Assistant/Associate Dean for Advancement - College of ACES

Nov 8

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, IL

Anticipated Start Date: As soon as possible after the closing date.

Description

The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement (OVCIA) are seeking a full-time Assistant/Associate Dean for Advancement to provide leadership and strategic direction for a comprehensive fundraising program for the College, which includes ten (10) academic units, Illinois Extension and 4-H, as well as several centers and strategic initiatives. This position will serve as the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) and will have oversight of all of the advancement activities for the College of ACES, including staff supervision.

This position will also manage a portfolio of prospective major and principal gift donors and will partner with CAOs and other colleges and leadership within OVCIA to implement an integrated approach for philanthropic impact and mission-driven priorities across the college. Discovering, advancing, and integrating new knowledge to ensure nutritious and safe food, sustainable and innovative agriculture, strong and economically resilient families and communities, and environmentally sustainable use of natural resources to benefit the people of Illinois and the world. We invite all interested candidates to learn more about the college via the 23-24 ACES Annual Report.

Organizational Relationship/Job Summary

Based in the College of ACES, the Assistant/Associate Dean for Advancement reports jointly to the Dean of the College of ACES and to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement. The Assistant/Associate Dean for Advancement will provide strategic vision, leadership, and direction all fundraising, alumni relations, and advancement operations for the College. The successful candidate will craft and execute plans to meet and exceed the annual fundraising and engagement objectives as determined by the university and the College.

Responsibilities

Major Gifts

Formulate, establish, and evaluate an annual plan with fundraising goals and drive the plan to execution through appropriate engagement of staff throughout the College of ACES. Oversee and provide direction for the College’s overall prospect portfolio.
Manage a personal portfolio of high-level major gift prospects, using a focused and accountable approach of strategy development and implementation. Oversee and provide direction for the College’s overall prospect portfolio, and gift officer assignments, engaging the Dean as appropriate. o Maintain a significant travel schedule, from 30-40%, throughout the United States and occasionally internationally to meet with alumni, constituents, and corporate executives.
Facilitate the Dean’s engagement with a portfolio of the College’s most important major donors and prospects. Regularly travel with the Dean to meet alumni, friends, corporations and foundations.
Lead a major gift team tasked with identifying, cultivating, and soliciting major donors; creating, coordinating and writing funding proposals directed at individuals, corporations and foundations; and ensuring consistent message throughout the College. Encourage and facilitate collaboration with other advancement professionals across campus.

Strategy and Planning

Plan, implement and lead a comprehensive strategic plan and goals for the College’s advancement program in support of the University’s mission, vision, and goals, in alignment with the strategic priorities of the College of ACES.
Provide guidance as the Dean’s chief advisor in matters related to advancement.
Build and maintain productive working relationships with leadership throughout the College of ACES to thoroughly understand their programs and priorities and to collaborate on engaging alumni and donors in support of advancement activities.
Facilitate effective collaborative relationships with other advancement offices across campus, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement (OVCIA), the University of Illinois Foundation, and the University of Illinois Alumni Association.
Work collaboratively with the Assistant Dean of Marketing and Communications, providing input and direction to the public relations and marketing programs for the College, and advance communications related to fundraising and engagement activities.
Serve as part of the College of ACES leadership team and on other relevant administrative committees.

Constituent Engagement

In alignment with the strategic priorities of the College of ACES, oversee coordination of enhanced, comprehensive and meaningful alumni and corporate engagement activities that foster lifelong connections between the College and its constituents.
In partnership with the Dean, maintain the ACES Alumni Association Board, including their recruiting, training, and utilization.
Ensure that the College’s stewardship program is functioning at the highest level. Provide strategic leadership to ensure appropriate processes and procedures for gift documentation and acknowledgement, fund management processes, and outstanding donor recognition and reporting.
Share the College’s vision, mission, and goals with important external constituents, including alumni, friends, and parents, through public relations, communications, and marketing efforts. Partner with the communications and marketing staff to ensure consistency of message and brand.

Management and Budget

In collaboration with the College of ACES financial leadership team and OVCIA, plan and administer the budget for the advancement office to ensure operation within fiscal constraints.
Set policy, procedures, and best practices for the College’s advancement program inspiring innovation and collaboration across its functions. Determine appropriate staffing levels in consultation with the Dean. Oversee the development of programs to recruit, hire, mentor, and evaluate advancement staff.
Supervise, train, provide oversight and evaluate major gift officer performance, partnering with gift officers on the development strategy for major prospects.
Maintain familiarity with current issues in higher education. Retain knowledge and understanding of the specific programs and strengths of the College of ACES. Impact in Your First Year At Advancement at Illinois, we value our employees and provide resources to help you continually learn and grow. We foster a strong, collaborative community of people who are driven by their ability to make a difference.

Within 3 months, you’ll:

Understand the Deans’ strategic vision and priorities for the College of ACES • Begin to build positive relationships with key internal constituents and external constituents as well as with leadership and peers in Advancement
Assess the structure, resources, capabilities, and bandwidth of your advancement office/team as well as individual and collective progress to goals
Become familiar with the overarching structure of Illinois Advancement and the alignment between central Advancement services, the University of Illinois Foundation, and the University of Illinois Alumni Association
Attend professional development and networking activities for newcomers within Advancement
Meet your assigned Prospect Development Analyst and begin to dig into your portfolio

Within 6 months, you’ll:

Begin cultivating relationships with the key prospects/donors/alumni
Understand, evaluate, and offer strategic insight into unit-specific advancement opportunities and initiatives
Be able to share the programmatic and philanthropic needs of units

By the end of the first year, you’ll:

Continue to develop and enhance a trusting and collaborative team culture
Cooperatively set annual performance goals/metrics with your staff and portfolio management team
Continue portfolio growth of qualified prospects and successful solicitation strategies
Partner with People & Culture and Strategic Planning & Organizational Development teams for individual and team coaching, professional development, retreat, and goal-setting opportunities
Build a robust network of colleagues across campus

Requirements

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree
For Assistant Dean, a minimum of seven (7) years of successful advancement experience, with demonstrated excellence in fundraising, relationship-building, and strategic leadership, preferably within a higher education environment. For Associate Dean, a minimum of ten (10) years of successful advancement experience, with a proven record of high-impact fundraising, team leadership, and strategic vision, preferably within a higher education environment.
At least five (5) years of supervisory, management experience, which may overlap with advancement work experience.
Experience working collaboratively and independently with a diverse constituency exhibiting a high level of sophistication and maturity in social and professional settings, particularly among high-net-worth individuals.

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced knowledge and/or experience working in the major components of advancement including development, communications and public relations, alumni engagement, and special events.
Experience managing volunteer groups effectively, including advisory boards and councils.
Completion of Plus Delta Discipline of Frontline Fundraising program or similar training in academic advancement best practices.
Documented success as a major gift fundraiser, preferably in higher education.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of the principles of advancement, fundraising and administration in a university environment.
Demonstrated ability to build trusting partnerships across all constituents, create impactful donor experiences, and work with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Understanding of higher education infrastructure, including institutional leadership, department leadership (faculty chairs/leaders), alumni structure and student experiences, as well as the operations and goals of development and alumni relations teams with a focus on philanthropy.
Ability to function effectively in a large, de-centralized environment. Demonstrate knowledge about advancement and alumni relations. Excellent presentation skills and superior communication skills.
Advanced knowledge of planned giving fundraising vehicles.

Salary Range and Employee Benefits

We strive to provide a competitive salary, considering factors such as available market data, internal equity, candidate experience and qualifications, collective bargaining agreements, and budget constraints. The final salary offer will be determined through a thorough assessment of these elements. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the full range for a position.

The budgeted salary range for this position is $160,000 to $180,000 at the Assistant Dean level, and $180,000 to $200,000 at the Associate Dean level. Please note: Sponsorship for work authorization is not available for this position. Appointment Information This is a full-time academic professional position appointed on a 12-month service basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after the closing date.

How to Apply for this Job

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About the Organization

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive and major public land-grant university (Doctoral/Research University-Extensive) that is ranked among the best in the world. Chartered in 1867, it provides undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conducts theoretical and applied research, and provides public service to the state and the nation. It employs about 3,000 faculty members who serve over 33,000 undergraduates and 15,000 graduate and professional students. More information about the campus is available at www.illinois.edu.

The university is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana (total population 207,000) in east-central Illinois, and is situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 125 miles west of Indianapolis, and 180 northeast of St. Louis. The University and its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational environment ideally suited to the work of a major research institution.

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