Careers

Title: Director, Associate Gift Plan Administration & Stewardship

Department: Gift Planning - Institutional Advancement

Duration: Indefinite

Employment Status: Exempt, Full Time

Job Summary

Reporting to the Senior Director of Gift Planning, the Associate Director of Gift Planning Administration and Stewardship assists the directors in implementing activities that support the planned giving program and help achieve annual fundraising goals. The Associate Director plays a crucial role in the stewardship of planned giving donors and the cultivation of prospective planned giving donors to the College. The Associate Director manages the daily administrative and functional operations of the Office of Gift Planning; supports planned giving proposal writing, gift agreement drafting, and gift analyses for the team and Individual Giving officers as needed; and acts as a liaison with donors, investment managers, attorneys, governmental agencies, and outside vendors. This role also involves working on trust asset reconciliation and handling securities, real estate, IRA, and cash transfers associated with trust and annuity pools; managing estate and trust issues and payment processing; and assisting Marketing & Communications with planned givingspecific materials in coordination with Institutional Advancement’s communications activities. The position requires mature judgment, confidentiality, and the ability to act independently to plan and accomplish goals.

Job Duties

• 30% - Estate and Gift Management: Manages the administration of all gifts payable upon death of a donor (estate gifts, trust distributions, beneficiary designations) to Occidental College. Reviews, analyzes, and interprets estate planning and administration documents, including wills, trust agreements, beneficiary designation forms, probate notices, gift agreements, and fiduciary accountings to protect Occidental’s interest in the estate.  Sets priorities and implements best practices for estate gifts; utilizes both the Business Office, the General Counsel and outside Counsel to effectively and efficiently monitor estates and trusts in which Occidental has an interest and process distributions. Collaborate with estate attorneys, trustees, paralegals, probate court personnel, and others to ensure efficient and proper receipt of estate distributions. Obtains distributions held at financial institutions by researching processes and submitting required forms and documentation with signature by an authorized staff member. Assists with the design of complex gift vehicles through partnerships with Crescendo, Kaspick and the gift planning team. Works with Advancement Services on reporting metrics and donor research. Designs life income gift illustrations with members of the Gift Planning team using relevant software and other tools. Sets up appropriate payment methods on life income gift arrangements: resolves beneficiary payment issues and acts as an intermediary with donors and outside investment managers. - (Essential)
• 30% - Communication and Record Keeping: Proactively communicates with leadership and gift officers, as appropriate, regarding each estate to provide pertinent information and updates; respond to questions about estate gifts as needed. Prepares explanatory memoranda and sends documents to leadership for signature. Creates and maintains current and accurate database records of all pertinent information concerning status of estates, seeking assistance from Advancement Services when necessary; tracks current gift planning donors (Occidental College Legacy Society); collaborates/informs on gift planning reports through Salesforce.  Creates and maintains accurate action and proposal entries in Salesforce; helps draft and track gift planning Gift Agreements and proposals. Contributes to production and editing of marketing materials and assists with vendors. Leads the communications process for deceased Occidental community members, including organizing sympathy messages, tributes, and condolence gifts for their next of kin on behalf of the Office of Gift Planning, Institutional Advancement, and coordinating with the Office of the President. Prepares expense reports; pays expenses for Office of Gift Planning; reallocates resources as needed -(Essential)
• 30% - Stewardship and Fundraising: Supports the stewardship of current and prospective donors. Manages a portfolio of Legacy Society members and prospective members that require stewardship and cultivation for annual gifts and planned gift documentation. Responds to inquiries with professional, welcoming demeanor, supports information on a wide range of planned giving vehicles, provides suggested forms of bequest language. Prepare proposals, thank you letters and other general correspondence; Assist with contact reports when necessary. Obtains and shares donor/family information and explanation of estate gift in order for internal colleagues to provide appropriate stewardship and acknowledgment of gifts. Provides assistance for donor meetings including personal tours, donor recognition gifts, arranges special lunches, dinners and meetings; Provides support for donors events. Assist directors with planning donor visits/trips. - (Essential)
• 10% - Institutional Advancement Duties: Serves as a member of the Gift Planning team and a resource to all Institutional Advancement and campus partner team members about various estate gifts, asset transfers and audit issues and other matters. Understands the mission and priorities of the Office of Institutional Advancement Adhere to the principles of ethics and standard practices as articulated in the Council for Advancement and Support of Advancement (CASE) Donor Bill of Rights from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Participate fully during the planning and execution of "tent-pole events" including but not limited to Homecoming and Family Weekend and Reunion Weekend - (Essential)

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, fundraising and development, marketing, communications or other fields related to position responsibilities.
• Six years of progressively responsible experience in a Development/Advancement or in a legal/trust field.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of development and fundraising with an understanding of individual giving programs.
• Ability to adapt to a variety of cultures and customs to engage donors and potential donors in philanthropic conversations.
• Ability to handle confidential information in a discrete and professional manner.
• Ability to analyze, synthesize and organize data, and present findings in a comprehensible manner for different audiences.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google drives/folders/forms, Adobe Acrobat, Web Editing, and social media applications or any combination of productivity programs applicable to position responsibilities.
• Demonstrated ability to be detail-oriented and thorough; skilled at anticipating and preventing potential problems and handling a wide variety of tasks with efficiency and accuracy.
• Strong commitment to a quality work product.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate verbally, in writing and electronically. Effective interpersonal skills as evidenced in the ability to collaborate with a variety of constituencies.
• Demonstrated commitment to justice, equity, inclusion & diversity.
• Demonstrated skill in adapting to and performing work effectively in high-volume, high accountability, confidential environment with multiple and changing priorities.
• Effective organizational, logistical, time management and planning skills with the ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks/projects simultaneously, prioritize and fulfill the functions of an office in a timely manner.
• Ability to self-motivate and work independently.
• Ability to provide effective leadership and training, and to work effectively and professionally across functions, disciplines, levels, and with diverse groups.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced certification (recognizing certifications including CFRE, CSPG, etc.).
• Experience in higher education with familiarity of highly selective liberal arts college. Knowledge of planned giving terminology.
• Familiarity in planned giving software (PG Calc, Crescendo)

EXPECTED HIRING RANGE:  $70,304/yr-$90,000/yr

If you are offered this position at Occidental College, your final base salary compensation will be determined based on factors such as skills, education, experience, and/or geographic location. In addition to those factors, Occidental complies with applicable pay equity laws and considers internal equity among current employees when developing the final offer. Please keep in mind that the range mentioned above is the base salary range for the role. Hiring at the maximum of the range would not be typical in order to allow for future and continued salary growth.  We also offer a generous compensation and benefits package.