US: Senior Major Gift Officer

Departmental Overview
The College of Engineering at UC Berkeley is recognized for its educational and research excellence, consistently ranking among the top three Engineering colleges in the United States. With more than 230 faculty members and 4,400 undergraduate and graduate students, Engineering is the second largest college on the Berkeley campus. The College is composed of seven top academic departments and numerous innovative research centers spanning the fields of nanotechnology, computer science, energy, new health care technologies, the environment, and much more.

The Office of College Relations supports the College of Engineering’s core priorities through an integrated marketing and fundraising program designed to reach over 60,000 alumni, friends, students, foundations, and corporate partners. During the most recently completed fiscal year, 2008-09, the College of Engineering raised more than $50 million through private gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations.
Responsibilities
Reporting to the Assistant Dean of College Relations, the Senior Major Gift Officer (SMGO) is responsible for the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major gift level prospective donors, defined as individuals capable of contributing $250,000 or more to the College of Engineering. The SMGO has responsibility for developing and managing Engineering’s relationships with its top prospects and donors, and he/she she must ensure these relationships are nurtured and maintained for the benefit of the College of Engineering over time. The SMGO will be assigned a specific portfolio of prospects with the potential to give to the College at the major gift level. He/she is also expected to qualify major gift prospects and solicit gifts directly.

It is expected that the SMGO will be responsible for:
•Helping to meet the fund-raising objectives of the College of Engineering;
•Managing a portfolio of 100-125 major gift prospects, most of whom have the capacity to give $250,000 or more;
•Making at least 15 contacts per month; and
•Raising at least $2 million per year once established with an appropriate portfolio.

The SMGO and the Assistant Dean of College Relations may identify additional annual goals including numbers of solicitations made and gifts closed. This is a field fundraising position and the SMGO will be expected to be out of the office on a frequent basis, making personal calls on prospects each week.

The SMGO will apply knowledge and understanding of the University of California, Berkeley and the College of Engineering, its traditions, programs, campus issues, needs, and priorities to the development process. He/she must be able to persuasively discuss academic programs, needs and priorities with prospective donors and volunteers. He/she should also be comfortable working with prominent and wealthy individuals.

The SMGO is expected to motivate administrators, faculty, staff and volunteers to participate in the identification, cultivation and solicitation of major gifts. He/she will also assist with the structuring and development of the College of Engineering’s fundraising efforts; including the development of new fundraising strategies, new ways to structure gifts and new fundraising marketing materials. The SMGO will facilitate communication between administrators, faculty, donors, prospects and volunteers, as appropriate.

The SMGO will independently manage collaborative working relationships with fundraising colleagues in University Relations and other campus schools and units to develop strategies for joint solicitation and to negotiate differences.
Required Qualifications
Qualities:
•Analytical – adept at using quantitative and qualitative assessments to draw conclusions
•Articulate – strong oral and written communication skills
•Collaborative – encourages a participative process and works well in teams
•Goal-oriented – seeks to accomplish specific outcomes, begins with the end in mind
•Self-confident – trusts own judgment, able to act decisively
•Professional – appropriate demeanor, attention to detail and maintenance of strict confidentiality

Skills:
•Experience identifying, cultivating and directly soliciting major gifts in an academic setting
•Experience developing and structuring complex major gifts
•Understanding of tax guidelines governing charitable giving
•Knowledge of campaigns
•Ability to interact effectively with volunteers, prospects and senior campus officials
•Ability to oversee multiple projects and quickly discern complex and competing interests
•Technical proficiency – solid computer skills with basic office software (e.g. Microsoft Office) and ability to quickly learn function-specific software
•Experience guiding and motivating volunteers
•Requires some travel and attendance at weekend and evening events
Salary & Benefits
Commensurate with experience; excellent benefits.
For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University visit:

http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/forms_pubs/misc/benefits_of_belonging.pdf

Criminal Background Check
This position has been designated as sensitive and may require a Criminal Background Check. We reserve the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of a Criminal Background Check.
Other Information
Please submit a cover letter along with your resume as a single document when applying online.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
UC Furloughs
The University of California Regents have approved a plan to enact system wide furloughs and other cost reduction measures due to the state budget crisis. This position may be subject to any cost cutting measures implemented at UC Berkeley.

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