Description

Essential Job Duties

Reporting to the Executive Director of Philanthropy, the Director of Philanthropy is responsible for identifying, qualifying, soliciting and stewarding major and leadership gift donors to NC State University. This position will serve as a part of the growing and ambitious North Carolina Textile Foundation (NCTF) advancement team within the Wilson College of Textiles.

The Director will serve as a liaison for NCTF as well as a leader for one or more academic departments or programs within Wilson College, and represent the full College through regular travel to one or more assigned regions. The Director will also play a key role in developing fundraising strategies for their assigned programs and the College, as we prepare for a future campaign.

As appropriate, the Director will staff events and meetings with academic leaders (department heads, program directors, etc.), as well as identify and coordinate the management of key volunteers (e.g., alumni advisory board). The Director will be expected to manage a portfolio of discovery and actively managed prospects while also collaborating with fundraising colleagues within the Wilson College and across campus.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as an active team member in the development and implementation of short- and long-term planning for the Wilson College of Textiles’ advancement team in support of the Dean’s goals for year-over-year growth and creating a collaborative culture of philanthropy in the lead up to a new and ambitious fundraising campaign.
• Identification, qualification, cultivation and solicitation of prospects to create and grow a pipeline of 6- and 7-figure donors.
• Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the priorities of the Wilson College of Textiles, with a specific focus on making a persuasive oral and written case for support for assigned programs.
• Strategic development and management of a portfolio with approximately 100-150 prospects and donors capable of making gifts of $100,000 or more, including development and execution of strategies in line with fundraising best practices (ie, Plus Delta).
• Consistently meet or exceed annual goals for outreach contacts, qualifications, visits, proposals submitted and funds raised.
• Serve as a liaison for the NCTF team for one or more academic departments or programs. Provide strategic guidance and staffing for assigned academic leaders (e.g., department heads) and develop fundraising strategies and priorities for the unit in preparation for a future campaign. Meet regularly with academic leaders and guide them in developing relationships with the top prospects for their programs. Provide training, materials and assistance for advancement colleagues in the Wilson College who may be building relationships with alumni and friends of assigned programs.
• As requested, staff the Dean at events or meetings, prepare briefings and manage follow-up.
• Represent the Wilson College through regular travel to one or more assigned regions (both in and out of state).
• Creation and implementation of comprehensive strategies to leverage networks and maximize fundraising results for assigned academic programs and in assigned geographic regions.
• Identification, coordination and management of key volunteers and award recipients in assigned academic programs (ie, department advisory boards) and geographic regions.
• Collaboration with colleagues to help align donors’ philanthropic interests with various priorities within the College and across campus.
• Coordination of engagement and stewardship efforts as needed with appropriate College advancement colleagues.
• Staff committees, workgroups and project teams to represent the Wilson College of Textiles NCTF team at the request of the Executive Director.

About NC State University and the Wilson College of Textiles

North Carolina State University was founded in 1887 with the purpose of creating economic, societal and intellectual prosperity for the people of North Carolina. Today, NC State is the largest university in North Carolina, with more than 40,500 high-performing students, more than 10,000 preeminent faculty and staff and more than 310,000 dedicated alumni. NC State is a Research One (R1) university known for its leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We’re also at the forefront of teaching and discovery in agriculture, business, design, education, humanities and social sciences, natural resources, textiles and veterinary medicine. NC State is consistently named as one of the best values in higher education, and many of our programs are ranked at the top of their respective disciplines. We take a great deal of pride in our collaborative, supportive and collegial team culture. All staff are provided opportunities for training and professional development, with an eye to personalized career growth.

Over the past 125 years, the Wilson College of Textiles has developed a reputation for exceptional education, innovative research and productive industry partnerships. While we take pride in that legacy, we continue to set higher standards and new goals. That means establishing sustainability as the foundation of everything we do. It means updating the cutting-edge technology used in our state-of-the-art labs and studios. It means a commitment to a welcoming and supportive culture. Put simply, it means using our textiles expertise to improve quality of life for everyone.

We produce leaders who make a difference both at home in North Carolina and across the world. Students land top jobs in manufacturing, fashion, athletics, research, medicine, academia and more. Our faculty count the CDC, DOD and NSF as regular research partners. The Wilson College provides both the community feel of a small college and the resources of NC State University, a leading land-grant public research institution and recognized as one of the best employers in the state. Not to mention, it's located in the heart of Raleigh, North Carolina, which is consistently listed in U.S. News and World Report's best American cities to live in.

At NC State, our employee value proposition aims to create an ecosystem of meaningful work opportunities that align with Wolfpack 2030: Powering the Extraordinary, NC State's strategic plan. We strive to provide an accepting and dynamic culture, opportunities for personal growth and professional development, and programs to support your busy life. Simply put, we want you to achieve your highest potential at work. If you're a world-class applicant with a passion for higher education and a commitment to affecting positive change locally and globally, apply to become a part of our hyper-collaborative Wolfpack where everyone belongs.

Requirements

Job Qualifications & Requirements

Minimum Education and Experience:
Requires a relevant post-Baccalaureate degree with a minimum of three (3) years or greater of related professional experience, or a relevant undergraduate degree and a minimum of five (5) years or greater of relevant experience may be substituted for the advanced degree.

Other Required Qualifications:

• Ability to work well with faculty, administrators, volunteers, and colleagues as part of a team in a large, complex research university
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to build effective internal and external relationships
• Strong organizational and analytical skills, with a high attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple and competing priorities and meet deadlines in a dynamic environment
• Experience in cold calling, negotiating, and securing philanthropic gifts and successfully closing proposals
• Self-motivated and self-starting and an eagerness to be part of an emerging team
• Good listener
• Optimism, perseverance and a positive attitude
• Ability to travel around the region and to other areas of the country
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as required
• Computer literacy

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree
• Experience staffing an academic leader and developing fundraising strategies for an academic program
• Proficiency in portfolio management and developing and executing prospect strategy per fundraising best practices
• An understanding of the land grant, research Tier One university environment
• Experience working in higher education, nonprofit advancement, or a foundation environment, with an understanding of donor engagement, stewardship, and fundraising best practices.
• Demonstrated success developing and managing relationships with volunteers, advisory boards, alumni leaders, or other external stakeholders to advance organizational goals.
• Experience utilizing donor database and prospect management systems (e.g., CRM platforms) to track engagement activity, manage prospect pipelines, and support strategic fundraising efforts.

Hybrid Work:

NC State University supports flexible hybrid work arrangements where operationally appropriate. Schedules are based on the responsibilities of the position and business needs and are determined in partnership with the hiring manager.