Development Program Specialist

Overview

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA)*, the private fundraising and alumni relations organization for UW-Madison, is recruiting for a self-motivated Development Program Specialist. This position will work within a small team of development operations professionals who support several other campus units, but this position will primarily support the College of Engineering in collaboration with the Senior Development Program Manager.

The Development Program Specialist is a non-exempt role in development operations, requiring initiative, attention to detail, strong organizational abilities, and effective problem-solving skills. This is a hybrid position that will require you to work on-site in our Madison, WI office location at least two days a week.   

Who is WFAA?

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is a private, nonprofit corporation that encourages individuals and organizations to make gifts to the university and to connect with the UW. In 2014, the UW Foundation merged with the Wisconsin Alumni Association® to better serve a growing population of UW alumni and donors. We believe that private support grows out of good relationships between campus leaders, faculty and program staff who need support, and the alumni and friends who want to invest in UW–Madison. We provide important engagement opportunities to link UW–Madison alumni to each other and to their alma mater, building a strong community of Badgers. 

Diversity and Inclusion:

Just as the university community benefits from differing viewpoints, perspectives, and experiences, inclusion and diversity are imperative for the success of our mission. WFAA values people and the differences that they bring to the organization, and creates an environment in which all staff members and constituents feel respected and have opportunities to thrive.  

Essential Functions

Donor and Campus Relations 

• Serve as primary liaison to campus partners, working to build mutually beneficial relationships, improve communication and collaborative teamwork, and increase campus understanding of the development process.
• Act as a development operations liaison with administration and alumni relations in the College of Engineering Office of the Dean to ensure a strong and effective operational partnership between WFAA and the Dean’s office.
• Actively participate in meetings and other activities with campus partners that support unit development efforts.
• Provide directors of development with materials in preparation for donor visits and appropriate follow-up in Constituent Relationship Management (CRM), etc.
• Collaborate with directors of development on donor visits to campus, including on-site logistics, greeting and hosting guests, and responding to miscellaneous needs as they arise.
• Respond to donor and campus questions regarding unit gifts and funds, identifying those inquiries, requests, or issues that require additional review and action.
• Collaborate with directors of development on the drafting, signature routing, and final distribution of gift agreement documentation (e.g. Memoranda of Agreements, Fund Operation Agreements, Pledge Agreements, etc.) in accordance with established WFAA business processes.

  Stewardship 

• Manage and execute stewardship programs, impact reporting, special projects, acknowledgements, and initiatives within the unit, including design work as needed using Canva and other platforms.
• Manage and execute stewardship using the Dean of the College of Engineering’s Kohl Center Suite for sporting events which includes but is not limited to coordinating tickets, communicating with donors, and preparing materials in collaboration with the College’s alumni relations team.
• Work with development operations leadership and directors of development in reviewing and implementing new opportunities for donor stewardship and engagement.
• Coordinate fund administration process and fund stewardship, including all activities related to the creation, documentation, notification, and review of unit funds.
• Coordinate, distribute, and analyze routine gift reports.

  Prospect Data Management 

• Manage stewardship, fund, and constituent activities in CRM.
• Maintain contact updates, donor biographic information, and other constituent management duties.
• Utilize self-service reports and work with the business intelligence team as needed, refine and customize alumni and donor lists for internal and external special mailings, invitations, stewardship projects, donor recognition, etc.

  Office Administration 

• Collaborate with the unit lead and other team members on scheduling, agenda creation, and note taking for regular team meetings.
• Coordinate the direct mailing of solicitations, stewardship projects, announcements, event invitations and advanced administrative needs when necessary or appropriate.
• Suggest areas for process improvement and assist in improvement implementation.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 1 + years of relevant professional work experience, preferably in higher education, non-profit, or fundraising environment. 

Other Qualifications

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and strong attention to detail.
• Ability to judge the relative importance of issues and act independently to address them, applying the appropriate level of urgency to achieve results.
• Self-motivation, a proactive nature, persistence, flexibility, and dependability.
• Ability to work effectively with a team in an entrepreneurial environment and interact well with all internal and external constituents.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure; prioritize and manage multiple and sometimes competing tasks, and maintain a high degree of discretion, tact, poise, professionalism, and diplomacy.
• High degree of proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint); previous experience with database reporting and constituent relationship management software preferred.
• Demonstrates creativity and resourcefulness by identifying and adapting best practices from outstanding donor relations programs, and by designing visually appealing, brand-aligned materials using tools such as Canva. 

At WFAA, we are dedicated to creating an inspiring, creative, and respectful work environment for our employees. We offer competitive pay and an outstanding benefits program, including a generous 10% 401k contribution after just one year of service! Join us and be part of a team that values your growth and well-being. Click here to learn more about our employee benefits! 

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer *The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is the “doing business as” name of the merged organization comprising the University of Wisconsin Foundation (supportuw.org) and the Wisconsin Alumni Association (uwalumni.com). Its legal corporate name is registered as the University of Wisconsin Foundation.