Associate Director of Planned Giving

About Us

Portland State University’s 44-acre downtown campus—with its hundreds of educational and community programs—is one of the key urban institutions that will spark our city’s revitalization. It is no exaggeration to say that our city’s future and vitality depends on PSU students and alumni, more than 150,000 of whom live and work in the metropolitan area.

PSU is one of the most diverse institutions of education in the state, with more than half of its incoming first-year class identifying as BIPOC. Nearly a quarter of its students are parents. Half are the first in their family to attend college. When PSU graduates enter the workforce, families transform, communities prosper, innovation expands, and our economy grows.

There are lots of jobs in development out there. But if you are committed and passionate about changing what is possible for our city and driving in tangible ways toward equitable success for diverse communities, then there is no more meaningful place to bring your talents and your passion than the PSU Foundation. We are a team of colleagues dedicated to advancing PSU’s vital mission and supporting one another’s achievement and learning.

The Opportunity

The Associate Director of Planned Giving works directly with the Senior Director of Planned Giving (SDPG) building a robust planned giving program across the university. This role is pivotal in growing the funnel of planned gifts to support Portland State University’s 2030 Vision strategic plan. The position manages a portfolio of prospects, assists in developing university wide planned gift marketing campaigns, supports the stewardship and engagement program for the Epler Society, a recognition society for donors who’ve included the university in their estate plans. The position will also partner with development colleagues supporting planned giving mini-campaigns for specific schools and colleges.

Position Overview

• Build and maintain a portfolio of prospective and current donors interested in planned giving.
• Develop and implement strong strategies for qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of planned gift donors.
• Increase total planned giving revenue to PSUF
• Develop planned gift proposals, illustrations, impact reports, and other planned gift communications.
• Working with SDPG, develop and implement an Epler Society stewardship and onboarding program.
• Assist SDPG with creating planned giving marketing campaigns including mini-campaigns for specific schools and units.
• In coordination with the SDPG, implement strategies and follow up on the planned giving leads generated by targeted marketing
• campaigns.
• Focus on high-impact opportunities to engage donors in making transformational contributions that benefit students, faculty, programs, and learning spaces.
• Participate in annual and strategic development planning to continuously enhance fundraising efforts and donor engagement.
• Attend and actively contribute to development-related events, representing the PSU Foundation and the university.
• Positively represent the PSU Foundation and Portland State University in public and professional settings, enhancing the organization’s reputation and outreach.

Education & Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum three to five years of relevant fundraising experience, including working knowledge of planned giving
• Experience in higher education preferred, particularly fundraising for a large, public institution or comparably complex organization with multiple stakeholders.
• Familiarity with and a strong commitment to data using CRM and/or donor databases required. Additional training will be provided.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Requirements

• Demonstrated ability in donor portfolio management, closing and stewarding five and six-figure gifts.
• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships, both internal and external to the organization and at every level, including a commitment to forming connections with constituents that are collaborative and multi-faceted.
• Ability to make strong decisions that are informed, ethical, strategic and have a positive impact.
• Experience in, and/or interest in growing specific skills in planned giving.
• Strong interpersonal and conflict resolution skills that lead with a commitment to diverse people and ideas.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and writing skills.
• Self-motivated and require little guidance to tackle projects, tasks and priorities.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to deploy discretion related to confidential information.
• Demonstrate reliable, regular and predictable work attendance.
• Ability to create and collaborate within an equitable and inclusive team environment, and to communicate effectively within the context of diverse behaviors, orientations, identities and cultural backgrounds.
• Demonstrated computer proficiency, including experience using Microsoft Office, Google Applications, Adobe Sign and other paperless management tools.

Other Essential Information

• Department: Development, Planned Giving
• Work Days/Hours: Full Time, 40 hours/week, Monday-Friday
• Work Type: We currently have a hybrid work model at the PSU Foundation. This position will be required to work at least 16-24 hours/week on Portland State University campus and the remainder of the work week may be worked remotely in Oregon or Washington.

Compensation and Benefits

Our compensation philosophy and practices are aligned with our commitment to pay equity and transparency.

The hiring range for this position is $65,000 - $75,000/year. When preparing an offer, we analyze a candidate’s skills, experience, qualifications, as well as internal pay equity.

We believe that a meaningful benefits program promotes holistic well-being for our employees and their families, and we offer one of the leading benefit packages for Nonprofit organizations in Oregon that reflects our values in work-life balance and wellness for our team.

Benefits offerings for full-time employees include:

• 100% employer paid medical coverage on our base-plan for all enrolled employees with additional buy-up plan offered
• 95% employer paid dental and vision coverage
• 34 days of paid time off
• 10 company paid holidays and 1 floating holiday
• Up to 12% employer contributions to an eligible employee’s 401(k) plan after applicable waiting periods
• Employer paid Long Term Disability and Life Insurance coverage
• Portland State University affiliated employee benefits, including tuition discount

Interested in applying? We invite you to submit your application, along with your resume and cover letter, through our website – PSUF Job Opportunities

PSU Foundation is an EEO employer. To learn more about the foundation, our strategic direction and our financial impacts, please visit: https://www.psuf.org/about-psu-foundation