Our Mission

We in Boston University Development & Alumni Relations (DAR) harness the power of philanthropy to make an excellent education accessible and welcoming to all, and to advance BU’s global leadership in research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice. To support our work, we have built—and are continuing to build—an outstanding team of dynamic, mission-driven advancement professionals who constantly strive to create an environment where everyone belongs. Where it’s not just about a job, but a career and a community.

Now, our highly collaborative, motivated central team overseeing Development and Alumni Relations for the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences is looking for a Leadership Annual Giving Officer who will be responsible for the discovery, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of prospects capable of making annual gifts of $10,000 and up.

Development and Alumni Relations, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

As the largest school and a centerpiece of a great academic institution, Boston University Arts & Sciences is a vibrant, diverse, dynamic community of 8,400+ undergraduates, 2,000+ graduate students, 800+ faculty, 200+ staff, and 100,000+ alumni within 50+ departments, programs, centers, and institutes across the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and mathematical and computational sciences. An essential part of ensuring Arts & Sciences can provide excellent education accessible and welcoming to all, advance diversity-related research, and build community is the ability to harness philanthropy.

Leadership Annual Giving Officer

Under the direction of the Assistant Dean for Development and Alumni Relations and working closely in support of the Dean of College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, as well as the Director of Leadership Annual Giving this role will utilize initiative, self-confidence, organization, determination, managing up and comfort working with highly productive and collaborative teams to partner in planning and advancing a wide range of activities, programs, and priorities to meet CAS annual fundraising goals.

This individual will build and maintain a portfolio of up to 200 prospects and schedule visits (in-person and virtual) with them and other “discovery” prospects. They will work with team members on messaging and personalized outreach to CAS Alumni with the purpose to engage, develop, retain leadership donors.

This role is seen as an entrepreneurial fundraiser that also leverages digital tools to engage existing donors and uncover new prospects with an emphasis on those capable of a $10,000 gift or more. They will build highly personalized relationships with prospects through phone, e-mail, text, social and video based on the interests of each prospect. The Leadership Annual Giving Officer joins a vibrant, high-performing, and growing Annual Giving team and will play a key role in growing the base of support for BU’s future campaigns.

Responsibilities:

Prospect Identification, Cultivation and Solicitation

• Identify, cultivate, and personally solicit a portfolio of Arts & Sciences donors, prospects, and future volunteers.
• Leverage face-to-face and virtual meetings, phone calls, emails, alumni events, and other contacts to build relationships and increase support from prospects.
• Create donor centric leadership annual giving donor journeys through the Arts & Sciences pipeline, working with team members and referring donors to other areas as interested.
• Collaborate with colleagues in Alumni Relations to identify prospects and future volunteer leaders within regional networks.
• Meet agreed upon fundraising metrics as defined by supervisor, including donor meetings, proposals, contact reports, and donor retention.
• Spearhead key Arts & Sciences DAR annual giving campaigns including BU Giving Day, Giving Tuesday, calendar-year end, and fiscal-year end.
• Utilize dashboard tools, data analytics and partnership with Annual Giving team, prospect management as well as other internal colleagues to identify Arts & Sciences donors for personalized outreach.
• Meet or exceed DAR performance standards for contacts, visits and solicitations.

Program Management and Planning

• In consultation with the Assistant Dean, establish long-range goals and objectives for development programs and activities that reflect annual giving CAS funding priorities as determined by the Dean.
• Determine constituent interest (i.e. alumni, parents, friends) and audience informed messaging for Arts & Sciences funding priorities.
• Establish close working relationships faculty, department chairs, directors, and administrators; become thoroughly familiar with programs, activities, and research interests to develop accurate and compelling case statements, gift opportunities, and appropriate linkages with volunteers and prospective donors for the purposes of annual giving.
• Assist the Assistant Dean with preparing an annual operating plan and budget in collaboration with the annual giving team designed to facilitate achievement of annual giving goals and objectives. Review and revise at appropriate intervals.
• With Assistant Dean, conduct annual review of results. Determine strengths and opportunities of team efficiency, donor pipeline, annual giving efforts, and modify plans and strategies accordingly.
• Provide oversite, support and content updates to keep current external facing websites, AI personas, newsletters, etc. for the purpose of giving and stewardship in Arts & Sciences.

Stewardship and Donor Relations

• With the Assistant Dean, the Stewardship and Donor Relations (SDR) and Annual Giving, customize and implement systematic programming to assure regular contact with donors through annual stewardship and cultivation activities, in alignment with BU’s overall SDR strategies.
• Extend the courtesies of the University to donors and volunteers as appropriate.
• Encourage the active participation of donors and volunteers when appropriate.
• Provide vehicles for continued awareness on the part of donors of current needs and objectives in order to encourage continued giving.

Other

• Special projects as assigned by the Dean, Assistant Dean, Associate Vice President, School Development.

Required Skills

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (master’s preferred)
• 5+ years of work experience, with expertise growing revenue and participation in an annual giving program preferred
• Outstanding oral and written communication
• High level of attention to detail
• Ability and willingness to travel required

But that’s not all we’re looking for; we want someone who embodies our values:

• Teamwork, transparency, and mutual respect , because we value every member’s contributions and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion , and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
• Integrity in how we work and how we treat one another.
• Strategic thinking and curiosity in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
• Continuous growth and improvement , both as individuals and as a team.
• Joy and shared appreciation for working hard toward goals that matter.

If this resonates with you and you want to help us in our ambitious next campaign—and maybe do some of your best work as an advancement professional— we encourage you to apply. **** If you are hesitant to apply because you have not previously performed every responsibility listed in the description, but you do possess transferable skills and the defined qualifications, we still want to hear from you and welcome your application as well.

To learn more about Development & Alumni Relations at Boston University, and other job opportunities, please stop by the DAR Talent website: **** https://www.bu.edu/dar-talent/.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you require a reasonable accommodation in order to complete the employment application process, please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at 617-358-1796.

Required Experience

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (master’s preferred)
• 5+ years of work experience, with expertise growing revenue and participation in an annual giving program preferred
• Outstanding oral and written communication
• High level of attention to detail
• Ability and willingness to travel required

But that’s not all we’re looking for; we want someone who embodies our values:

• Teamwork, transparency, and mutual respect , because we value every member’s contributions and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion , and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
• Integrity in how we work and how we treat one another.
• Strategic thinking and curiosity in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
• Continuous growth and improvement , both as individuals and as a team.
• Joy and shared appreciation for working hard toward goals that matter.

If this resonates with you and you want to help us in our ambitious next campaign—and maybe do some of your best work as an advancement professional— we encourage you to apply. **** If you are hesitant to apply because you have not previously performed every responsibility listed in the description, but you do possess transferable skills and the defined qualifications, we still want to hear from you and welcome your application as well.

To learn more about Development & Alumni Relations at Boston University, and other job opportunities, please stop by the DAR Talent website: **** https://www.bu.edu/dar-talent/.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you require a reasonable accommodation in order to complete the employment application process, please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at 617-358-1796.