Position Description

The primary responsibility of the Chief Development Officer is to secure assets for the advancement of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College through prospect development, personal visits, estate planning and other advancement techniques. The Chief Development Officer is responsible, along with other staff in the Office of College Advancement, for friend raising and fund raising on behalf of the College. The Office of College Advancement integrates the mission of the College, the ABAC Foundation and the alumni.

The Chief Development Officer reports to the College Advancement Officer. The incumbent has the autonomy to make most decisions without approval. Most work is self-directed.

The Chief Development Officer is charged with securing private financial support for the College. The Chief Development Officer must display a superb ability to communicate and relate to others, effectively relating the mission of the College to the objectives of individual donors. The incumbent must possess the innovative ability to design strategies which will be both attractive to the donor and beneficial to the College. The incumbent must be able to communicate funding needs and effectively ask for donor participation. Furthermore, the ability to change priorities and modify plans is essential to the position.

The incumbent will have supervisory responsibility for unit directors reporting to the Development Officer including: Alumni Relations -Giving & Recruiting, Annual Giving & Scholarships, Corporate Giving & Relations, Contracts & Grants, and Managing Director of Office Operations and possibly at least one support staff directly related to fund raising efforts.

The Director must be able to participate actively in a team setting which includes the College, the ABAC Foundation and alumni.

Regular travel will be required for making personal visits to alumni, business and industry, foundations and other friends of the College for the purpose of securing funds for the advancement of the College.

Ø Develops and implements a strategic fund raising plan each year in collaboration with the College Advancement Officer and College President.

Ø Identifies, cultivates and solicits major gifts from individuals, corporations, foundations, and professional groups in support of strategic program priorities, including capital campaigns.

Ø Designs and directs capital fund raising campaigns for identified programs as a component of the strategic fund raising plan in collaboration with the College Advancement Officer and College President.

Ø Develops and implements targeted strategies to maximize the involvement of college officials and key volunteers in the conduct of major gifts development effort.

Ø Regularly schedules joint prospect visits with college administrators and faculty when appropriate.

Ø Consistently meets performance objectives that result in funding and in the identification of “new” prospects each year

Ø Maximizes giving opportunities through a consistent program of prospect outreach that includes 150-200 prospect contacts per year.

Ø Coordinates donor recognition and special events (such as Dollars for ABAC Scholars and President’s Club Dinner) in support of fund-raising goals.

Ø Utilizes and maintains prospect tracking and contact reporting system through Raiser’s Edge, the donor/alumni data base.

Ø Presents funding opportunities to prospective donors and effectively secures donor support.

Ø Prepares support documentation for gift acceptance in accordance with ABAC Foundation accounting procedures.

Ø Provides strategic consultation to division chairs or program directors regarding fund-raising initiatives in their specific areas.

Ø Performs related duties as required or deemed appropriate to the accomplishment of the responsibilities and function of the office.

Budgetary Responsibilities

Responsible for development and oversight of the operational budgets, both State and Foundation funded, for the Office of College Advancement to insure that each unit has adequate funds and adheres to that unit’s budget, including but not limited to budgets for basic operations and special events.

This position requires a baccalaureate degree, Masters’ degree preferred, and at least five years of experience in fund raising for non-profit organizations. Experience in planned giving programs is also helpful, as is real estate acquisition and the establishment of trusts. Software proficiency is required in Microsoft Office. Experience in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge or equally recognized and accepted program related to constituent management and fund raising would be extremely helpful.