The Kellogg School of Management’s (KSM) Senior Managing Director will lead a team of major gift officers who focus on raising gifts of $250,000 and above. This position will report directly to Kellogg’s Associate Dean, Alumni Relations and Development (ARD) and deliver on Kellogg’s ambitious fundraising goals. Leading at least six front-line gift officers and four board and donor strategy staff, the Senior Managing Director is responsible for contributing at least $25M to KSM annual fundraising totals through personal and team efforts.

The position will have significant interaction with Dean Francesca Cornelli and faculty, as well as campaign volunteers and advisory board members. The two Senior Managing Directors, reporting to the Associate Dean, form the core leadership of a 50-person ARD office.

Kellogg’s major gifts program focuses on building and advancing a portfolio of individual major gift prospects through both a regional and content-specialist approach. As a fundraiser-coach, the Managing Director will personally manage a portfolio of approximately 30 seven-figure prospects. The ideal candidate will possess strong frontline major gifts fundraising experience with a proven track record of raising $7-figure+ commitments, as well as exceptional team leadership skills.

The role requires a creative individual who is an effective communicator, with a proven capability and experience collaborating with colleagues while successfully influencing others. They must have a facility for understanding people, what motivates them, while being empathetic and tactful and demonstrating skills as a refined collaborator and negotiator. The Senior Managing Director must be comfortable managing with performance metrics and holding others accountable to them, and managing a portfolio that requires taking prospects from the discovery phase to securing major or principal gifts. Further, this individual must be well organized, able to manage multiple projects and programs in a fast-paced environment.

Specific Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning

• Serves as a key stakeholder in developing the overall strategic direction of Kellogg’s comprehensive development program working closely with Associate Dean of ARD.
• Leads fundraising activities designed to increase the number and level of major and principal gifts donors.
• Creates regional and content-specialist strategies for the major gifts efforts that support Kellogg’s gift goals in alignment with Northwestern’s overall goals and gift minimums.
• Proposes and organizes the deployment of the Dean to key regions to solicit 7+ figure gifts.
• Oversees management of all boards and councils including the Global Advisory Board.
• Collaborates with the Dean’s office on working with the Dean on donor engagement.
• Maintains up-to-date giving opportunities, marketing collateral, and repository of approved proposal concepts.

Collaboration

• Reviews and proposes strategic alliances, joint ventures and key collaborations between Kellogg and other University partners to identify opportunities to integrate strategic plan goals and strategies for prospects and donors.
• Collaborates with central University gift officers, including NY and California offices.
• Oversees and coaches team members regarding school and University collaborations

Prospects and Gifts

• Manages the Kellogg School of Management fundraising efforts focused on gifts at the 6-, 7-, and 8-figure level
• Manages a portfolio of approximately 30 prospects and donors rated $1M+, in various stages of engagement from discovery to stewardship
• Oversees continuous research, development and up-to-date knowledge on prospects and works with other areas to coordinate contacts
• Engages and stewards Trustees and volunteer leaders to implement Kellogg’s fundraising strategies that will lead to success in the current campaign
• Requires frequent travel, including international

Administration

• Ensures compliance with prospect management guidelines for tracking and maintenance of contact and progress reporting
• Coordinates appointments and prepares materials used by the dean, senior leaders and faculty, board members and volunteers for meetings, visits, events or phone calls made to high-profile prospects

Management and Budget

• Supervises 8 front-line development professionals, and one campaign director (who manages three additional staff).
• Recruits, retains, develops talented personnel to conduct the activities of the regional market teams
• Develops and evaluates individual and team metrics and goals, creating and sustaining a culture of excellence and professional growth
• Manages fiscal resources and budget in assigned regions and continually evaluate for maximum results and cost effectiveness.

Miscellaneous

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• BA/BS or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience is required; advanced degree
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience executing successful fundraising plans, ideally within a college or university
• Demonstrated success identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding seven-figure gifts
• Professional leadership experience in a highly complex, diverse, and collaborative externally-focused environment requiring creativity and flexibility to achieve success in leading teams to implement strategic vision and meet aspirational quantitative and qualitative outcomes
• Experience and discretion working with volunteers and high-level donors; the ability to manage complex relationships, and proven collaboration skills

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Proven skills as a strategist with the ability to articulate a vision for the future, engage peers, supervisors and subordinates in that vision, and build and institutionalize a program capable of fulfilling that vision
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with varied internal and external constituencies
• Sound organizational ability, a high degree of energy, creativity and initiative, the ability to project the unique aims and values of Kellogg and Northwestern to its donors and alumni
• Impeccable communication skills and the ability to connect with a variety of audiences; clarity, crispness and persuasiveness in written and oral communications
• Strong analytical skills and demonstrated competence in designing, planning, and managing successful fundraising plans
• Demonstrated commitment to the academic and external relations mission of the School and an appreciation and respect for the Kellogg culture
• Travel is required

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

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Professional Growth & Development:
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