner for the School of Social Work (SSW) leadership. The Director works directly with the dean, AVP, and Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) colleagues across the division to achieve Virginia Commonwealth University's (VCU) fundraising goals by designing and measuring annual long‑range fundraising plans tied to the strategic needs of the school.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated ability to plan, execute, secure and steward five‑, six‑, and seven‑figure gifts through individual effort by identifying, qualifying and soliciting major/principal gift prospects.

• Manage (identify, engage, cultivate, solicit, steward) a portfolio of approximately 70‑100 of the unit's top prospects with a giving capacity of $50,000 or more; engage in discovery work annually to identify new prospects and determine interest in VCU priorities
• Solicit gifts at the major gifts level (at or above $50,000) through personal appointments, calls and correspondence in order to obtain and/or increase donor contributions
• Serve an active philanthropic thought‑partner and fundraising participant with the School of Social Work dean;
• Maximize the dean's participation in fundraising and engagement efforts through strategic planning, thorough organization, and good time management;
• Integrate the dean, faculty, students, and alumni into development activities where most appropriate and effective;
• With dean, AVP, and other DAR leadership and colleagues, devise short and long‑term donor‑centric strategies and develop plans for advancing each prospect's meaningful passions to the university
• Develop and implement annual operating plans for the School of Social Work, coordinating with DAR's alumni engagement, leadership annual giving, and strategic marketing and engagement teams to produce a comprehensive and integrated roadmap for each unit; design and measure annual and long‑range fundraising plans tied to the strategic needs of each school
• Assist in supervising, coaching, motivating, and evaluating development staff assigned to unit to support their individual success and goal achievement
• Collaborate and coordinate with colleagues across the university and on central teams (including planned giving, CFR, principal gifts, and university development) to develop donor‑centric strategies to leverage and maximize giving and engagement; engage with colleagues for joint cultivation/solicitation/stewardship efforts when needed
• Prepare briefing documents for VCU and DAR leadership for functions in which they are in attendance
• Ensure accurate documentation of all donor activity and major gift solicitation plans in the university's prospect management system (RADAR)
• Coordinate with alumni relations and the strategic marketing and engagement team to ensure coordination of information to stakeholders and friends
• Develop, support, and evaluate campaign volunteer opportunities; collaborate with central partners on recruitment and training of those volunteers
• Audit internal operations in order to develop standardized procedures in keeping with university policies
• Provide guidance and…