Assistant Manager/Manager, Major Gifts

Who we are

As Singapore's first institute for lifelong learning, the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) champions inclusivity to bring education to all and ensure that they are given equal opportunities to develop to their fullest potential in our diverse learning environment.

We advocate for the same for our people. We believe everyone should have equal opportunities and develop to their fullest potential in their careers.

Embark on an exciting lifelong journey with us in making a positive difference in your career and serving our society.

For more information on Singapore University of Social Sciences, please visit www.suss.edu.sg

About the job

Advancement Office is seeking an Asst Manager/ Manager who will be a strategic collaborator in identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding lead donors, which include high-net-worth individuals, corporations and foundations.

 The incumbent reports to the Director and will manage a portfolio of potential and current donors to the university. He/she will be responsible for facilitating all phases of the gift cycle, including initiating contact, cultivating and moving potential donors to solicitation and closure, creating solicitations, writing proposals, and stewarding donors. The ideal candidate is a skilled relationship-builder, results-oriented, creative and enthusiastic while being extremely collaborative, organised and strategic.

 He/she will support the Director in identifying and implementing strategies for success in securing significant philanthropic support and work collaboratively with key volunteers, leadership and faculty and colleagues to cultivate donors for university priorities.

What you will be doing

​​​​​​​Key Responsibilities: ​​​​​​​

• Identify and cultivate major gift prospects, including developing ways to find new prospects and following up on inquiries regarding significant gifts to the university.
• Personally solicit assigned donor portfolio completely in its entirety through face-to-face visits, including preparation of personalised materials.
• Proactively identify, develop and deliver engagement opportunities to donors to ensure the maximisation of their financial and non-financial support.
• Research, develop, and write funding proposals and appeal letters as required.
• Be accountable for meeting or exceeding established monthly fundraising goals and metrics.
• Serve as a primary contact point for prospective donors in the assigned portfolio and effectively manage them through personal visits, correspondence, and electronic and telephone communication.
• Be accountable for cultivating relationships of individual and organisational giving with a focus on retention, recapture, and growth.
• Collaborate with colleagues in major gifts, annual giving, planned giving, corporate and foundation giving, donor relations, advancement communications, prospect research, and alumni engagement to develop and maintain a coordinated approach in support of overall departmental and university-wide goals.
• Develop a cultivation and solicitation strategy for each prospect under management and enter call reports for each completed action in a timely manner.
• Timely completion of gift agreements, or other forms of donor intents to document donor commitments.
• Assist in hosting various development and alumni events, such as homecoming, alumni weekend and donor cultivation and recognition events.

Job Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum 3 years experience in partnership, sales and marketing roles involving multiple stakeholder engagement; preference for individuals with direct fundraising experience.
• Proactive, energetic personality who enjoys meeting with donors, and partners and multi-tasking between partners, various teams and key stakeholders.
• Ability to manage a mixed portfolio of individual, corporate, and prospective donors involving considerable face-to-face meetings.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal and written skills and the ability to collaborate, build alliances and achieve results within a population that may possess competing interests, opinions, and /or expectations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; effective organisational skills and strong detail orientation; the ability to speak and present credibly and effectively about higher education and the goals and mission of the university.
• A high degree of customer service orientation, personal motivation and commitment to values that support the university’s philanthropic mission and vision.
• Demonstrate strong active listening skills and ability to negotiate positive outcomes.
• An ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality with respect to prospects and donors.
• Good knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and donor database software

What Do We Offer

At SUSS, we advocate the Spirit of Learning and pride ourselves as lifelong learners. You will gain access to various learning platforms and plenty of development opportunities to support your growth in a meaningful career!

Besides that, you will also get:

• Competitive Pay Package
• Hybrid Work Arrangement (Subject to Job Role)
• Medical Benefits
• Flex Benefits
• Family Care Leaves
• Volunteer Service Leaves
• Wellness & Recreation Activities
• Lifelong Learning Opportunities
• Career Development Opportunities through Internal Job Postings and Transfers