Senior Director of Estate and Gift Planning

VISION:  Transform the university through the power of generosity.

MISSION:  Unite donor passions with university priorities to elevate the impact of Oklahoma State University.

DEPARTMENT PURPOSE:  The office of Estate and Gift Planning exists to raise significant support for Oklahoma State University by providing exceptional expertise and outreach to donors and their professional advisors with interest in charitable estate planning to benefit Oklahoma State University.

PRIMARY PURPOSE:  Under the direction of the Assistant Vice President of Estate and Gift Planning, the individual in this position will solicit private significant support from alumni and friends for Oklahoma State University and will coordinate these initiatives with other OSU Foundation fundraising activities. The Senior Director of Estate and Gift Planning supports the core business of securing and stewarding private gifts for OSU primarily – but not exclusively – through gifts made by will, trust, life insurance and life income arrangements.


KEY AREAS OF FOCUS:

Gift Planning Fundraising-

• Responsible for independently - and in cooperation with other Development Officers - performing identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of planned giving prospects with an emphasis on prospects capable of giving in the $100,000 range.
• Responsible for creating appropriate strategies and follow up for each prospect/donor.
• Facilitate relationships between potential and current donors and the OSU Foundation Development team on behalf of Oklahoma State University, and actively engage faculty and administrators in fundraising opportunities.
• Maintain an active schedule of contacts, solicitations and stewardship activities for a body of key prospects.
• A sustained annual fundraising production of $3,000,000 to $6,000,000 in planned gifts.
• Conduct a minimum of 100-125 personal visits with donors, prospective donors, and their advisors to solicit planned gifts and major gifts, manage a portfolio of 75-100 active donors and prospects.
• When appropriate serve as secondary moves manager to assist constituency development officers in developing planned gift potential of their assigned prospects.
• Travel approximately 50% of the time locally, regionally, and nationally as appropriate for donor management.
• Cultivate relationships with professional advisors through face to face visits, proactively providing gift planning information specific to OSUF, and attending local/regional planned giving council meetings. 
• Provide technical support and estate and tax planning expertise for constituency development officers and assist them with the cultivation and solicitation process as appropriate.
• Report and track fundraising progress through the use of contact reports, prospect management and other communication tools to ensure efficient and effective communication.
• Successfully solicits 18-24 planned/major gifts annually.
• Participate in ongoing gift planning educational and professional development presentations for both internal staff and external constituencies.

 
Guide & Advance Funding Priorities-

• Provide strategic direction for assigned fundraising priorities and programs and plan strategies for priority prospects.
• Sustain annual fundraising production with goals established annually.
• Perform and evaluate fundraising tasks and/or projects with appropriate supervision.

Donor Engagement and Stewardship-

• Develop and engage volunteers, donors and colleagues in productive long-term relationships.
• Partner with colleagues in donor relations, corporate and foundation relations, annual giving, planned giving and regional programs to engage constituency base in each area.
• Develop and execute engagement and stewardship plans for specific assigned prospects.
• Provide volunteer leadership and management as needed.

Operational/Administrative-

• Assist with the development and management of individual travel budget annually.
• Other duties as assigned.

JOB COMPETENCIES AND EXPERIENCE:

Education & Certifications-

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in business, marketing, or related field required. J.D. degree with experience in estate and tax planning highly preferred.

Experience-

• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in estate and tax planning, with fundraising experience with planned gifts preferred.
• Ability to effectively manage complex environments, people and situations.
• Proficiency and knowledge in developing and executing client/donor strategies.
• excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Proven sense of humor and ability to have fun.

 
Organizational Competencies-

• Effective Communication: Listens well and highly persuasive in communications; presents ideas in a manner which actively engages others; takes action to reduce communication barriers, diffuses conflict before it starts and works proactively to create and maintain effective communication across and within the organization; successfully carries out crucial conversations and encourages and coaches others to have crucial conversations to resolve conflict.
• Execution & Initiative: Holds self-accountable for achieving standards of excellence and results for the organization; seeks out understanding of both donor needs and internal processes; continuously pursues improvement of the organization’s performance by enhancing business processes, systems, teams, facilities or equipment; takes charge in a crisis and effectively maneuvers through complex situations and makes tough decisions in a timely manner.
• Teamwork/Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates commitment to employee engagement and leverages programs and tools to build business plans and monitor progress; utilizes employee recognition and reward programs to celebrate individual and team success; looks for opportunities to create cross-functional teams that leverage employee strengths; proactively takes steps to retain colleagues as employees by building trust and developing their skills; builds relationships internally and externally and uses relationships to build consensus and create results; coaches others and is able to message appropriately, maintaining confidentiality; excels in maneuvering in a complex and political environment.
• Problem Solving/Judgment: Understands and reinforces teams’ use of approved policies and procedures to ensure compliance; looks more broadly across multiple lines of business to identify opportunities and pro-actively solve problems and implement solutions; challenges assumptions, bases decisions on the right mixture of data analysis as well as wisdom and experience.
• Adaptability/Flexibility:  Partners with other colleagues to explore implications of shifting dynamics; communicates in an effort to engage team members and partners in change efforts, explaining the rationale, impacts and benefits of change both vertically and horizontally; involves others in planning and implementing change, keeping them informed of progress; leads with confidence during times of change; drives the implementation and acceptance of change in the workplace, including innovative solutions and alternative approaches for changing circumstances.
• Courage & Conviction: Takes responsibility for team outcomes regardless of success and learns from all results; creates an environment where failure is seen as an opportunity for learning; practices ethical decision making and encourages the same in others; has the courage to hold others accountable for their actions and decisions.
• Donor Centered: Ensures team understands the importance of donor-centered service in accordance with OSUF standards; explains difficult information while focused on the donor’s perspective and level of knowledge.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:  Must use a computer terminal and view a computer screen for extended periods of time.  Must talk in person or by phone (frequently and sometimes for extended periods) to people on campus and across the country.  Must constantly use visual acuity to check printed and designed materials of various types.  Must be able to navigate within the OSU Foundation. Typical office working conditions. Ability to travel regionally and nationally.

Salary : $3,000,000 - $6,000,000