Executive Director of Development, Penn Libraries

Executive Director of Development, Penn Libraries

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of Americas Best Large Employers in 2023. Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play. The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Position Summary : Reporting jointly to the H. Carton Rogers III Vice Provost and Director of Libraries, and the Associate Vice President for University Development, Development and Alumni Relations (DAR), the Libraries Executive Director of Development is responsible for the overall conceptualization, planning, and execution of a coordinated program of fundraising and donor communications for the Penn Libraries. As the lead fundraiser for the program, the Executive Director of Development is also responsible for growing and maintaining a robust overall pool and individual pipeline of prospects, donors, and volunteer leaders on the Libraries behalf. The Executive Director of Development serves as an integral member of the Vice Provosts senior leadership team and plays a key leadership role. They will work closely with the Vice Provost, senior leadership team, the Board of Advisors, other volunteer groups to promote their active involvement in the fundraising process, and orchestrating the use of their time and talent to advance the Libraries quest for gift and grant support, as well as further Penn alumni engagement and public awareness. In addition, the Executive Director of Development partners intimately with the Director of Strategic Communications, who is responsible for developing and fostering a comprehensive, technology-rich strategic marketing and communications plan to promote the services, collections, and programs of the Penn Libraries to an external audience, including but not limited to current members of the Penn community (faculty, staff, students, administrators); Penn Alumni; Penn parents; private, public, and governmental agencies; other research libraries and more. As part of the University of Pennsylvanias hybrid centralized / decentralized DAR structure, the Executive Director of Development also serves as a valued member of Central DARs University Development Program and will be included in leadership planning within the program. Within this structure, the Executive Director of Development has responsibility for cultivating and sustaining deeply collaborative relationships with Central DAR programs and colleagues in order to fully activate the additional capacity of the Universitys centralized functions. Duties also include supervision, mentoring, and professional development of a staff of four FTEs and one dotted line report who lead the major gift fundraising, gift-in-kind, volunteer leadership, annual giving, stewardship, events, and donor communications programs for the School.

Job Responsibilities :

• Lead a coordinated and comprehensive program of institutional advancement that includes : developing and executing multi-year strategic plans involving development and communications-related initiatives; managing staff and budgets; maintaining and analyzing data in support of strategic planning; developing effective cases for support for institutional priorities that hinge to the Universitys strategic fame work : In Principle and Practice; building meaningful volunteer and donor engagement opportunities; overseeing a broad-based annual giving program pointed at both alumni and non-alumni friends of the Libraries; organizing development events and visibility opportunities in support of strategic initiatives; planning and executing campaigns as needed.
• Coordinate a robust annual calendar of development and engagement events that includes : bi-annual meetings of the Board of Advisors; Spring Leadership Celebration Dinner; regional cultivation events in major hubs (New York, Miami, and Los Angeles); reunion, homecoming, and family weekend events on campus; virtual and hybrid programs to cultivate and identify new donors; others as determined by programmatic needs, such as donor-funded programs and campaign-specific events.
• Understand and guide a complex program of cultivation and stewardship for gifts-in-kind, or scholarly materials that the Libraries wishes to accept. Gifts-in-kind may have significant cash values, complex copyright implications, and often require specialized expertise from within and outside of the University.
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward the Libraries top prospects and manage a pipeline of these top prospects. Engage the Vice Provost, senior staff, board, and volunteers in executing the required cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities to advance the Libraries quest for gift and grant support as well as alumni and donor engagement.
• Expand and strengthen the Libraries fundraising pool and pipeline of potential new donors through sophisticated methods of entrepreneurial prospecting including data analysis, internal prospect research, collaboration with the Central DAR frontline, sourcing leads through board members and other volunteers, etc. Organize practical strategies to secure funding from such sources.
• With the Vice Provost and in collaboration with both Central DAR and the Office of the University Secretary, establish a plan to manage, engage, and expand the Libraries Board of Advisors, its premier volunteer organization. Responsibility for managing and staffing the Chair of the Board and key Board leaders in a timely and efficient manner.
• Manage and lead a staff to achieve optimum results by : communicating financial and key performance indicators and results to direct reports; establishing priorities and goals for each staff member; managing staffing needs and identifying areas for organizational development updates or changes; guiding the talent identification and professional development needs, processes, and outcomes within the department; setting clear performance expectations and holding staff accountable for outcomes through frequent feedback and coaching; ensuring open communication among staff, practicing team building efforts and holding regular staff meetings that promote belonging and engagement. Inspiring and motivating staff to achieve optimum results.
• Supervise and mentor the Development staff to sustain the successful achievement of departmental and individual goals, foster a strong team culture, and further professionally develop individual staff members.
• Serve as a member of the Vice Provosts senior administrative leadership team and collaborate with other senior Libraries leaders on schoolwide priorities. Collaborate with colleagues and partners throughout the Universitys Central Development and Alumni Relations department as well as other schools and centers across Penn to communicate priorities, collaborate around key strategies and solicitations, provide data, coordinate external activities, and otherwise maximize the Universitys DAR capacity in support of the Libraries development and engagement efforts.

Qualifications :

Bachelor of Science and 7 to 10 years of successful fund-raising and leadership experience, including a proven record of success in securing six and seven figure gifts with increasingly more responsible fund-raising duties or equivalent combination of education and experience is required, preferably at a major educational or cultural institution. Masters degree preferred. Familiarity and appreciation of the role and mission of the Penn Libraries and its relationship to the University as well as understanding the importance of academic research libraries; capacity to articulate that role and interact comfortably with those individuals and constituency groups crucial to the advancement of the Penn Libraries. Demonstrated track record in the identification, cultivation, and stewardship of leadership and major gifts ($100,000+). Strong management and program administration skills and the ability to establish objectives, set performance standards, and organize and motivate staff, faculty, and volunteers to achieve fund-raising goals. Demonstrated experience in establishing effective relationships with volunteers. Strong written and oral communication skills. Adaptability, flexibility, and diplomacy. High motivation and a capacity for hard work within the context of a goal-driven environment. A demonstrated ability to analyze funding sources and relate their potential to the units long range goals; more particularly, to organize practical strategies to bring closure to gift and grant opportunities is required. Ability to function well independently, yet relate comfortably to a centralized framework for fund raising, participating in and contributing to a total team effort. Travel and evening work required.

Job Location - City, State : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School : Development and Alumni Relations

Pay Range : $133,000.00 - $200,000.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidates qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the jobs level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any class protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

Special Requirements : Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits :