Associate Director of Planned Giving

Department: Advancement and Alumni Relations

Classification: Administrative Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The University Advancement division is a comprehensive development and alumni relations enterprise with a staff complement of approximately 135 FTE. Functional units within Advancement include development/fundraising, alumni relations, stewardship and donor relations, advancement communications, special events, gift processing, research, prospect management, gift planning, corporate and foundation relations, information systems and management, and infrastructure services.

Advancement's mission is to build strong, lifelong relationships with George Mason University's alumni and constituents, while matching their philanthropic interests with the university aspirations and priorities. The division is committed to serving the needs of the university, our alumni, and the greater community by providing access to quality education and lifelong learning. Respect, service, integrity, collaboration, diversity, transparency, and creativity are the values that guide our work and culture.

About the Position:

The Associate Director of Planned Giving has the primary responsibilities of maintaining a personal portfolio of planned-giving donors and supporting the comprehensive fundraising campaign. The Associate Director’s primary responsibilities include working closely with the Director of Planned Giving, Deans, Faculty, and Senior Staff members to develop fundraising priorities and strategies. The position also partners with Advancement colleagues to advance philanthropic giving to key priorities. The Associate Director follows up on leads generated from planned giving outreach, and coordinates with various schools/colleges/units.

This is a position that is heavily focused on networking and building relationships and committed to the tracking of measures and metrics to build a pipeline of donors to support the aspirations of the University as a whole.

This position has regional and national travel which may include overnights and weekends.

Responsibilities:

Maintain Personal Portfolio and Support Comprehensive Fundraising Program 

• Carry and manage a portfolio of planned giving donors and prospects for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship;
• Implement short- and long-term planned giving goals and strategies to build upon existing commitments and expand the current donor base pipeline to support George Mason University;
• Support the overall long-term financial strength and support of the University by visiting with donors and prospective donors about a variety of gift possibilities, particularly deferred and planned gifts;
• Follows leads generated from planned giving outreach;
• Assists Director of Planned Giving with complex leads generated;
• As appropriate, is personally responsible for the direct solicitation of gifts and for preparing the CDO, Deans, members of School/College’s advisory boards, members of the school’s Advancement team, faculty, staff, and other members of the School and/or University to make solicitations;
• Works with offices across campus to coordinate related activities that further the University’s mission and achieve fundraising goals; and
• Conducts discovery visits with prospective donors as identified by Central Advancement Research and will also hand-off or disqualify individuals from their portfolio based on an unwillingness to connect, lack of affinity, or philanthropic interest in another aspect of Mason.

Coordinate with Central Advancement and Schools/Colleges/Units 

• Coordinates fundraising with other departments and utilizes services as appropriate;
• Ensures consistent and adequate communication between School/Unit and Central Advancement; and
• Works closely with Central Advancement services including, but not limited to Annual Giving, Parents and Family Philanthropy, University Priorities, Alumni Relations, Communications, Systems, Operations, Donor Relations, Gifts and Records, etc. 

Other Duties as Assigned within the scope of the role 

• Attend fundraising events, as needed;
• Conduct trainings and seminars for colleagues to enhance knowledge around planned giving;
• Regional and national travel which may include overnights and weekends;
• The ability and willingness to travel utilizing standard, commercial, and/or personal modes of transportation; and
• The ability to work nights and weekends to attend university events as needed. 

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field;
• Considerable (generally three – five years) experience designing and executing planned giving-level donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies;
• Considerable (generally three – five years) successful professional advancement and/or fundraising-related experience or any equivalent combination of education and/or experience;
• Experience with successful collaboration with teams or stakeholders;
• Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously and meeting continuous deadlines;
• Experience documenting appropriate information in a donor management database system; 
• Experience interacting with a wide variety of constituents, such as, donors, prospects, trustees, and faculty and staff;
• Demonstrated verbal and written communication skills;
• Demonstrated writing skills associated with proposals, solicitation letters, etc.;
• Ability to interact positively with a wide range of constituencies in person, via telephone, email and in writing;
• Strong interpersonal skills necessary to build relationships with internal and external constituents;
• Ability to handle highly personal information and maintain confidentiality;
• Excellent research, writing and interpersonal communication skills;
• Familiarity with CRM fundraising software; and
• Possess understanding and the ability to articulate, the accomplishments and goals of a complex organization.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Significant (generally six – nine years) experience in major gifts fundraising, preferably in higher education;
• Skill in Salesforce; and
• Familiarity with MicroStrategy, or similar reporting platform.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Associate Director of Planned Giving at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references, one of which must be a current supervisor, with contact information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.

Posting Open Date: May 30, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  June 13, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes