Director of Development

Director of Development, WSU Libraries

Full-time, 12-month, permanent, Administrative Professional position located in the Washington State University Libraries in Pullman, Washington. This position co-reports to the Jay Starratt, Dean of Libraries, and Elizabeth Ryan, Director, Gift Planning. 

The Opportunity:

In this position you will be responsible for supporting unit fundraising goals by planning and conducting outreach that is designed to promote constituent understanding of a unit’s activities and research with the aim of cultivating donors and raising money. These efforts may include, but are not limited to annual giving, major gift development of $25,000 or more, and planned gift identification and advancement. You will manage a portfolio of approximately 150 donors, secure 5-15 major gift pledges, open/plan a minimum of 15 solicitations, and have an annual fundraising goal between $250,000 and $750,000. Extensive travel in Washington State, the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere and evening and weekend work is required.

80% (E) Major Donor Cultivation, Solicitation and Stewardship

• Plan, articulate and execute a solid fundraising plan for the WSU Libraries.
• Work with the Development Director Senior, Libraries’ Dean, other Advancement staff, volunteers, faculty and others as appropriate to identify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospects in support of the academic priorities of the Libraries. A major gift is defined as $25,000 or more. This position will enhance and support all stewardship activity as necessary as well as provide stewardship in recognition of these gifts.
• Manage a portfolio comprised of at least 200 donors (150+ qualifications, 50-100 relationships rated $25K+).
• Secure 5-15 documented major gift pledges ($25K+)/yr. Raise $250,000-$750,000/yr.
• Open and plan a minimum of 15 solicitations/yr.
• Make 140-160 strategic contacts each year.
• Prepare and submit timely contact reports: prepare and submit written proposals, background reports and other development materials for use during donor cultivation and solicitation and ensure that all gifts are processed according to WSU Foundation policy.
• Identify key donors/WSU alumni/influencers to enlist help with development initiatives.
• Establish among supporters a shared vision of and investment in successful implementation of the Libraries’ Strategic Plan and campaign priorities.
• Prepare volunteers to participate in cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of major gifts.
• Collaborate with the WSU Foundation Gift Planning Office in helping to advance major/planned gift arrangements that require tax or estate planning and with WSU Foundation Corporate & Foundation Relations Office in helping to advance major gift and/or sponsorship opportunities with corporate and foundation prospects.
• Consult with and provide guidance to individual faculty members regarding philanthropic grants and gifts.

15% (E) Unit Specific Responsibilities

• Work with the Dean, Foundation personnel, and support staff to plan and develop informative, inspirational, timely and appropriately spaced communications with internal and external constituencies in support of development objectives.
• Assist with events when appropriate, partnering with Development Events staff. Develop and utilize communication plan to regulate constituency contacts.
• Develop Libraries’ marketing and branding materials with unit public communications.
• Represent the Libraries and the University when meeting friends and alumni of the institution. Prepare volunteers to participate in cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of gifts.
• Support other Libraries’ fundraising priorities.

5% Other Duties as Assigned

Classification Requirements

Bachelor's degree and three (3) years of progressively responsible relevant experience, which includes one year of full-time fundraising experience of successful face-to-face gift solicitation of $50,000 or more, or equivalent experience; equivalent experience includes experience in sales; marketing; public relations; and/or advancement experience which has involved direct face-to-face contact with clients, customers, prospective customers and members of the public. A Master’s degree in a related field may be substituted for up to one (1) year of the required experience.

Position Specific Qualifications

• Experience demonstrating strong interpersonal skills in establishing and maintaining internal and external relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate, develop and steward client/donor relationships.
• Understanding of proposal development and writing, fundraising and/or client development principles and techniques; project management skills; and relevant event planning/ management.
• Demonstrated success in proposal writing and submission.
• Must have, or be able to obtain, a valid driver's license at time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications

• Evidence of ability to plan and execute a fundraising project from conception to realization.
• Experience engaging faculty and translating their research into layman terms for prospective donors.
• Experience with alumni/donor database applications.

Job Application Direct Link (for external candidates):

https://wsu.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/WSU_Jobs/details/Libraries--Director-of-Development_R-11612

Additional Information:

Area/College: WSU Libraries

City, State, Zip: Pullman, WA 99164-5610

Department Link: https://libraries.wsu.edu/; https://libraries.wsu.edu/friends

Monthly Salary Range: $5,643.74 - $7,569.55 | In accordance with RCW 49.58.110, the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the range is based on the candidate’s current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position. Successful candidates typically begin up to mid-point of the salary range. For additional information, please review WSU’s Administrative Professional Compensation. 

Benefits: WSU offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes paid sick and vacation leave; paid holidays; medical, dental, life and disability insurance package for employees and dependents; retirement; deferred compensation and optional supplemental retirement accounts. For a more detailed summary of benefits offered by WSU for classified staff visit: https://hrs.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-Benefit-Overview-for-Faculty-and-AP.pdf

Overtime Eligibility: This position is overtime ineligible.

FTE: 100%

This is a permanent position.

Posting Close Date: Applicants must submit their completed application by Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 11:59p.m.

Background Check: This position has been designated by the department to require a background check because it requires access to children or vulnerable adults as defined by RCW 74.34, engages in law enforcement, requires security clearance, interacts with WSU students in a counseling or advising capacity, has access to personal identifying and/or financial information, unsupervised access to university buildings/property, or other business-related need. 

Application Instructions: Applicants must upload the following required documents to their online application. Documents may be submitted in one file or separate files. Applicants are encouraged to upload as a PDF if possible. Applicants will be requested to provide contact information for professional references within the online application. Application materials should clearly communicate how the applicant meets all required qualifications and additional requirements.

• External candidates, please upload all documents in the “Resume/CV” section of your application.
• Internal candidates, please upload all documents in the “Resume/Cover Letter” section of your application.

Required Documents:

1)     Resume

2)     Cover Letter

Questions may be directed to Bonny Boyan, boyan@wsu.edu, 509-335-1535.

Washington State University:

Washington State University, one of the two research universities in the state, was founded in 1890 as the state’s land-grant institution with campuses in Pullman, Spokane, Vancouver, Everett, and the Tri-Cities. Due to its strong emphasis on excellence in research and education, the Carnegie Classification™ has designated WSU as RU/VH: Research Universities (very high research activity). The WSU strategic plan and the new OneWSU initiative have equity, inclusion and diversity as core values and the plan explicitly includes commitments to and goals surrounding being a national leader in “advancing the quality of life, economic development, sustainability, and equity through meaningful engagement in discovery, education and service with partners throughout the state, nation and world.”

Washington State University – Pullman:

WSU Pullman, the largest and oldest campus in the WSU System, is situated on approximately 620 acres in southeastern Washington in the unique Palouse bioregion on the homelands of the Nimíipuu (Nez Perce) Tribe and the Palus people. The Pullman campus has a largely residential student population (19,900 in 2020) with a college town feel with close access to both the mountains and rivers of the Inland Northwest and less than a day’s drive to any major city in the Pacific Northwest.

The Libraries:

The WSU Libraries (http://libraries.wsu.edu), one of two Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in Washington State, houses over two million books and over 30,000 journal and magazine subscriptions. The Libraries are a part of the Orbis Cascade Alliance and are deeply invested, along with our partner libraries in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, in the activities of the shared Unified Resource Management and shared Discovery environment. The Libraries also houses and co-directs the Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation (http://cdsc.libraries.wsu.edu), a collaboration with the College of Arts & Sciences that fosters digital projects across all disciplines and is home to national programs such as the Tribal Stewardship Cohort Program, The Sustainable Heritage Network (http://sustainableheritagenetwork.org), the Plateau Peoples’ Web Portal (http://plateauportal.libraries.wsu.edu) and Mukurtu CMS (http://mukurtu.org).

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WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EDUCATOR AND EMPLOYER. Members of ethnic minorities, women, special disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam-era, recently separated veterans, and other protected veterans, persons of disability and/or persons age 40 and over are encouraged to apply. WSU employs only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized non-U.S. citizens. All new employees must show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. WSU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact Human Resource Services: 509-335-4521(v), Washington State TDD Relay Service: Voice Callers: 1-800-833-6384; TDD Callers: 1-800-833-6388, 509-335-1259(f), or hrs@wsu.edu.

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