Assistant Dean of Development, SPA

American University is a student-centered research institution located in Washington, DC, with highly-ranked schools and colleges, internationally-renowned faculty, and a reputation for creating meaningful change in the world. Learn more about

American University

Department:

Development – Schools & Colleges
Time Type:
Full time

Job Type:
Regular
FLSA Status:
Exempt

Work Modality:

Hybrid 01 (On Campus 3-4 Days/Week)

Union:

Job Description:

Summary:

The Assistant Dean of Development, School of Public Affairs (“SPA”) is the principal fundraiser for SPA at American University. The Assistant Dean of Development works on behalf of the Dean of SPA, shaping and executing plans for fundraising to meet the financial needs of the Dean’s academic priorities for the School. The Assistant Dean of Development works primarily in the area of major gift fundraising for SPA and participates in the Dean’s senior management team in order to understand fully and discuss the implications of academic programs for development.

The Assistant Dean of Development plans, implements, and oversees the major gift fundraising program for SPA with emphasis on gifts of $100,000 to $1,000,000+, as well as collaborates with the principal gifts program, parent philanthropy, annual giving, as well as foundation/corporate giving. The Assistant Dean of Development coordinates closely with the Senior Director of Development, Annual Giving to ensure messages and priorities are consistent for the mail and phone programs;

as well as with directors in other areas (Planned Giving, Leadership Annual Giving, Strategic Partnerships, other units) on mutual interest prospects and programs.

Essential Functions:

• With the Dean and independently, aggressively work major gifts portfolio under the prospect development guidelines, actively setting and executing strategies on assigned major gift prospects, meeting or exceeding established benchmarks for visits, contacts, and solicitations, and securing gifts that support the academic priorities of the Dean, other units, or the University as a whole.
• Develop, execute, manage, fundraising strategies, priorities, schedules and tactics for the Dean of the School of Public Affairs, including but not limited to:
• Identifying and engaging prospects around the Dean’s academic priorities for the School.
• Planning travel and individual meetings.
• Managing regular communication with key prospects.
• Adding a development perspective to relevant matters that emerge in the School or on the Dean’s leadership team.
• Managing all aspects of the Dean’s Advocacy Council, including developing strategy to cultivate and solicit council members for leadership giving at SPA.
• Management and strategy development of a pool of 150 assigned, rated, and staged 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 (i.e., planned and executed solicitations) to reflect a minimum of 15 major gift solicitations per year.
• Varying by stage of cultivation, consistent movement of prospects in assigned portfolio in prescribed time frame. (As an example, it is expected that prospects will only be in qualification and early cultivation mode for 6 months, regular cultivation for 12 months, and pre-solicitation cultivation and consideration mode for 6 months).
• A minimum of 10 planned, strategic visits per month with many other interactions, meetings, events, and unplanned visits.
• Regular updates to contacts, staging, ratings so that all reports are current for supervision meetings and monthly progress reports.
• Work in concert with University Advancement colleagues, including particularly close collaboration with the Planned Giving Team, and Office of Prospect Development to conduct entrepreneurial prospect identification and qualification work equal to approximately 10-20% of all activity. (More if Assistant Dean of Development meets expectations of progress with assigned portfolio).
• The Assistant Dean of Development’s financial objectives will be established collaboratively and with close review of the capacity and…