Associate Director of Major Gifts

As we prepare for a historic campaign, the Darden School Foundation at the University of Virginia seeks an experienced professional to join its Advancement team. The Associate Director of Major Gifts is responsible for cultivating meaningful relationships with a portfolio of prospective donors who have the potential to make major gifts of $100,000 and above. This individual works with development team members and others for overall success of the Darden School Foundation fundraising efforts including the Darden Annual Fund.

 The Associate Director of Major Gifts at Darden is part of a professional fundraising team that generates philanthropic support for the School. Through these philanthropic efforts, Darden is able to attract the brightest students, support our top-ranked faculty and strengthen Darden’s Centers of Excellence.

 Primary duties and responsibilities include:

• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and close gifts of $100,000+, with agreed upon targeted yearly goals.
• Travels regularly to visit major gift prospects.
• Manage a portfolio of approximately 150 major gift prospects and donors.
• Develops strategic cultivation plans for each assigned member of the portfolio.
• Work with Senior Director to establish fundraising goals and strategies for the Darden Annual Fund and major gift solicitations, and to strengthen the major gift pipeline.

 Successful candidates will have a proven track record that includes:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in a major gifts program including direct gift solicitation of five and six figure gifts from individuals preferred: or comparable experience in other development/advancement fields.
• Demonstrated ability and documented record of individual solicitation success in the non-profit, secondary or higher education environment.
• Experience working for a non-profit, foundation, or academic environment preferred.
• Experience and expertise in strategic planning.
• A complete understanding of philanthropy is required to perform effectively.
• Ability to relate to people of diverse backgrounds, training, and experience.
• Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with students, alumni, volunteers, staff, and the public.
• Skill in exercising a high degree of initiative, judgment, discretion, and decision-making to achieve organizational objectives.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a goal-oriented team environment.
• Excellent research and writing skills with demonstrated ability to communicate information to the public.
• Proficiency with Advance, Raiser’s Edge, or other fundraising database preferred.

Please attach a cover letter and resume when applying for this position. 

The Darden School Foundation is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity or expression), national or ethnic origin, race, religion, pregnancy, veteran status, or genetic information. We participate in E-verify.

About Darden, the Darden School Foundation and Charlottesville, VA:

UVA’s Darden Graduate School of Business delivers Degree Programs and Executive Education in its Charlottesville and Washington D.C. locations, as well as at client sites around the world. The Darden School Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation established in 1952 with the mission of supporting and advancing the Darden School in its academic mission. The Darden School Foundation provides this support through promoting philanthropic support, managing endowment funds and other assets for the School’s exclusive benefit, running Darden’s top ranked Executive Education and Lifelong Learning programs, and operating the Inn at Darden, Darden Sands Family Grounds in Rosslyn, and Abbott Center in Charlottesville. An elected Board of Trustees oversees the Foundation’s strategy and provides a critical link between the Foundation, School, and business communities.

The Darden School has been ranked the number one MBA education experience in the world by The Economist magazine for eight consecutive years, number one for campus environment and faculty by Princeton Review, and number one for alumni satisfaction with their MBA education by Forbes.

 Nestled amid the foothills of the magnificent Blue Ridge Mountains and about a hundred miles South of Washington, D.C., the greater Charlottesville region offers a thriving community and vanguard of arts and culture that’s both boldly innovative and grounded in rich tradition. Charlottesville consistently ranks as one of the top places in the country for quality of life and was recently named America’s happiest city. A wonderful place to raise a family, Charlottesville and Albemarle County have schools that are consistently ranked top in Virginia.