Job Summary
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) seeks an Associate Director of RISD Funds, Family Philanthropy to join the College’s Institutional Advancement department (IA). IA is responsible for engaging donors in meaningful ways and encouraging them to financially support the college, stewarding significant relationships to yield funding from RISD’s alumni, students, parents, and relevant corporations and foundations. The successful candidate will act as a key member of the RISD Fund team, serving as the RISD Fund day-to-day contact for all fundraising pertaining to family philanthropy, including current and past parents, guardians, grandparents, and other members of a student’s family. The Associate Director, Family Philanthropy supports the growth of the 1877 Society, the RISD Fund leadership giving recognition society, with a focus on family donors who give $5,000 or more annually and also become members of the Families Association Leadership Council (FALC).
The Associate Director manages all aspects of RISD Fund campaigns focused on families, including appeals signed by the chair of FALC, and manages donor cultivation events and programs including the biannual FALC meetings, regional gatherings of potential and current members of FALC. The Associate Director continually evaluates effectiveness of programs, analyzes metrics and results, and stays abreast of trends and changes in the market in order to recommend improvements as appropriate. The individual is responsible for ensuring RISD Fund data and files are complete, accurate, and ready for solicitation use.
We seek a culturally competent candidate who will thrive in a campus environment that is committed to advancing the principles of social equity and inclusion, environmental and climate justice, and equal access to resources and opportunities.
Essential Functions
- Develop a comprehensive strategic plan for family-focused philanthropy that includes metrics for tracking growth, cultivation, and stewardship opportunities, and implement as approved.
- Develop an annual calendar of fundraising appeals to families.
- Develop and manage the biannual meetings of the Families Association Leadership Council. Develop invitation lists of current and potential members, follow up with potential new members, and advise the Leadership Volunteer Coordinator on FALC meeting agenda development and meeting minutes.
- Create, track and manage the solicitation process to solicit current and prospective members of the Families Association Leadership Council. Partner with Major Gift + Planned Giving, RISD Fund officers, and the Advancement Communications team, as appropriate, to support FALC solicitations through coaching, collateral materials or other types of support.
- Manage a domestic and global pool of current and prospective members of FALC and other prospective RISD Fund leadership donors, which may include personal visits (in-person and virtual - approximately 40 - 50 per year) for cultivation and solicitation purposes, as strategically appropriate. Determine and implement the strategies for engaging prospective and current donors in ways that bring them closer to RISD. Summarize personal visits (in-person and virtual), outreach and communications, and proposal details via contact reports within the expected timeframe.
- Partner frequently and transparently with the Family Relations and Regional Clubs officers in Alumni + Family Relations to develop and implement synergistic programming for all members of the Families Association, domestically and globally.
- Develop and manage Families Association Leadership Council fundraising volunteers and, in partnership with the Executive Director of the RISD Fund, support their work on the RISD Fund Steering Committee.
- Partner with the Associate Director, RISD Fund: Class Giving and Student Philanthropy on joint family and student class-based campaigns.
- Implement and monitor performance of programs and evaluate effectiveness. Develop and recommend methods or strategies to maximize effectiveness and increase dollars and donors for the RISD Fund. Develop reports to track RISD Fund progress for Institutional Advancement team and senior staff.
- Collaborate with Major + Planned Gifts team, Alumni + Family Relations team, Special Events team, and other campus partners to accomplish program, project or event objectives.
- Stay abreast of industry trends within annual giving, recommending new strategies to incorporate in the annual plan.
Additional Functions:
- May assist with logistical arrangements related to donor engagement and various other IA events as needed.
- Perform additional related duties as outlined by Executive Director, RISD Fund.
Knowledge/Skills/Experience
- Ability to work and communicate effectively with a broad spectrum of divisional and institutional colleagues, within an environment that values diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Prior experience working with staff and volunteers, the ability to manage complex relationships, and proven collaboration and teamwork skills in a diverse community to leverage activities, initiatives, and programs for multiple purposes.
- Ability to create and manage to project timelines.
- Strong organizational, interpersonal, oral and written communication skills are important, along with ability to foster and build donor relations.
- Demonstrated interest/experience in art and design desirable. Strong computer skills are required.
- Ability to occasionally work evenings and weekends.
- Ability to travel domestically about 6 to 8 times per year.
- Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 5 years of experience in development for educational and/or arts organizations.