Northern Kentucky University - Director of Gift Planning

THE OPPORTUNITY

• Are you passionate about building sustainable funding streams in higher education?
• Are you motivated to lead a business unit focused on planned giving, including marketing, development, and engagement?
• Are you excited about the opportunity to lead planned giving initiatives and position an evolving university for long-term growth?

ABOUT THE COMPANY

As a public comprehensive university located in a major metropolitan area, Northern Kentucky University (NKU) delivers innovative, student-centered education and engages in impactful scholarly and creative endeavors, all of which empower their graduates to have fulfilling careers and meaningful lives, while contributing to the economic, civic and social vitality of the Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky region. Nearly 16,000 students are enrolled.

NKU Advancement strives to advance the fundraising and engagement efforts that support their students and NKU. They seek to strengthen the relationship between significant donors and the university through engagement strategies that acknowledge and communicate the impact of donor contributions. These engagement strategies encourage lifelong philanthropic support to NKU.

Within NKU Advancement, NKU Development leads the fundraising efforts to support NKU and its students. They collaborate to build relationships both within NKU and beyond to secure financial resources needed to support their students, faculty, programs and facilities.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

The Director of Gift Planning reports to the Assistant Vice President of Development and will serve as a business unit expert and leader for NKU, responsible for the coordination and execution of all planned giving activities including marketing, developing and closing planned gifts, stewarding planned giving donors and senior volunteer leadership, supporting development staff, and implementing and maintaining a cohesive communication and education campaign for deferred and complex gifts. The Director will create significant impact on philanthropic revenue generation, positioning the university to achieve significant pipeline growth over the next 2-3 years in preparation for the next comprehensive campaign.

The Director will:

• Build and manage a portfolio of 60-75 major gift prospects to generate a minimum of $1.5M in annual philanthropic revenue
  Develop and implement training and consulting to all relevant parties less sophisticated in complex gift types and vehicles to maximize their ability to identify, cultivate, and structure gift arrangements and to close and steward individual planned gifts
• Collaborate with gift officers supporting the colleges and units to identify, cultivate, and structure planned gift arrangements, and to facilitate and ensure closing and stewardship of individual planned gifts
• Leverage the capabilities of the Crescendo Interactive platform to provide illustrations and technical expertise in planned giving to donors and staff regarding the tax and financial aspects and consequences of various planned giving vehicles to both the donor and the University
• Serve as a development leader within the Division to assist the AVP with the strategic direction and growth of the program through participation in special projects, as assigned

IDEAL CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• A bachelor’s degree required, MBA or JD preferred
• 5-10+ years of progressive responsibility in fundraising and planned giving experience required
• A proven track record of closing gifts or contracts of $25K or more required
• Previous experience working in personal finance, wealth management, tax, or estate planning preferred

KEY PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

The successful candidate for this role will be intellectually curious, and possess a positive growth mindset and a keen understanding of and passion for the value of higher education. They will have a solid knowledge base and grasp of complex and deferred giving vehicles including their tax consequences for both donors and the institution. The successful candidate must also be able to balance leadership of self as a business unit expert against expectations as an individual fundraising contributor. The individual in this role will continuously be required to develop new, imaginative or innovative solutions, services, products, processes and programs. The work requires conceptual and imaginative thinking in a highly complex environment. Other key competencies of the successful candidate for this position include:

• Internal motivation and drive
• Demonstrated excellence in written and verbal communication
• Capacity to manage and prioritize multiple projects
• Interpersonal, cultural and emotional intelligence
• Integrity and accountability to others
• Learning agility
• Strategic decision-making and judgment
• Conflict and change management
• Persistence and patience
• Customer, client service orientation

THE PAYOFF

The Director will benefit from the partnership of a seasoned Assistant Vice President of Development and Vice President of Advancement and a significant base of alumni and prospects with as yet untapped capacity, many of whom are within peak demographics for estate planning. In addition, the Director/Senior Director will benefit from a collaborative and collegial culture within the Advancement Division.

OUR COMMITMENT TO CANDIDATES

Gilman Partners is committed to strengthening leadership teams and elevating talent in our communities—and that means all qualified applicants will receive consideration. You do not have to meet every qualification in this job description to apply. If you are drawn to the position and believe your experience makes you a good fit, we encourage you to apply.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Competitive benefits including medical, retirement matching, generous vacation and seasonal holiday closures, and flexible/hybrid work are offered, in addition to bonus potential for excellent results at the discretion of the AVP and VP.

Click here to apply.