Chief Advancement Officer

REPORTS TO: President and Dean of Brooklyn Law School

STATUS: Full-time, Exempt

SALARY: $200,000 - $250,000

SUMMARY: The Chief Advancement Officer provides strategic and operational leadership for the Office Advancement, which is comprised of four teams: The Office of Development and Alumni Engagement, the Office of Advancement Services, the Office of Marketing and Communications, and the Office of Events and Community Relations. This individual will manage the Law School’s philanthropic growth by cultivating revenue streams and avenues for fundraising; ensure long-term stability over the growth and expansion of development; create and sustain a positive public brand for the Law School through marketing and communication strategies and the development of relationships with external constituencies; and promote the Law School’s engagement with stakeholders and other community members through events and programming. They will collaborate in this work with the Law School’s leadership and Board of Trustees to further the overall mission of the Law School.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Development and Alumni Engagement:

• Formulate measurable short and long-term goals for the Law School’s fundraising efforts and develop actionable strategies for meeting and exceeding those goals through grants, sponsorships, gifts, donations, and fundraising events.
• Structure, staff and hire for the development team’s needs to achieve the Law School’s development goals.
• Develop fundraising principles, policies, and procedures, including the implementation of performance measures for the development team’s fundraising staff.
• Identify and develop new revenue streams for expansion of the Law School’s fundraising efforts by raising awareness of the Law School and its primary goals through outreach efforts, regular community events, publications, and media relations.
• Cultivate and maintain and grow relationships with existing major donors by implementing a deliberate tailored annual stewardship plan for each major gift donor.
• Develop a plan to increase the participation of alumni giving, both to increase the short-term revenue for the law school, as well as to sustain a pipeline of future major gift donors.
• Track revenue and fundraising trends to predict future opportunities for expansion efforts and avoid downtrends in individual, corporate or foundation gifts.
• Work closely with Law School leadership, including the President and Dean and Board of Trustees, as well as members of the Law School community such as students and faculty to best determine the Law School’s fundraising needs.
• Develop agendas and an annual meeting calendar for the Board of Trustees’ Development Committee, and report to the Board of Trustees on fundraising progress and all other advancement initiatives at regular board meetings as requested.

Advancement Services:

• In partnership with the Director of Advancement Services:
  • Ensure all alumni, event and marketing communication information is update and maintained.
  • In partnership with the Director of Advancement Services, continuously evaluate software tools and platforms to ensure coordination of data maintenance and integrity across advancement teams, and in coordination with finance, the registrar’s office, admissions, financial aid, and other BLS departments.
  • Provide up-to-date information and reports on alumni, fundraising, marketing and communication data, and develop new reports to inform advancement strategy to further the strategic priorities of the school upon request.

Marketing and Communications:

• In partnership with the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications:
  • Oversee the creation of public branding strategies, and structure the marketing and communications team to best approach the implementation and management of those strategies.
  • Oversee brand marketing, direct market research, and industry trend analysis.
  • Manage the communications budget and oversee the writing and editing of event scripts, speeches, promotional materials, other forms of written communication, as well as arranging and staging interviews.
  • Develop and maintain relationships with journalists, public officials, corporate sponsors, and any other constituencies vital to furthering the Law School’s educational mission.

Events and Community Relations:

• In partnership with the Senior Director of Events and Community Relations:
  • Develop and grow events that support and engage the academic, alumni and student community at BLS, including events designed to serve as fundraising events for the school and student organizations.
  • Identify and cultivate relationships with external partners to generate revenue for the law school by mindfully renting out event spaces at BLS in such a way that it does not disrupt the law school’s academic mission.
  • Manage the catering vendor for the law school, and manage all academic, student and alumni event space requests on the law school’s campus.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• A bachelor’s degree is required; a relevant advanced degree in nonprofit management, business or public administration, community development, or public policy preferred.
• At least seven years’ experience in fundraising, public relations, general business management, or a related field; demonstrated experience in managing and implementing a comprehensive development operation and producing charitable contributions.
• Knowledge of non-profit organizations; knowledge of higher education preferred.
• Experience in leadership and project management; short and long-term planning; and supervising departments or large staff.
• Experience formulating, launching, and successfully achieving the goals of a major capital campaign strongly preferred.
• Experience in public relations, communications, and events management strongly preferred.
• Experience with, and working knowledge of, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms like Salesforce.
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills; strong strategic analytical skills; and the ability to relate well to other people, which includes developing and maintaining relationships with the Law School’s internal and external constituencies.
• Must be willing to work weekends and evenings for fundraising and related events; work long hours to meet fundraising deadlines; and travel domestically and internationally to meet with potential donors and other constituents.

Brooklyn law school has an excellent benefits package that includes sick, personal and vacation paid time off, a generous retirement plan, dependent tuition scholarship Pre K- undergraduate college and additional summer Friday PTO.

Brooklyn Law School values a diverse and vibrant community and affirmatively encourages applications from candidates of all backgrounds and life experiences.