Our Mission

We in Boston University Development & Alumni Relations (DAR) harness the power of philanthropy to make an excellent education accessible and welcoming to all, and to advance BU’s global leadership in research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice. To support our work, we have built—and are continuing to build—an outstanding team of dynamic, mission-driven advancement professionals who constantly strive to create an environment where everyone belongs. Where it’s not just about a job, but a career and a community.

Now, our Planned Giving team is looking for an Assistant Director who will be responsible for assisting planned giving efforts while directly supporting the department strategy and initiatives.

Planned Giving At Boston University

The Planned Giving office functions as a frontline fund-raising team that focuses on securing alumni gift commitments through estate plans, trusts and other entities as well as helping donors who wish to gift non-traditional assets, e.g. real estate, privately held securities, artwork, etc.

Assistant Director, Planned Giving Stewardship

The Assistant Director will assist in developing and executing on best practices for legacy society stewardship, events, and volunteer leadership strategy. Other key responsibilities include providing excellent donor service and supporting the efforts of the frontline planned giving officers. The Assistant Director must work cooperatively with a wide variety of colleagues and external constituents, including faculty, staff, and alumni, to help execute strategies and work toward overall division goals.

Responsibilities

Legacy Society Stewardship

• Develop and execute a comprehensive stewardship plan for legacy society members to thank them and keep them engaged with the University. This includes scheduling and overseeing thoughtful outreach such as legacy society welcome packets, gift items, thank you videos, birthday cards, holiday cards, special invitations to alumni events, condolence cards and ongoing stewardship of family members.
• Support regional gift officers in stewardship activities, including donor visits. Identify planned gift donors for additional or increased outright and planned gift solicitation.

Events Management

• Organize and manage flagship events for legacy society members including annual fall and spring events on campus. Coordinate the technical aspects of virtual and hybrid gatherings. Work with internal partners and external vendors to secure facilities, catering, AV requirements, etc. Lead post-event follow up such as thank you messaging, attendee surveys, and gift items.
• Develop and execute strategy for select regional events for Claflin Society members and high level planned giving prospects, some domestic travel for events may be required.

Leadership Volunteer Engagement

• Execute strategy to create leadership volunteer opportunities for high level planned gift donors.
• Manage all activities related to leadership volunteers, including scheduling and overseeing meetings, reporting activities, providing resources to volunteers and planning follow up.

Lead Generation and Prospect Qualification

• Execute initiatives to identify and qualify new planned giving prospects including through the planned giving website, third-party vendor surveys, and communication pieces. Assist in management of dashboards and the pipeline of leads for the frontline planned giving officers.
• Track and analyze lead generation efforts and make data-driven recommendations to improve effectiveness and increase ROI.

Training and Other Duties

• Participate in training sessions on planned giving topics offered to new employees as well as refresher sessions.
• Assist in supervising work-study students.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Skills

A cover letter is required for consideration.

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of three years of relevant experience
• Knowledge of relevant computer software and strong familiarity with donor-focused CRM systems.
• Extraordinary attention to detail and high level of discretion. Must be highly organized and able to manage confidential information. Excellent project management skills and follow through.
• Capacity to work in a fast-paced environment involving high-level stakeholders; ability to multi-task and prioritize effectively.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills, both in person, on the phone, and virtually.

But that’s not all we’re looking for; we want someone who embodies our values:

• Teamwork, transparency, and mutual respect , because we value every member’s contributions and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion , and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
• Integrity in how we work and how we treat one another.
• Strategic thinking and curiosity in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
• Continuous growth and improvement , both as individuals and as a team.
• Joy and shared appreciation for working hard toward goals that matter.

If this resonates with you and you want to help us in our ambitious next campaign—and maybe do some of your best work as an advancement professional— we encourage you to apply. **** If you are hesitant to apply because you have not previously performed every responsibility listed in the description, but you do possess transferable skills and the defined qualifications, we still want to hear from you and welcome your application as well.

To learn more about Development & Alumni Relations at Boston University, and other job opportunities, please stop by the DAR Talent website: **** https://www.bu.edu/dar-talent/.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you require a reasonable accommodation in order to complete the employment application process, please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at 617-358-1796.

Required Experience

A cover letter is required for consideration.

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of three years of relevant experience
• Knowledge of relevant computer software and strong familiarity with donor-focused CRM systems.
• Extraordinary attention to detail and high level of discretion. Must be highly organized and able to manage confidential information. Excellent project management skills and follow through.
• Capacity to work in a fast-paced environment involving high-level stakeholders; ability to multi-task and prioritize effectively.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills, both in person, on the phone, and virtually.

But that’s not all we’re looking for; we want someone who embodies our values:

• Teamwork, transparency, and mutual respect , because we value every member’s contributions and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion , and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
• Integrity in how we work and how we treat one another.
• Strategic thinking and curiosity in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
• Continuous growth and improvement , both as individuals and as a team.
• Joy and shared appreciation for working hard toward goals that matter.

If this resonates with you and you want to help us in our ambitious next campaign—and maybe do some of your best work as an advancement professional— we encourage you to apply. **** If you are hesitant to apply because you have not previously performed every responsibility listed in the description, but you do possess transferable skills and the defined qualifications, we still want to hear from you and welcome your application as well.

To learn more about Development & Alumni Relations at Boston University, and other job opportunities, please stop by the DAR Talent website: **** https://www.bu.edu/dar-talent/.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you require a reasonable accommodation in order to complete the employment application process, please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at 617-358-1796.