Senior Director of Foundation Relations

Description : THEOPPORTUNITY

THEOPPORTUNITY

TheUniversity of Illinois at Chicago and UI Health seek a strategic,collaborative, and experienced fundraising leader to serve as the inauguralSenior Director of Foundation Relations, UI Health (SD) to help build andelevate a high-performing foundation relations program.

This position will takethe lead in enhancing a foundation relations program for the UI College ofMedicine and partner closely with the Executive Director of FoundationRelations, UI Health (ED);

Chief Advancement Officer for the College ofMedicine (CAO); and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement, HealthAffairs (AVC) to build a dynamic foundations operation across UI Health.

The$ billion UI Health system is comprised of seven health science colleges, amajor teaching hospital, a substantial community-based healthcare network, awide variety of top-ranked primary and specialty clinics, and a cancer center.

UI Health has an unswerving commitment to ensuring access to both education andhealth care in Chicago and beyond, serving as an incubator for life-savingresearch, a major healthcare provider to underserved communities, and educatorof more physicians, nurses, dentists, and pharmacists for Illinois than anyother school.

Reportingto the Executive Director of Foundation Relations, UI Health, the SeniorDirector will be a hands-on strategic partner for the ED, and CAO, College ofMedicine, bringing entrepreneurial drive and ambition to establish abest-in-class foundations fundraising operation that supports the clinical,educational, and research ambitions of the College of Medicine and UI Healthmore broadly.

Ultimately, the SD will be responsible for growing philanthropicrevenue and generating transformational gifts for the College of Medicine thatelevate the entire UI Health enterprise.

UICollege of Medicine Advancement is at a pivotal moment in its trajectory, withtremendous potential for exponential growth.

The University of Illinois hascommitted to a substantial investment in the expansion of Advancement, with thegoal of adding approximately 30 new Advancement positions in UI Health over thenext two years.

UI Health is truly singular in its breadth of activity andinnovation from groundbreaking research and medical education led byworld-class faculty, to cutting-edge surgical training, to innovativehealthcare design and delivery, to renowned drug discovery, and more and in itsdedication to health equity across these areas.

The College of Medicine isamong the top-ranked colleges for African American and Hispanic physicians, andthe hospital and clinics serve among the most diverse populations in thenation.

TheSD is a critical partner to faculty leadership and senior leadership within theUI Hospital and Clinics, Mile Square Health Center, the UI Cancer Center,and especially the UI College of Medicine.

The SD will be relied upon by keyinstitutional partners to provide philanthropic counsel andset best practices that increase productivity and operational efficiency withinthe foundations team and among other Advancement departments.

As UIC enters itsnext campaign targeting its largest fundraising goal to date, this positionwill be integral to ensuring the UI College of Medicine and UI Health meet theambitious goals set forth, all within a supportive, energetic, andhigh-performing environment.

Thesuccessful candidate will bring at least 10 years of experience, with a cleartrack record of building and elevating foundation relations programs.

Thisindividual must be collaborative by nature, keen to engage individuals across awide variety of backgrounds and disciplines and committed to the mission andgoals of the College of Medicine and UI Health.

Thisis a rare opportunity for a fundraising leader passionate about health equityto achieve unprecedented impact not only within the University of Illinoissystem and for the patients, families, and communities it serves, but also morebroadly across the United States.

Position Summary

This position is expected to help build a robust, synergistic foundation fundraising program in pursuit of aggressive growth targets specifically for the College of Medicine as well as for UI Health's associated priorities.

Key responsibilities of this position : to identify and pursue programmatic sponsorship opportunities that exist within the College of Medicine;

connect the dots between specific activities within the College and across UI Health; and partner with faculty and leadership to develop compelling cases for support and proposals with well-articulated impact on patients, students, and communities.

The SD serves as a primary strategist for College of Medicine foundation donors and prospects. They will build and manage a portfolio of institutional donors (national and regional), develop new prospects, and direct the identification, strategic cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of institutional donors.

They will also develop innovative proposals, cultivate strategic partnerships, and prepare timely donor reports. The candidate will be expected to help motivate a high-performing team while fostering a culture of collaboration.

This role will work closely with faculty, UI Health leadership, and university leadership to identify and support funding needs as well as proactively identify new institutional prospects for the College of Medicine and UI Health.

To ensure collaboration, consistent communication, and adherence to university processes, this role will partner closely with the corporate and foundation relations team in the central Office for the Vice Chancellor for Advancement

Duties & Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning
• Help develop and implement a comprehensive multi-year growth plan for a foundation relations program for the College of Medicine, including milestones and timelines.
• Develop new fundraising opportunities, establish annual goals, and develop and implement short- and long-range strategies for securing and stewarding revenue from foundation donors aligned with strategic priorities.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in matching foundation opportunities and interests with College of Medicine programs and priorities.

Bring together priorities, messaging, and programming from individual units to create a stronger case for support for the College of Medicine broadly.

• Work in collaboration with other advancement staff to shape and implement the College of Medicine’s and UI Health’s fundraising strategies.
• Develop a deep and thorough understanding of College of Medicine programs and activities and present them effectively to institutional donors.

Track national trends impacting support from corporations and foundations to university health programs.

• Fundraising and Operations
• Implement foundation and corporate fundraising activities, , cultivation and solicitation efforts, preparation of proposals, arranging for program staff visits with prospective donors, providing regular program updates, etc.
• Develop revenue targets and monitor and evaluate and report on progress toward fundraising goals.
• Monitor grant awards including grant agreements and reporting. Liaise closely with other units / departments and ensure timely and accurate collection of data and information for foundation grants, proposals, and reports.
• Identify, cultivate, and maintain long-term relationships with local and national foundations, charitable trusts, and corporations;

develop and maintain a prospect portfolio of principal and major gift corporate and foundation prospects.

Prepare collateral fundraising documents in alignment with the College of Medicine’s branding and communications policies and procedures.

Collaborate with colleagues in the communications department as needed.

• Prepare and submit grant reports to ensure fulfillment of contractual, logistical, and reporting obligations to funders.
• Work with stewardship colleagues and the central corporate and foundation relations team to implement a comprehensive stewardship program for College of Medicine and UI Health foundation donors.
• Document all contacts and solicitations through the practices outlined in the prospect tracking and management protocol, and adhere to the policies and procedures for accepting, recording, and acknowledging gifts.
• Direct prospect research utilizing university resources, online resources, and other appropriate resources. Partner closely with University of Illinois Foundation Research Department in the identification of foundation prospects

Management

• Help train a committed and productive staff that is well-prepared and has the skills to meet the ongoing challenges and ambitious development goals of UI Health.
• Set clear direction and priorities for professional staff members and administrative support personnel.
• Establish efficient processes to improve operations, productivity, and impact. Maintain accountability among team members and ensure compliance with Central Advancement standards.
• Help foster a work environment that inspires, recognizes, and rewards high-performance, supports new ideas and risk-taking, builds confidence, encourages interaction and teamwork, and promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Leadership Support and Engagement

• Establish meaningful, collegial working relationships with faculty, leadership, and colleagues across the College of Medicine, UI Health, and UIC, including the Executive Dean of the College of Medicine.
• Work collaboratively with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Advancement (OVCA) management team, and other corporate and foundation relations colleagues, in achieving UIC’s overall fundraising and engagement goals through UI Health fundraising.
• In partnership with the AVC and unit fundraising leads, support key leaders, such as the Executive Dean of the College of Medicine, in their roles as fundraising partners for their units and UI Health more broadly.

Serve as co-strategist in cultivating and soliciting transformational grants; ensure that leaders are professionally and effectively staffed regarding fundraising activities and that their time is optimally utilized.

Participate in special projects and perform additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications :

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of ten years of progressive, nonprofit experience, with at least five years of experience in foundation relations preferably within an academic medical center.
• Proven success in securing major grants and gifts and working within a complex healthcare organization to grow institutional giving.
• Deep understanding of funding landscape for academic medicine.
• Local and regional travel required, including evenings, overnights, and occasional weekends.

Preferred Qualifications

• The successful candidate should be an innovative and collaborative advancement leader with a growth mindset, entrepreneurial spirit, and distinctive record of achievement, including expertise in designing, implementing, and leading an institutional fundraising program.
• Demonstrated success increasing the effectiveness of an advancement program through established objectives and performance standards, resulting in a significant increase in philanthropic revenue for an organization.
• Demonstrated skill in achieving alignment, providing active support and close collaboration amongst a broad range of stakeholders in relation to proposal development and execution.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills : ability to interact effectively with a wide variety of professionals in writing, on the phone, and in person.
• Excellent leadership, strategic, and management skills with the ability and presence to work with faculty and physician-scientists.
• Knowledgeable in matters pertaining to healthcare, research, and educational programs.
• Proven management and leadership skills that motivate successful teams.
• Comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of successful development practices.
• Strong grant strategist who exhibits leadership in working cross functionally with other departments to create funding projects.
• Excellent writing and editing skills : ability to produce high quality professional documents, including detailed proposals and reports.

Ability to translate complex medical information into laymen’s terms.

Stature, credibility, and capacity to build and sustain effective relationships with colleagues at all levels of the Advancement organization and with partners elsewhere at the University;

to influence senior colleagues, often without authority.

• Highly responsible, self-motivated, and exceptional attention to detail.
• Extensive knowledge and expertise in MS Word, Excel, and other Microsoft applications.
• Experience with constituent relationship management databases.
30+ days ago