Associate Director, Major Gifts

Company: University of Chicago
Location: Chicago
Posted on: April 3, 2026

Job Description:

Department ADV Regional Advancement 2 (Central) About the Department The Advancement Office engages alumni (~220k), current students, parents and friends of the University through intellectual, professional and social activities on campus, around the world and online. Advancement raises $600 Million annually to support faculty and researchers, practitioners and patients, and students and programs across the University. Our work supports priorities in every division, school, department, and institute. The Regional Advancement team is organized into four regional teams: West, Central, East, and Global. The teams lead comprehensive and collaborative campus-wide strategies and programs that deeply engage the UChicago community with a focus on raising significant philanthropic support for the University’s top priorities, academic units, faculty and students. The team works closely with university and academic leadership, academic divisions, and colleagues across Advancement, and is responsible for developing, executing, and coordinating the university’s strategic regional advancement program with a goal of significantly growing philanthropic activity and building a robust and sustainable donor pipeline through curated engagement opportunities. Job Summary The Associate Director plans and implements strategies for a coordinated program of fundraising and engagement activities for Central States. The role identifies, cultivates and solicits alumni, parents and friends who have the capacity to make financial commitments $100,000 and up. They are responsible for developing and implementing tailored engagement plans for a portfolio of assigned prospects. This role manages programs designed to meet University fundraising goals for contributed income. Serves as strategist of efforts to secure gifts and build relationships with alumni, faculty, administrators and organizations with potential to make gifts. Develops communication strategies for projects. Responsibilities Identifies, qualifies, cultivates, solicits and stewards alumni, parents and friends who have the capacity to make financial commitments of $100K-$4.9M to the University of Chicago. Develops and implements compelling engagement strategies to inspire high net worth individuals to maximize their philanthropic engagement with the University. Develops and manages a portfolio of major gift prospects (~100-120) building philanthropic relationships benefitting a wide range of the University’s units, schools and Divisions. Builds and manages a prospect pipeline that could yield as much as 24 major gift solicitations, and $3 million in booked gift commitments at steady state. Achieves personal fundraising and activity metrics around visits, qualifications, and solicitations. Builds knowledge and represents University history, programs, priorities, initiatives, and impact. Builds internal relationships and partners with colleagues throughout Advancement and the University in support of advancement goals. Contributes to development and execution of regional philanthropic community building strategy. Develops regional expertise and serves as an advisor on regional engagement to internal partners. Serves as general representative of the University at alumni events and other regional activities. Attends periodic alumni events. Provides scheduled and ad hoc updates to manager and senior leaders on progress and strategies and enters timely contact reports. Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance including attending webinars, seminars, and building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions. Establishes fundraising goals and priorities based on department objectives, designs strategies to meet those goals, and monitors progress against goals. Identifies, analyzes, and qualifies donor interest to maximize giving. Helps with overall planning efforts for the University's most important prospects. Works independently to develop communication strategies for projects, including publications and public presentations. Performs other related work as needed. Minimum Qualifications Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field. Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline. Certifications: Preferred Qualifications Education: Bachelor’s degree. Experience: Minimum five years of professional work experience in nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, public relations, sales or similar work. One or more years of frontline development or sales and marketing experience. Proven record of accomplishment in devising cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies. Background providing timely and effective follow-up to prospects and donors, crafting compelling fundraising proposals, and creating clear, concise briefing materials for development and academic leadership. Technical Skills or Knowledge: Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to Advancement, including Phoenix, the University's Donor Relationship Management System. Proficient in a Microsoft Windows computer environment, especially Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. Preferred Competencies Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write effectively. Self-motivated and take initiative. Manage confidential information with discretion and tact. Act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality. Work collegially and collaboratively in a team setting. Prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through with detail. Working Conditions This position has a hybrid work schedule which includes weekly in office presence. Standard office environment. Travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for University business. Work evenings and weekends as needed. Travel domestically. This role will require regular travel throughout the assigned geographic region, Central United States. This position is located in Hyde Park at 5235 South Harper Court. This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization. Application Documents Resume/CV (required) Cover Letter (preferred) When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application. Job Family Alumni Relations & Development Role Impact Individual Contributor Scheduled Weekly Hours 37.5 Drug Test Required No Health Screen Required No Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required No Pay Rate Type Salary ? FLSA Status Exempt ? Pay Range $80,750.00 - $95,000.00 The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting. Benefits Eligible Yes The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook . Posting Statement The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination. Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form. All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position. The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu . Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

Keywords: University of Chicago, Chicago , Associate Director, Major Gifts, PR / Public Relations , Chicago, Illinois