Assistant Vice President, Transformational Giving

School of Medicine

Established in 1930, Duke University School of Medicine is the youngest of the nation's top medical schools. Ranked sixth among medical schools in the nation, the School takes pride in being an inclusive community of outstanding learners, investigators, clinicians, and staff where interdisciplinary collaboration is embraced and great ideas accelerate translation of fundamental scientific discoveries to improve human health locally and around the globe. Composed of more than 2,600 faculty physicians and researchers, nearly 2,000 students, and more than 6,200 staff, the Duke University School of Medicine along with the Duke University School of Nursing, and Duke University Health System comprise Duke Health, a world-class academic medical center. The Health System encompasses Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Health Integrated Practice, Duke Primary Care, Duke Home Care and Hospice, Duke Health and Wellness, and multiple affiliations.

OCCUPATIONAL SUMMARY

The Assistant Vice President for Transformational Giving reports to the Vice President of Development & Alumni Affairs for Duke Health Development and Alumni Affairs, and is a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

The Assistant Vice President (AVP) is responsible for building and leading the Transformational Giving Program, supporting the development of principal and transformational gifts strategy, relationships and securing gifts of $5M+ to support Duke Health.

The individual will be a driven, focused and collaborative fundraiser, coach, mentor, strategist, and problem solver to advance this critical area of philanthropy. 

The AVP and team will work closely with DHDAA leaders, gift officers, prospect development and research and advancement resources to identify prospects, develop clear and collaborative strategies, help support gift concepts and proposal preparation, establish gift approval, and ensure stewardship. The AVP and team will ensure that faculty, administrators and volunteers are involved in enhancing success. The AVP will establish and enhance a collaborative relationship with the University Alumni Engagement and Development Principal Gifts team.

The AVP will co-manage the VP’s portfolio and serve as a key partner in managing donors and prospect strategies that are included in leadership level portfolios of the School of Medicine Dean/EVP of Health Affairs and the CEO of Duke Health. In both cases, the AVP will serve as a strategic partner to the AVP of Development for the SOM and the AVP of other areas at DHDAA.  This position is the most senior level secondary moves manager for the VP, but will also carry his/her own portfolio. 

The AVP will manage a portfolio and will have access to research analysts, a writer, and other support staff within DHDAA – at the same level as the VP.  

The AVP will serve as a key member of the Fundraising Strategy Group and work closely with the VP to create meeting agendas, drive discussion, and problem-solve.

The AVP will attend meetings with both the SOM Dean/EVP of Health Affairs and the CEO for DUHS when portfolio review and strategy conversations are on the agenda.

WORK PERFORMED

Fundraising and Portfolio Management – 50%

• Grow and manage a pool of prospects capable of making gifts of $5 million or more spanning the Duke Health enterprise, from identification to stewardship. 
• Carry a portfolio of 50 +/- of prospects in joint solicitation strategy and coordination with Vice President, DHDAA.
• Partner closely with Duke Health and DHDAA leadership to develop opportunities for transformational support and build annual and long-term goals for principal and transformational gift commitments that align with Duke Health's strategic and campaign priorities.
• Support the portfolios of senior leadership of the Schools of Medicine and Nursing and Duke University Health System.
• Maintain active efforts to evaluate prospects identified through fieldwork, screening, and research.  Effectively leverage existing relationships and launch systematic initiatives that will identify new individual and institutional prospects, including unaffiliated donors, capable of making significant contributions.
• Pursue ambitious annual and longer-term fundraising goals.
• Partner effectively with gift officers staffing areas with principal gift-level opportunities.
• Actively attend and participate in all meetings with AED principal gift and transformational gift matters.

Strategic Initiatives – 25% 

• Increase visibility and success of the program across Duke Health and the broader university, in support of the goals of the current campaign. In partnership with the VP, DHDAA and the Fundraising Strategy Group, develop a new strategic plan for Transformational Gifts with specific actions for the current campaign.
• Forge strong relationships across DHDAA with gift officers, planned giving leadership, and prospect management team members to enhance these efforts.
• Develop strategies for relationships and solicitations that coordinate activities among Duke Health schools, departments, divisions, centers, units, University Alumni Engagement and Development and other Schools and Units at Duke.
• Develop strategic alliances and partnerships across Duke to enhance Duke Health’s relationships with potential donors, and to bring Duke Health priorities to the attention of potential supporters.
• Lead process to develop and execute strategies for each principal gift donor/prospect.
• Hold strategy meetings with DHDAA team members to facilitate and enhance strategic planning for donors and prospects. 
• Brainstorm around “big ideas” that align with Duke Health and Duke Health campaign priorities, and that capture the imagination and encourage the support of philanthropists.
• Create the strategy and execute to promote senior leaders’ activity and travel for development purposes including but not limited to salon event dinners and individual donor meetings in key cities with high-net-worth individuals. 
• In coordination with the engagement and volunteer team, enhance board and council membership with donors and potential donors of $5M.

Stewardship – 15%

• In collaboration with the stewardship team, help formulate and implement personalized stewardship plans for leadership and principal gift donors with the director of stewardship and members of the development leadership team, and in collaboration with Duke Alumni Engagement and Development.

Administrative – 10%

• Lead and mentor a team including a Development Research Analyst who coordinates all requests for research and briefing materials, and analysis of donors and prospects at the Leadership, Principal and Transformational gift level, as well as a Development Associate (50%), and a Staff Administrator (50%).
• Provide reports and other materials as needed.  Manage Principal Gifts budget. 
• Attend meetings on behalf of VP and other leaders as needed.

Perform other duties as assigned.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification.  This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified.

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years demonstrated successful experience and effectiveness in major and principal gift fundraising, preferably in an academic, academic medical center, or hospital setting.
• Proven record of securing $1M+ gifts from individuals and organizations. Preference for at least one $5M+ gift secured.
• Proven record of working with grateful patients.
• Experience in funds management, endowment management, and compliance. 
• Significant experience working with academic leaders, physicians, faculty, top administrators, volunteers and volunteer groups.  
• Proven ability to achieve results working through others – facilitating and enabling others to act will be as important as actions taken directly.
• Experience working in an academic environment and staffing senior academic leaders on donor calls as well as at volunteer meetings and events is required.
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple, complex fundraising activities simultaneously and coordinate solicitation strategies in a decentralized environment.
• Excellent writing skills for proposals/solicitations, faculty briefings, philanthropic cases for support, one-pagers, and high-level correspondence with leaders and donors.  Excellent PowerPoint and presentation skills for large and small audiences.
• Previous experience in a campaign is highly desirable.

DEPARTMENT PERFERENCES/SKILLS

Team Leader, Team Player: Proven ability to achieve results in a team setting. The individual must be a successful solicitor and a team player who maximizes success for others.

Collaborator: Demonstrates the patience, persistence, and flexibility to build consensus and facilitate decision-making across multiple constituencies.

Communicator: Excellent presentation skills, persuasive, and compelling writer.

Confidence: Effective working with academic leaders, administrators, and high-net-worth individuals, including grateful patients, alumni, executives, and community leaders.

Fact driven, but intuitive, creative, and flexible. 

Juggler: Manages competing priorities and complex issues creatively and effectively.

Listener: Deep, attentive listener who gathers information and signals necessary to build team spirit and achieve results within diverse populations.

Negotiator: Politically astute, able to navigate the competing priorities, strong personalities and complexities of an academic medical center within a university enterprise. 

Travel Savvy: Ability and willingness to travel and maintain workflow.

DHDAA

Duke Health Development and Alumni Affairs (DHDAA) is committed to fostering an environment that promotes a sense of belonging and creating a space where all members of the community are celebrated for their unique perspectives. The values of diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging are integral to our organization. We are a community built upon collaboration, innovation, creativity, and openness, and strive to ensure that all DHDAA staff are given the tools and support to be successful in their roles. At DHDAA our goal is for all members of our community to feel safe and welcome, for the contributions of all individuals to be respected, and for all voices to be heard. All members of the DHDAA community are committed to and responsible for upholding these values. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education 

Work requires communications, analytical, and organizational skills acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program.

Advanced degree preferred.

Experience 

Minimum of 10 years demonstrated successful experience and effectiveness in major and principal gift fundraising, preferably in an educational setting. 

Significant experience working with volunteers and volunteer groups necessary.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.