Senior Director of Development, College of Veterinary Medicine

The Senior Director of Development will lead the fundraising and alumni support programs for the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), building a comprehensive program that reflects industry best practices and significantly increases charitable contributions. The incumbent is responsible for a broad range of fundraising activities for the College of Veterinary Medicine and is focused primarily on acquiring major gifts to support the College and managing Veterinary Medicine advancement employees. This position is responsible for the implementation of support programs for the College. Reporting to the Executive Director of Advancement, the incumbent will develop and execute the unit’s fundraising program to fulfill the financial needs as identified by the Executive Director and in alignment with the strategic initiatives of UF Advancement (UFA).

Role and Responsibilities:

Strategic Management & Leadership

• Build, manage and lead a team of development professionals. Identify and recruit top talent and provide leadership and counsel on matters related to mid-range and major gift fundraising and accountability including establishing goals in alignment with unit objectives, developing metrics and strategic planning.
• Attend senior development meetings and campaign leadership meetings when appropriate.
• Evaluate staff and develop a strong sense of teamwork; establish an environment of mentoring and support. Coach the team and bring cohesion to the department.
• Build collaborative, productive relationships with key leadership, colleagues, deans, department chairs and unit lead and provide guidance on fundraising initiatives to enhance the strategic fundraising mission.
• In collaboration with HSC and UF Advancement communications, implement a comprehensive communications plan to inform constituents and identified markets about the vision, mission, and values of the College, its funding priorities, and gift opportunities.
• Develop support for the program by effectively involving stakeholders, such as volunteers, faculty, staff, and members of the advisory board, in efforts supporting the fundraising program.
• Build relationships with key university stakeholders, in particular UF, HSC, and IFAS Advancement, to identify institutional priorities and leverage institutional resources.
• Oversee the recruitment of experienced and diverse leadership for boards and/or committees in order to ensure that these groups are representative of, and responsive to, the communities served. Create a structured process for the identification, recruitment, evaluation, recognition, and replacement of volunteers to strengthen fundraising effectiveness.
• Collaborate with the UF Alumni Association and Office of Annual Giving to enhance alumni participation.
• Plan and monitor the budget, using resources for best results in fundraising and planning activities involving volunteers, prospects, faculty and administration.

Portfolio Management

• Manage a portfolio of prospects/donors focusing on major, leadership, and principal gifts. Strategically manage relationships through face-to-face visits, and in conjunction with HSC Development and Principal Gifts & Strategic Initiatives bring gift solicitations to closure focusing on individual prospects rated at $100,000 and above
• Build and manage stewardship relationships, utilizing a strategic moves management approach to include the identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of prospects.
• Articulate and communicate priorities within the context of the overall mission, goals, and objectives of the organization.
• Develop sophisticated solicitations, utilizing a variety of donor-centric mechanisms.
• Where appropriate, coordinate with CVM’s staff involvement with donors interested in specific college activities.
• Meet annual and monthly targets for the number of donor visits, proposals submitted, and gifts closed. Monitor all donor information; provide and present statistical analysis to leadership.

Administration

• Ensure best practices in office systems, practices, files and record keeping.
• Ensure effective use of strategic tools and resources such as contact reports, prospect management, research, and analysis, and the Advance database.
• Plan and monitor the budget, using resources for best results in fundraising and planning activities involving volunteers, prospects, faculty, and administration.