Description:

REPORTS TO

American Academy of Optometry Foundation Chief Executive Officer

SUPERVISES

Manager, Programs and Donor Relations

MAIN PURPOSE

The Director of Development works closely with the AAOF Board of Directors to identify, engage and cultivate significant individual donations, major gifts, and planned gifts. The Director will primarily solicit individual donors for financial support, as well as work with the AAO Director of Corporate Relations to prepare proposals to corporate charitable giving divisions for funding of AAOF programs. Responsible for managing the fundraising efforts of the organization, including but not limited to, prospecting, donor campaign development and management, relationship cultivation, donor recognition, annual gifts, grant writing, budget development and management, and special events management. With Manager, Programs and Donor Relations, coordinates and manages recognition and stewardship activities designed to increase awareness and support of the AAOF and AAO to build and strengthen relationships with donors and donor prospects.

Duties and Responsibilities:

AAOF Board of Directors Work with the Board of Directors to develop a strategic approach for fundraising. Design, implement, and manage a comprehensive and proactive development plan focused on expanding and enhancing Foundation relationships and funding. Work with Board members to identify, engage, cultivate and solicit major gift prospects and donors by establishing long-term partnerships and strengthening existing relationships with individuals and corporate donors that result in funding for immediate and long-term goals of the Foundation. Develop and maintain a fundraising library for use by the Board of Directors including videos, email templates, and other visual resources. Actively promote use of resource library to achieve organizational fundraising goals. Work with the Board of Directors to set expectations, motivate and meet approved goals. Chief Executive Officer and CFO/Deputy Chief Executive Officer Work with the CEO for major gift and industry fund raising. Work with CEO and CFO/Deputy CEO to develop, implement and review strategic goals as approved. Work with CEO and CFO/Deputy CEO to develop and manage the annual budget in partnership with Foundation Secretary/Treasurer and Board of Directors. Communications Partner with the marketing department and Manager, Programs and Donor Relations, to develop and manage a proactive and comprehensive communications plan. Work with Manager, Programs and Donor Relations to provide content for the website and webbased newsletters, the annual report, and print communications. Ensure that all digital materials are kept current. Develop direct response campaigns and appeals, and strategically deliver segmented communications. Ensure that all new pledges and fully paid pledges are acknowledged by Foundation leadership, including Foundation President and CEO.

Philanthropy responsibilities:

Use an entrepreneurial approach to create and maintain a qualified prospect pipeline for the Board of Directors and CEO. Conduct research on prospective individuals and corporate foundations. Responsible for preparing proposals and reports for foundations, major gift donors, and others as assigned. ? Responsible for preparing letters of agreement and terms for pledges and research commitments. Responsible for preparing letters of agreement and terms for pledges and research commitments. Serve as staff liaison to committees and task forces as assigned. Responsible for oversight of Foundation activities including grants, awards and programs. Supports efforts of Director, Corporate Relations to secure funds to support all Foundation programs including Clinical Investigator Certification, Staff Training Fundamentals, Clinical Podcast Series and others. Assist in managing the grants application process. This includes writing grants, submitting grant proposals and letters of request, creating and monitoring grant budgets, outcomes reporting, and budget reconciliation for fund raising efforts of the Foundation. Responsible for evaluating the strengths of existing programs and identifying opportunities for improvement with a goal of elevating development programs to higher performance levels across all metrics. Responsible for managing and maintaining the CIC database and providing support to the CIC program in conjunction with the Manager, Programs and Donor Relations. With the Manager, Programs and Donor Relations, oversee planning and execution of all Foundation events and activities during the Academy annual meeting including: AAOF Celebration of Giving (major gift reception) CIC graduation/industry networking reception Future Focus on Optometry VSP scholarship reception AAOF Awards luncheon Responsible for organizing and staffing the Foundation booth in the exhibit hall during the Academy annual meeting. In partnership with Manager, Programs and Donor Relations, responsible for organizing and staffing the Sale for Sight during the Academy annual meeting. Manage and maintain the acknowledgement program, including lifetime giving and special acknowledgements as necessary. Work with the Finance department and IT staff to ensure that all contributions, pledges and pledge payments are accurately entered in the database. Responsible for preparing regular fundraising reports for the Board of Directors and CEO including but not limited to campaign updates, new pledges, outstanding pledge commitments and progress on pledge payments. With support from Manager, Programs and Donor Relations, develop and maintain annual timeline of Foundation activities using Asana. Other duties as required.

Requirements:

Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred. A minimum of five or more years of development experience with an active major gifts program and CFRE is strongly preferred. Must have an understanding of the principles of donor marketing and fundraising cost-effectiveness, including donor targeting and donor giving opportunity development. Knowledge of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies and techniques is a must. Demonstrated success in developing written communications and materials for a variety of audiences with the ability to inform and edit according to the audience. Should possess the analytical skills necessary to assess and evaluate on-going progress of a development program. Demonstrated ability in grant and proposal writing is strongly desired. Demonstrated knowledge of the methods, practices and procedures for prospect management and of planned giving is required. Experience leading the development and implementation of annual plans and corresponding operational and revenue budgets for fundraising. Must be disciplined, self-motivated, and results-oriented with a positive outlook and a clear focus on high quality major gift pipeline development and have the ability to set and achieve work goals. Proficiency working with association management and fundraising data systems. Demonstrated ability to plan strategically to carry out the vision, goals, and fundraising aspirations of the

AAO/AAOF.

Highly collaborative in approach with a demonstrated ability to work closely with high-level decision makers and other top-level volunteers and staff. Must possess the interpersonal skills necessary for building relationships with external (donors, prospects, volunteers, vendors) and internal (staff) constituents. Strong collaborator who will champion a shared credit model for integrated approaches to donor management. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Must have previous supervisory experience. Experience in the optometric or ophthalmic community is preferred. PI285994491