What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Planned Giving position at Oberlin?
The Office of Advancement at Oberlin College seeks applications for the position of Director of Planned Giving. This is a full-time, continuing, 12- month, Administrative and Professional Staff position reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Major & Planned Giving.
Responsibilities
The Director of Planned Giving is responsible for overseeing the College’s planned giving program and staff, including bequests, trusts, charitable gift annuities, and other deferred gifts, as well as management and coordination of all aspects of pending and completed planned gifts, ensuring effective communication and collaboration between the donor, their advisors, and key internal stakeholders.
Essential Job Functions
- Lead the Planned Giving professional and administrative staff and manage a portfolio of planned giving prospects and donors.
- Serve as the College’s primary resource on charitable estate planning and tax-advantaged giving strategies and work closely with donors and their advisors to structure gifts that optimize benefits for both the donor and Oberlin.
- Work with Advancement staff to plan strategies for cultivation and solicitation of prospective donors for complex and deferred gifts (bequests, gift annuities, remainder trusts, gifts of real estate, etc.). Execute strategies for solicitation and act as a technical consultant to colleagues within the office and to donors. Also work with Advancement staff to identify opportunities for complex and deferred gifts within assigned prospect pools. Provide coaching and training to staff for purposes of development of technical expertise.
- Prepare in-depth gift proposals for prospects using appropriate software calculations, written explanations, and oral presentations. Oversee the preparation of such proposals prepared by other staff within the Office of Advancement and provide technical consultative advice as needed. Ensure follow up on such proposals with donors with a goal towards closure of donor gifts.
- Use available data to identify gift planning prospects. Oversee the development and execution of marketing strategies including the production and writing of topic specific pieces and newsletters, other marketing mailings, and other advertisements for planned giving prospects.
- Serve as primary contact between Advancement and the gift planning endowment administrator, including but not limited to: program & account balance oversight, oversight of production of contracts for life income gifts & remittances for gift planning donors, and oversight of appropriate processes for termination and release of remainders from life income gifts.
- Oversee bequest program, including but not limited to: communication with and monitoring of estate executors and attorneys in the process of distributing estate gifts to Oberlin, acknowledgement of distributions as received, etc.
- Commit to national travel for personal visits with prospects, particularly when opportunities are identified by applying gift planning indicators or by gift officers, for the purposes of providing technical assistance for cultivation and solicitation of complex, deferred gifts.
- Possess and upkeep detailed knowledge of tax and estate law for purposes of proposing plans for efficient support of Oberlin to be shared with donors’ tax and legal advisors.
- Work with advancement staff members with responsibilities for reunion gift committee(s) providing referrals for recruitment of key reunion volunteers for committee membership, and to plan strategies for cultivation and solicitation of prospective donors.
- Oversee qualification materials for the Charles Martin Hall Society, which recognizes those individuals who have made estate plans or established life-income gifts to benefit Oberlin College & Conservatory as well as collaborate with the Donor Relations Office on planned giving stewardship efforts.
Marginal Job Functions
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required—advanced degree desirable.- Minimum 5-8 years progressively significant experience, including at least three years as a manager, the development field or previous experience in law, taxation, banking, finance, or related fields.
- This position requires regional and national travel (30-50% of the time). Work weekends and evenings when appropriate, including assisting with reunion and Homecoming events.
- Experience demonstrating a detail and deadline orientation.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills and superior interpersonal skills with demonstrated skill in working well with individuals and in a team setting.
- Ability to listen carefully, learn quickly, and work effectively.
- Experience demonstrating personal initiative, creativity, resourcefulness, and flexibility.
- Must be results-oriented, focused on quality, ethics and excellence in all professional pursuits; ability to work with and command respect of trustees, senior officers and donors; negotiation and persuasion abilities.
- Strong commitment to the goals of a liberal arts education and to the importance of the College’s relationship with its diverse constituencies.
Desired Qualifications
An understanding of, and technical expertise in, estate planning and tax laws affecting charitable and deferred giving.- Proven success in closing traditional and complex planned gifts, including but not limited to, bequests, gift annuities, remainder trusts, and gifts of real estate.
- Computer experience with Microsoft office products, desktop publishing and database management systems; familiarity with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge or similar fundraising software.
Compensation
A generous compensation package will be offered to the successful candidate, including an excellent benefits package, tuition remission for eligible dependents and 35 days of paid PTO.
Special Instructions to Applicants
A completed application will include a cover letter, a CV and a list of 3 professional references.
Documents Needed to Apply
Required Documents
Optional Documents
- Cover Letter
- Resume
- List of References
