Executive Search for the
Associate Dean
for Development and Alumni Affairs
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
October 2014
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School of Journalism and Mass Communication
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Position Description: Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Affairs
http://www.jomc.unc.edu/
Applications will be accepted until position is filled.
Position Summary
The Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Affairs (AD) serves as the chief development
leader for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication with primary responsibility for
planning and implementing a diversified fundraising strategy, managing a portfolio of top
donors and prospects and working closely with the Dean in managing her own portfolio of
high-impact donors and prospects. The Associate Dean leads a team in developing and
maintaining effective relationships with major donors and prospects, corporations,
foundations, students, parents, alumni, and School and University faculty and staff. The
Associate Dean will lead and manage the JOMC Foundation Board and the School’s Board of
Advisers. Both boards are composed of corporate and media leaders, philanthropists, alumni
leaders and educators, all dedicated to making the School the nation’s leading resource for
media and journalism education and research.
Under the Dean’s leadership a new strategic plan has been put into place and the University
will soon be launching a new capital campaign. To move forward on all fronts the Dean needs
an entrepreneurial fundraising leader with the vision, talent and management skills to take
the School’s fundraising operations to a new and greater level of success. This person must
be a leader who can create a new base upon which to build a fundraising enterprise that can
take advantage of the dynamic industry changes from traditional media to the new digitallybased media. This person must also be able to seize the great potential of a committed and
growing corps of alumni.
Background
The UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication is a recognized national leader in
training the next generation of media professionals – journalists, strategic communicators,
teachers and researchers – and serving journalism and communication professionals. The
Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications calls the School
“one of the premier programs in journalism and mass communication.” Led since 2012 by an
energetic and innovative Dean, Susan King, the School and its 48-member award-winning
faculty are famously devoted to student success. The School values the core principles of
journalism and media education, research and service while continually breaking new ground
in the digital communications environment. The faculty is a unique mix of strong
practitioners and expert academicians who collaborate in a creative and supportive culture.
This is a highly engaged school with a significant and growing voice in the evolving issues that
shape our world.
The School offers bachelor’s, master's and doctoral degrees and administers a variety of
professional development and distance learning programs. Enrollment comprises 780
undergraduates and approximately 135 graduate students in addition to professional
development and distance education students. The School has more than 10,000 alumni living
and working throughout the U.S. and more than 40 countries. The curriculum prepares
students for successful careers in journalism, advertising, public relations and other
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communications fields, with specializations offered in editing and graphic design, electronic
communication (television and radio broadcasting), multimedia, photojournalism, reporting,
advertising, public relations and strategic communication. Programs in business journalism,
Latino journalism and media, science and medical journalism, sports communication, health
communication and a joint M.A./J.D. degree produce graduates with an extraordinary depth
of training and expertise.
The School is served by several volunteer boards, including the JOMC Foundation Board that
oversees the School’s $40 million endowment, the national Board of Advisers, the Journalism
Alumni and Friends Association and a new Parents Council.
The School has a projected budget of $11 million, of which an average of $3.5 million is
provided through private fundraising and endowment support. In 2013 and 2014 the faculty
and staff engaged in strategic planning to guide the School’s priorities and goals for the next
five years.
The School of Journalism and Mass Communications is housed in Carroll Hall on the beautiful
and historic Polk Place quad. Carroll Hall is equipped with state-of-the-art classrooms, labs
and media production facilities. It is home to the extensive Park Library; the Charles Kuralt
Learning Center; the Reese News Lab; the N.C. Halls of Fame for journalism, advertising and
public relations; and the Freedom Forum Conference Center.
Position Highlights
The Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Affairs must be an experienced and
energetic senior development leader with the vision, talent and management skills to take
the School’s fundraising operations to a much higher plane. Although the School has a history
of successful fundraising, its true potential has yet to be reached. The School’s next
Associate Dean will be in the position to create a new foundation upon which to build a
fundraising enterprise that can take advantage of the dynamic industry changes from
traditional media to the new digitally-based media and communications methods and can
seize the great potential of a committed and growing alumni base. The School is in the
process of changing its name to the School of Media and Journalism to reflect these changes
in the industry, offering a stellar opportunity to connect with the School’s donors and alumni,
educate them on the new media environment, and further cultivate their support of the
School.
The AD must be an accomplished fundraiser with a history of identifying, cultivating and
closing gifts of $100,000 or more on a regular basis as well as a track record of securing
seven-figure gifts. Excellent time management skills will be essential for the next AD to
succeed balancing his/her own portfolio while managing a fundraising program and the
administrative demands of working within a university setting.
The development staff, which together cover annual fund and special gifts, alumni relations
and development, stewardship and program administration is relatively young in its tenure,
all having been hired since 2012. They are dedicated to the School and are eager to move
forward with a new leader who can bring strong planning and implementation skills and
clarity to job responsibilities. The program needs clear, ambitious annual fundraising goals
and a leader who knows how to mentor staff toward meeting those goals within a
collaborative and supportive environment. Events have played a significant role in
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development activities and the new AD will need to understand the purposes of these events
and build them into a new development plan.
Last year (FY13/14), the development team raised $2.7 million including $2 million from
Foundations, $460,000 from alumni, $188,000 from corporations and $108,000 from other
individuals and sources. In the previous year, the team’s total was nearly $4 million due to a
$1 million estate gift. With its outstanding reputation in the media field, large student body
and impressive alumni base, the School is positioned for significant growth in its annual and
endowment fundraising through an increase in major gifts. Planned giving experience is not a
specific requirement, although having the wisdom and know-how to build this program and
the ability to collaborate well with University planned giving staff is an important part of the
School’s diversified fundraising strategy.
The University is in the planning stages for a multi-billion-dollar capital campaign. In the last
comprehensive campaign ending in 2004, the School successfully raised $35 million. The
School’s faculty, staff and Dean recently completed a 5-year strategic plan that will become
the foundation of a fundraising plan as the School prepares for the new campaign. The new
AD, while being visionary and entrepreneurial in his/her approach to generating new funding,
will also benefit from patience and equanimity when presented with the inevitable
bureaucracy inherent in a campaign process undertaken by an organization as large and
diverse as UNC.
To succeed generally and in the upcoming capital campaign, it is critical for the AD to work
well and in close partnership with the Dean. The Dean needs a leader and partner who
prepares her for all stages of the development process from cultivation to ask to stewardship
with the School’s most important prospects and donors. The AD needs to be a person the
Dean can trust, who can anticipate questions and needs, report consistently on fundraising
progress and challenges, fundraise independently and in tandem, and provide strategic advice
prior to meetings, presentations and events.
The AD will lead and manage the JOMC Foundation Board and the School’s Advisory Board.
Both Boards are composed of corporate and media leaders, philanthropists, alumni leaders
and educators, all dedicated to making the School the nation’s leading resource for media
and journalism education and research but whose fundraising potential has yet to be
adequately tapped.
Position Responsibilities
Fundraising:
 Serve as the School’s chief fundraiser; strive to exceed annual revenue goals by
working with the Dean, faculty and volunteer boards in the creation and
implementation of a diversified fundraising strategy including continual exploration of
new revenue sources, especially those reflecting the new digital trends in the
industry.
 Lead the creation, monitoring and evaluation of a diversified, comprehensive written
annual development plan with clearly defined goals, objectives, timelines and
assignment of responsibilities.
 Serve on the Dean’s management team, contributing to the overall strategic operation
of the School.
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Manage a portfolio of top prospects and major donors including foundations,
individuals and corporations and provide support and guidance with the Dean’s
portfolio of high-impact donors and prospects.
Provide timely and accurate reports on progress toward goals for review by the Dean
and boards.
Place a high value on personal “one-on-one” meetings with top prospects and donors.
Develop an enhanced major gifts program which identifies, cultivates and solicits
existing and new donors toward greater commitment to the School; create individual
plans of action including how best to involve the Dean, faculty and boards in
fundraising activities and stewardship.
Develop a thorough knowledge of the history, programs and major milestones of the
School and the key leadership, volunteers and donors who have contributed to its
success.
Provide leadership in developing strategies for engaging the next generation in
supporting the School.
Seek out and actively participate in events that improve the School’s visibility in the
industry, alumni and potential funders both locally and across the country.
Board Leadership and Relations
 Assist the leadership of both Boards in setting meetings, creating agendas, and
communicating with members between meetings.
 Help create a culture of philanthropy through encouragement of personal giving and
strategies that position the School for success.
 Lead and motivate Board members to participate actively in peer networking to
identify and cultivate new potential major donors for the School.
 Play an active role in the recruitment of new Board members and seeks ways to
maximize each member’s contributions. Keep former Board members engaged.
 Staff Board committees or assign appropriate staff; keep the Board informed of issues
of importance to the School and keep staff informed of Board actions.
 Embrace the importance of a Board reflective of the diversity of the School’s students
and state and national demographics.
Development Administration and Operations
 Manage staff; develop clear work performance goals based on the annual fundraising
plan and goals; mentor; evaluate; celebrate success.
 Create a supportive, collaborative, productive and healthy work environment based on
respect, team work and clear expectations and responsibilities. Provide annual staff
reviews.
 Provide staff with adequate training to perform their jobs well, opportunities to
network, and ensure staff members receive professional development and resources to
help them stay current in their fields and productive at work
 Develop and monitor the annual development office budget in coordination with the
School’s finance office, and ensure that all records and documents are in compliance
with University policies and federal and state laws; also ensure that all financial
information is correct between fundraising and accounting systems.
 Ensure the maintenance of accurate donor tracking and moves management records
consistent with the requirements of the UNC-Chapel Hill Office of Development.
 Communicate with the School’s faculty and staff about fundraising activities and
progress.
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Work closely with the School’s Director of Research Development and Foundation
Relations to ensure maximum use of resources toward the School’s fundraising goals
and with the Director of Communications in the creation of a communications and
marketing strategy that effectively supports and enhances development activities in
print, on the web, and social media outlets.
Oversee and evaluate all processes and procedures related to fundraising including
stewardship activities, an accurate database, acknowledgements, gift acceptance
policies, contributions management and communications/marketing style and
messaging.
Qualifications
• Ten years of progressively responsible experience in the field of development,
preferably in higher education advancement; development experience in
journalism/media a plus. Related for-profit experience will also be considered.
• History of high-return fundraising or sales/marketing results of $100,000 or more
based on building strong relationships with a diverse group of donors/customers;
experience working with entrepreneurs and the digital media industry a plus.
• Proven track record of working closely with organization leadership to cultivate and
close high level gifts.
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work in an
interactive, multifaceted, diverse and fast-paced environment and also within a large
complex organization.
• Excellent communicator in both written and oral form; ability to influence and engage
a wide range of donors and key stakeholders and build long-term relationships.
• Strategic and entrepreneurial with exceptional planning and time-management skills;
goal-, results- and detail-oriented and able to set and meet deadlines; able to
construct, articulate, implement and evaluate written annual plans.
• Proven track record achieving ambitious revenue targets in a highly competitive
environment as well as creating new programs.
• A seasoned team leader and manager with a track record for creating and nurturing
effective, collaborative work environments built on trust, creativity and quality work;
a sincere interest in the well-being of staff and the ability to make difficult personnel
decisions when necessary.
• Experience building an effective team that encourages open communication and
feedback, emphasizes quality and achievement without losing the human perspective
and promotes evaluation of progress toward goals.
• Values and encourages diversity in all aspects of the work.
• Capable of leading and participating in building alliances and effective collaborations
that make strategic sense for the School’s fundraising goals.
• Enthusiastic networker with the capability of making connections, attending events
and being visible in places that benefit the School.
• Experience building and managing budgets and finances as well as implementing best
practices to ensure quality and efficiency in office operations, procedures and
policies.
• Track record of working effectively with a Board of Directors.
 Energetic, confident in abilities, creative and with a sense of humor and the ability to
assume new responsibilities as the job demands.
• Ability to travel frequently and work occasional nights and weekends.
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To Apply
Complete all application requirements at http://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/60503 .
This is a permanent EPA Non-Faculty position.
Salary Range
$68,800 - $123,800 per year plus state employees benefit package
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity, affirmative action
employer and welcomes all to apply regardless of race, color, gender, national origin, age,
religion, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We
also encourage protected veterans and individuals with disabilities to apply.
The firm of moss+ross (www.mossandross.com) is assisting with this search.
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