Staff Opening

Regional Director of Development

Job Title Regional director of Development
Department

Development
Reporting To

Senior director of Development
FLSA Classification

Exempt
Job Category

Regular, Full-Time
Location

Northeast (NY, NJ, CT, DC, MA) and Southern (TX, FL, GA) Regions

About Zaytuna College

Zaytuna College is America’s first accredited Muslim liberal arts college that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. A central goal of the College is to reintegrate the once vital and influential voice of Muslim thought and erudition back into the ongoing conversation of great ideas, which is informed largely by shifting Western values, and to do so within the context of our new, globalized society and in the manner articulated by the College’s mission statement: “to educate and prepare morally committed professionals, intellectuals, and spiritual leaders, who are grounded in the Islamic scholarly tradition and conversant with the cultural currents and critical ideas shaping modern society.

Charged with dramatically increasing both the quality and size of the Zaytuna College prospect pool, the Office of Development plays a key role in the overall growth of private philanthropy for this unique institution. The College is currently seeking a regional director for the Northeast and Southern regions.

The Position

The regional directors will be based in their respective regions and deployed throughout their assigned region to engage existing donors and new prospects to solicit funds for the College. The position will require extensive travel to originate prospect/donor activity and to coordinate all Advancement work in the assigned regions. The regional director will need to work collegially with other Advancement team members. They will carry a portfolio of approximately 65 qualified prospects and are expected to make a minimum of 15 major gift solicitations  ($10,000+) each fiscal year.  

The regional director is expected to be a full and active member of the regional team and of the broader college development team, participating in strategy and planning, and contributing ideas and counsel, particularly as related to their assigned regions. 

The position reports to the senior director of Development, will share a designated staff person supporting him or her, and may supervise an associate director (if one is available in his or her region).

Roles and Responsibilities

With broad latitude for independent judgment, and in coordination with the senior director of development, the regional director will have the following primary day-to-day responsibilities. These are not exclusive or all-inclusive.

Percent of Time Roles and Responsibilities
50%

Effectively manage a major prospect solicitation pipeline. Initiate and/or strengthen relationships with major gift prospects; create strategies for and solicit donors capable of contributing gifts of $10,000 or more, with a focus on gifts of $25,000 and higher. Initial work will likely involve a high number of identification and qualification visits.
20%

Recruit, train, and manage regional campaign cabinets and associated volunteers organized to support major gift activity. Regional cabinets and regional campaign leadership will comprise top major gift donors and prospects in a geographic area. This includes working with the Advancement special events manager on regionally based presidential-level events and major market events.
10%

Develop and continuously update the strategic plan for the assigned region, with the goal of dramatically increasing the size and quality of the prospect pool; the plan will include coordinating activity with other central units (principal and leadership gifts, annual fund, alumni relations, admissions) as well as school/community-based programs.
10%

Either individually or in cooperation with support staff, continuously update the prospect management database with information related to donor strategies, contacts, and results.
5%

Conduct continuing training and professional development, including regular meetings with Development colleagues, faculty, and staff to update “product knowledge”; training on College Development protocols and procedures; technical training on Development’s prospect management system; and honing of professional skills through seminars, conferences, training, and individual mentoring.
5%

Other duties, as required by the senior director of Development.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education/Certification

  • A bachelor’s degree 
  • A track record of success in individual gift fundraising, preferably in higher education, and experience in cultivating and soliciting prospects capable of gifts of $10,000 or more
  • Must be able to travel by car and plane for long-distance business trips
  • Must have the legal right to work in the United States
SKILLS AND ABILITIES
  • Excellent time/territory management skills; preference given to individuals who have worked in a regionally assigned office and have experience with and a passion for working “on the road”
  • Broad knowledge of the principles of fundraising; able to participate in all aspects of the gift cycle: (1) to initiate contact with potential donors; (2) to develop appropriate cultivation strategies for them, including working with volunteers and senior college administrators; (3) to move potential donors in an appropriate and timely fashion toward solicitation and closure; (4) to make solicitations when appropriate; (5) to maintain stewardship contacts with donors 
  • General knowledge of tax laws that have an impact on charitable giving, personal assets, and estates 
  • Superb oral, written, and interpersonal skills 
  • Excellent time management and organizational skills 
  • Solid relationship-building skills; ability to interface with alumni, donors, volunteers, leading faculty, administrators, and trustees 
  • A strong desire to “sell and close”
  • Ability to work collegially within the Office of Development and across all Zaytuna College units 
  • In consultation with the senior director of Development, make one or two multi-day trips per month, sufficient to meet the goal of at least 120 face-to-face visits per year 

Zaytuna College does not provide relocation support. Candidates must live in the immediate area or relocate at their own expense.

OTHER
  • Personal belief in the mission, goals, and objectives of private higher education with a Muslim focus
  • Integrity
  • Self-motivated and self-starting
  • Sophisticated
  • Passionate about and committed to producing activity and dollar results
  • Creative
  • Persistent
  • Optimistic and positive
  • Attention to detail
  • Enthusiastic and high energy
  • Tech savvy
  • Sense of humor
  • Credible/trustworthy
  • Socially and politically savvy

Zaytuna College does not provide relocation support. Candidates must live in the immediate area or relocate at their own expense.

TO APPLY

  • Email all application materials, which must include a resume and a cover letter, to [email protected]. 
  • Include the job title and which region you are applying for in the subject line of your email.

Zaytuna College is an equal opportunity employer.