Swarthmore College — Associate Director, Individual Giving
Filed in Administrative on March 9, 2023
Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425‐acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods.
Who We Are:
The Office of College Advancement builds and strengthens relationships with alumni, families, and friends to advance College priorities through joyful engagement and celebration, philanthropic and volunteer support, and stewardship of Swarthmore’s contributions to the common good. We work intentionally as a collaborative group that drives innovation, creates space for rich dialogue, inspires trust, and develops a community rooted in inclusivity and belonging.
The opportunity:
The Associate Director of Individual Giving will be responsible for the identification, engagement, and solicitation of Swarthmore alumni, parents, and friends having the capacity to make outright, blended, and planned gifts (including documented estate commitments) of $100,000 or larger to the College. Utilizing a donor-centric, philanthropic planning approach, they will manage the College’s relationships with a portfolio of approximately 100-150 leadership giving and gift planning prospects, traveling regularly and extensively in order to discharge these responsibilities. They will be responsible for initiating regional strategies that support identification and engagement of donor prospects and volunteers, and for building professional relationships within College Advancement, in the campus community, and in professional networks as appropriate.
Manages a portfolio of 100-150 gift planning and leadership giving prospects in support of the College’s alumni engagement and fundraising campaign goals.
Successful management requires:
- ongoing identification of potential prospects, and the development and implementation of appropriate donor engagement and solicitation strategies in keeping with best donor-centric practices of the fundraising profession;
- maintaining accurate and up-to-date database records of contacts with prospects to provide department and division leaders and fellow gift officers with both current strategies and historical perspectives; and
- preparing a written work plan (including a table of performance metrics) and a personal goals statement at the start of each fiscal year, and updating both as circumstances require.
- Travels within assigned geographic regions to qualify, engage, solicit, and steward leadership giving and gift planning donors to the College, completing solicitations for leadership annual fund gifts as appropriate. The Associate Director will, on average, schedule 12-15 face-to-face meetings with Swarthmore constituents per month. They will deliver, on average, 1-2 outright, blended, and/or planned gift proposals per month.
- Completes paper and electronic correspondence with prospects and donors in a timely fashion, and in a clear, concise, and well written manner that is reflective of the College’s academic standards.
- Assists as appropriate with planning and implementing special events and programs designed to attract, identify, cultivate, and steward prospects and donors. Programming will be at times regionally-based and at times campus-based.
- Recruits fundraising volunteers as assigned in order to increase alumni engagement and involvement and maximize fundraising potential.
Who you are:
- You are an energetic professional with a deep appreciation for the liberal arts and the ability to adapt to new work situations, people, ideas, procedures, and organizational structures, in order to support an evolving and complex work environment.
- You have the demonstrated ability to build successful relationships with constituents and coworkers in order to maximize the effectiveness of the department.
- You have exceptional communication skills, with a special emphasis on ability to connect and engage with a broad constituency in both written and oral communications.
- You exhibit mature judgment and the ability to act independently to plan and accomplish goals.
- You are able to maintain a high level of confidentiality, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and meet deadlines in a time-sensitive environment.
- You are an organized self-starter with the ability to work independently.
What you bring:
Required
- Bachelor’s degree.
- A minimum of five (5) years working in institutional advancement or equivalent professional experience.
- Ability to communicate effectively with prospective donors and College administrators and work collaboratively with colleagues.
- Strong organizational skills, and in particular, the abilities to manage multiple projects, pay close attention to detail, and remain focused and effective while traveling.
- Strong skill in dealing with people, using tact and diplomacy, and the ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality. Strong customer service skills.
- Strong skill in articulating the value of higher education.
- Ability to use a variety of computer applications, including demonstrated skills in the use of word processing and spreadsheets (e.g. Microsoft Suite, Google Suite), and fundraising databases and reporting software.
- Demonstrated ability to prioritize work, manage multiple tasks involving many stakeholders, and meet deadlines in a time-constrained environment.
- Ability to work evenings, weekends, or as needed to complete projects or meet heavy demand.
- Valid US driver’s license and ability to travel locally, regionally, and nationally.
Preferred
- Advanced degree.
- Knowledge and experience with planned giving vehicles.
- Experience working in a college or university setting, especially in a comprehensive fundraising campaign environment.
- Understanding of how data is used to inform decision making.
- Proficiency with G Suite (especially Google Docs and Sheets), PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat.
What You Will Get:
You’ll work at one of the world’s most renowned liberal arts Colleges, with incredible benefits, a stunning 420-acre campus and collaborative work environment. Come join a team of passionate, creative people who work hard and have fun supporting the College students, faculty, and staff.
Swarthmore College actively seeks and welcomes applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
