Description:
Founded in 1974, Deakin is a public university in Victoria with 61,000 students across five campuses: Melbourne Burwood, Geelong Waurn Ponds, Geelong Waterfront, Warrnambool, and the online Campus. We are a progressive and open-minded university, with the highest student satisfaction in Victoria and consistently ranked in the top 1% of the world’s universities.
The Development Manager will be responsible for a portfolio of prospective donors, and partner with professional and academic colleagues to seek philanthropic support that drives forward the University’s mission. This role has specific responsibility for maximising the University’s philanthropic income through raising major gifts, primarily those between 6 and 7 figures.
The incumbent will also maintain a high-quality stewardship process for active donors, working closely with the Donor Stewardship and Engagement team in doing so. Success will require a strong collaborative approach across the University, faculties, centres, institutes and professional service units.
Reporting directly to the Associate Director, Development, as a core part of the major gift team, this position sits within the University’s Advancement function, which comprises Advancement Operations, Alumni Engagement and Development.
Your key responsibilities will include:
- Conceptualise local plans in alignment with University strategies and monitor progress and risks, adapts personal and team priorities and plans as required
- Develop, maintain and use a variety of systems, processes, diverse range of people and sources to gather information and gain deeper understanding and make critical strategic decisions
- Establish systems and procedures to guide work and track progress and strive for excellence and continually evaluate progress and effectively overcomes barriers to achieve outcomes
- Use accepted theory and practices to develop and deploy continuous improvement actions to ensure implementation of continuous improvement strategies in own work area
- Develop a network of useful contacts within Deakin and integrate perspectives held within different areas of the University and puts plans in place to build collaboration and develop common goals
- Conduct and coordinate regular visits for the purposes of qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of major gifts.
- Meet a number of annual performance targets relating to relationship management with donors and prospective donors, such as number of meetings, ‘asks’ made, gifts closed, pipeline built, and income raised.
- Ensure accurate data of donor/prospective donor engagement is maintained through using the Deakin Advancement CRM – Deakin ARMS – in a timely and effective manner.
- Use reporting and insights available through Deakin ARMS, and associated systems, to drive efficient and effective fundraising practice.
- Play an active role in ensuring approaches to donors/prospective donors are coordinated across Deakin Advancement
- Display leadership in the field, through understanding and demonstrating best practice and emerging trends - and weaving this into your approach in engaging donors/prospective donors with Deakin
- Any other duties as directed, commensurate with the scope and classification of the position
To be successful, you’ll have:
- Relevant post graduate qualification or applicable combination of qualifications and substantial experience.
- A strong track record of successfully achieving stretch financial targets in complex environments – ideally in a philanthropic setting, and ideally at a 6-figure plus level
- Demonstrated experience in driving conversations with purpose to build and strengthen relationships towards a particular outcome
- An understanding of the Australian Philanthropic Community *desirable
- Demonstrated understanding how using data and analysis through CRMs drives the most effective and efficient fundraising practice