Assistant Director of Advancement

College of Fine and Applied Arts

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Based in Urbana-Champaign with hybrid opportunities

The College of Fine and Applied Arts is dedicated to the advancement, practice, and understanding of the arts. The central focus of the college is the synergy between research and the preparation of students for professional careers in the creation and interpretation of the environmental, visual, and performing arts. Deeply related to that focus is the commitment to elevate and sustain the study of the arts as both a necessary mode of understanding and a vibrant expression of human experience within the local, national, and international communities.

Organizational Relationship

The Assistant Director of Advancement reports to the Senior Director for Advancement and will work closely with advancement colleagues, the Heads of the departments and members of the faculty. The primary responsibility of this role is to secure private leadership annual giving (LAG) support from the college’s alumni and patrons of its premier public presenting and exhibiting institutions, such as the Krannert Art Museum, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, and Japan House. The Assistant Director of Advancement will play a critical role to maximize overall support and opportunities for collaborative giving and serve as a member of the advancement team in the College.

Job Summary

This position will assist the College and its departments in designing strategies to broaden and strengthen advancement activities and leadership annual giving with donors through digital and/or print communications, phone calls, video conferencing (Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, FaceTime, etc.) and in-person meetings. The position will also be responsible for the advancement efforts with the “I ❤️ The Arts” student philanthropy program, young alumni fundraising, and crowdfunding initiatives. The position will require some travel of varying durations and locations, up to 25%, including some evenings and weekends. The successful candidate will be a collaborative team member who values inclusion and is skilled at building strong internal and external collaborative relationships.

Duties and Responsibilities

Identify, assess, analyze, and design appropriate strategies for approaching prospects and donors and making the vitally important match between donors’ philanthropic interests and the departments’ programmatic and curricular needs. Plan and implement effective outreach and cultivation activities to enhance prospect identification and move solicitation and stewardship processes forward. Qualify, cultivate, solicit,and steward a portfolio of leadership annual giving prospects, with an emphasis on gifts between $10,000 and $24,999, determining frequency of contact needed. Work with leadership annual giving donors and prospects capable of making major gifts ($25,000 and higher) and partnering with major gift officers in identifying any possible major gift donors and prospects. Document all activities and interactions in the alumni/donor database.

Develop and maintain close collaborative partnerships with faculty and staff to gain a strong knowledge of the academic and research programs to identify and define priorities to be funded through private support. Partner closely with other advancement professionals, including gift officers, stewardship and donor relations, alumni relations, and corporate relations professionals.

Determine and prioritize lists of donor prospects, alumni,and other stakeholders to be contacted for meetings and solicitations.

Prepare and educate unit volunteer leadership and advisory boards, faculty members, and other unit volunteers to participate in cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of leadership annual gifts as needed.

Impact in Your First Year

At Advancement at Illinois, we value our employees and provide resources to help you continually learn and grow. We foster a strong, collaborative community of people who are driven by their ability to make a difference.

Within 3 months, you’ll:

1. Become familiar with the strategic vision and priorities of FAA
2. Meet your assigned Prospect Development Analyst and begin to dig into your portfolio
3. Attend professional development and networking activities for newcomers within Advancement
4. Be introduced to fundraising fundamentals and terminology adopted from Plus Delta Partners

Within 6 months, you’ll:

1. Begin contacting and cultivating relationships with key prospects/donors/alumni to create and implement solicitation strategies
2. Partner with stewardship and donor relations, events, alumni relations, and communications colleagues on department and College-wide initiatives
3. Be able to share multiple meaningful impact stories of transformative gifts

By the end of the first year, you’ll:

1. Cooperatively set annual goals with your supervisor and portfolio management team
2. Continue portfolio growth of qualified prospects and successful solicitation strategies
3. Receive one-on-one coaching from People and Culture to help transition to your new role
4. Build a robust network of colleagues across campus

Required Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree
2. A minimum of two years of successful advancement experience or three years of experience in a closely related field which requires strong relationship-building and outcome-driven components.
3. Experience working in a collaborative, team-oriented environment

Preferred Qualifications

1. Documented success as a fundraiser
2. Experience fundraising in higher education or in the arts

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

1. Ability to communicate effectively and collaborate with others in a professional environment.
2. Demonstrated ability to represent an organization in meetings with key constituents
3. Strong relationship building and management skills

Salary

This is a 100% full-time Academic Professional position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after the closing date. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience while also considering internal equity. The budgeted salary range is $65,000-$70,000.

To Apply

To ensure full consideration, application materials must be received by April 14, 2026. The expected start date is as soon as possible after the close date. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting and upload a resume, cover letter, and the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of three professional references. Applications not submitted through the http://jobs.illinois.edu site will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact Zsayla Brummett at zbrummet@illinois.edu and/or visit our How To Apply site for application tips. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

Please note: This position is not eligible for any type of sponsorship for work authorization.

The University of Illinois offers a very competitive benefits portfolio, depending on the position. Click for a complete list of Employee Benefits.

The Illinois Advancement community is committed to creating inclusive environments and practices that support engagement from individuals with a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. We will respect and encourage different voices, perspectives and ideas as we strive to represent individuals of all backgrounds and cultures which includes but are not limited to the following: nationality, ethnicity, race, gender,sexuality, spirituality, age and ability who represent our alumni, donors and friends of the University of Ill...