Assoc VC-Dev + Major Gifts

City Colleges of Chicago’s vision is to be recognized as the city’s most accessible higher education engine of socioeconomic mobility and racial equity – empowering all Chicagoans to take part in building a stronger and more just city.  The community college system’s more than 3,500 faculty and staff serve more than 60,000 students annually at seven colleges and five satellite sites. 

Fueled by the generosity of Chicago’s philanthropic community, the City Colleges of Chicago Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, raises charitable contributions to support community college students from all backgrounds in reaching their academic and career goals.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

The City Colleges of Chicago Foundation (CCCF) is at a pivotal moment, poised for significant growth. To support the ambitious fundraising goals and vision of CCCF, we are seeking a strategic and dynamic Associate Vice Chancellor (AVC) – Development and Major Gifts to serve as a key partner to the CCCF President. The ideal candidate excels in relationship-building, has a passion for higher education, and thrives in a dynamic, results-oriented environment.

Reporting to the President of the CCC Foundation, the Associate Vice Chancellor (AVC) – Development and Major Gifts serves as a key leader and fundraising strategist for the Foundation, accountable for creating and implementing an annual development plan, managing donor relations, securing transformational gifts, and enhancing philanthropic engagement to fuel City Colleges of Chicago (CCC)’s mission and success. 

The AVC plays an integral role in designing and implementing a comprehensive fundraising strategy that aligns with the Foundation's vision and City Colleges of Chicago's (CCC) priorities, providing leadership, direction, and management of all levels of giving, including annual giving and stewardship. Performs related duties as required.  

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Strategic Leadership: 

·         Works collaboratively with the Foundation President in crafting and executing comprehensive fundraising strategies and initiatives to support the mission and goals of the City Colleges of Chicago Foundation (CCCF).

·         Supports the Foundation President in setting fundraising goals and provides regular grant performance and progress-to-goal reports to CCCF and CCC leadership.

·         Partners with the Foundation President and CCC leadership to identify funding opportunities and donor prospects.

·         Provides leadership for fundraising programs and events, including major gifts, annual giving, and scholarship programs.

·         Represents the CCCF President in donor meetings and major gift solicitations, as needed.

Major Gift Program Development and Management:

·         Collaborates with the Foundation President to design and enhance principal and major gift programs, ensuring effective identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-level prospects.

·         Manages a portfolio of major gift donors, strategizing and facilitating principal and major gift fundraising efforts.

·         Ensures effective stewardship by maintaining relationships with current donors, planning special events, and delivering impactful communications. 

·         Cultivates new relationships, identifying prospective high-level prospects and building strong, lasting relationships to inspire major gifts. 

·         Coordinates with development team and colleagues to prepare and present compelling written and verbal proposals to prospective donors as part of strategy towards securing major and planned gifts. 

·         Assists with estate and legacy gift planning, providing expert guidance to donors and their families.

Development Team Management: 

·         Manages the development team and collaborates with other staff members that support various aspects of the donor lifecycle.

·         Oversees the operations of the Foundation's development efforts, including coaching of the development team and ensuring high performance, implementation of foundation and individual donor strategies, campaign tracking, prospect management, and proposal development.

·         Directs staff engaged in implementing and maintaining fund-raising program which includes individual, group, and corporate giving; campaigns; alumni outreach; and CCC employee outreach.

·         Creates and identifies opportunities and events for foundation prospects and donors to engage with the CCC community.

Fundraising Coordination and Collaboration: 

·         Supports Foundation President in the development of systems to ensure district-wide coordination of fundraising efforts, communication of process and priorities, and to inform development strategies and continuous improvement.  

·         Works collaboratively with key departments and staff to plan, implement, and manage events designed to identify and cultivate new prospects and build relationships with existing donors.   

·         Works with team to refine and customize donor lists for special mailings, invitations, donor recognition, and related events. 

·         Oversees and manages the direct mailing of solicitations, announcements, and event invitations.

Donor Data Management: 

·         Leads the implementation of systems for managing donor data, data tracking, interactions, and foundation reporting.

·         Works with the Office of Institutional Advancement and other key stakeholders in compiling data to better inform strategic planning, donor recognition, and stewardship activities.

·         Coordinates with the Executive Director-Foundation Finance and Operations to maintain accurate records of all grant awards to the Foundation.

·         Manages and maintains contact updates, donor biographic information, and other constituent records and donor lists.  

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Reports To                       Executive Vice Chancellor-Chief Institutional Advancement Officer and Chief of Staff; CCC Foundation President 

Direct Supervision          Executive Director-Development and Manager-Scholarships  

QUALIFICATIONS

·         A Master’s degree from an accredited college or university

·         Eight years of successful advancement and external affairs experience in a non-profit or educational setting

·         Demonstrated record of raising and managing donor portfolios of $1M+ 

·         Proven experience in planning and executing comprehensive fundraising programs or strategic partnerships in a mission-driven organization

·         Experience in major gift development, donor relations and stewardship, annual giving, and principal and planned gift fundraising preferred

·         Knowledge and understanding of current trends and best practices in areas of prospect research, development, and philanthropy preferred

·         Knowledge of grant life cycle including proposal development and submission process, post-award process, and contract and regulatory compliance preferred 

·         Knowledge of effective grant writing and research processes preferred   

·         Demonstrated success with project management and implementation of systems and processes

·         Excellent strategic, interpersonal, organizational, and leadership skills

·         Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to draft persuasive proposals, deliver compelling presentations, and engage diverse audiences effectively 

·         Strong analytical and problem-solving skills  

·         Demonstrated ability to work within complex organizations and collaborate across multiple stakeholder groups.

·         Ability to mentor and develop fundraising staff to foster a collaborative and high-performing team environment

·         Ability to maintains and nurture donor relationships and ensure sustained engagement 

·         Ability to monitor and analyze fundraising metrics that guide strategic planning 

·         Ability to accurately document gift agreements to ensure compliance and stewardship 

·         Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and upholding ethical standards in all aspects of fundraising and donor interaction

·         Ability to work within a culturally diverse environment 

·         Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and CRMs (Salesforce or comparable system) 

WE OFFER: Excellent health and welfare benefit package and long-term savings and investment programs including 403(b) & 457(b) Investment Plans and a pension plan with the State University Retirement System (SURS) Plan. Generous vacation, holiday, personal and sick days, and tuition reimbursement. For a more detailed overview of benefits, please visit the benefits page of our website.

 We are an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. Chicago residency is required for all full-time employees within 6 months of hire. Thank you for your interest in CCC!