A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience is preferred for this position as is at least seven years of experience in major gifts fundraising, preferably at an educational institution, soliciting comprehensive major, principal and planned gifts; • Commitment to the mission of College of the Holy Cross—to pursue excellence in teaching, learning, and research and to foster an intellectual and social community that is marked by freedom, mutual respect, and civility; • Demonstrated successful track record as a major gifts fundraiser; • Appreciation of Jesuit Catholic educational traditions and methodology; • Understanding of and an ability to succeed at a complex academic institution; • Experience staffing academic leaders in their development work; • Ability to uncover interests, motivations, and objectives from prospective donors, clients, and others; • Excellent communication skills, including an ability to write persuasively and with efficiency; • Experience qualifying prospects during initial visits to determine inclination and capacity to make significant gifts to aid in the identification of new donors at the major gift level; • Ability to make solicitations with comfort; • Ability to persuasively communicate the case for unrestricted and current use support; • Excellent active listening and interpersonal skills and an ability to relate to donors, volunteers, and colleagues; • Tact, diplomacy, discretion, patience, sound judgment, and a commitment to maintaining confidentiality inside and outside of the college; • Highly developed organizational skills, detail-orientation, and an ability to prioritize and balance multiple tasks in a fast-paced complex environment; • Natural affinity for collaboration and serving as an influential leader, mentor, and team player, with a high level of emotional intelligence; • Personal commitment to excellence as well as an ability to admit mistakes and forgive faults in others; and. • Adhere to all prospect management processes and policies around contact reports, proposals, briefing materials, documenting intentions, and writing statements of understanding to ensure cross-departmental transparency and effectiveness; • Serve as a partner to the Holy Cross Fund team, Gift Planning team, and Major Gifts colleagues by identifying new prospects and volunteers, and supporting the goals of elevating unrestricted and flexibly restricted support at Holy Cross; • Continually improve professional skills, knowledge, and understanding of Holy Cross by developing relationships with colleagues across campus, attending campus events and activities, and participating in training activities; • In partnership with the Director of Major Gifts and the AVP for Individual Giving, develop and execute robust, multi-step donor-centric prospect strategies; • Communicate meeting strategies through written briefings and pre-visit briefing meetings or calls; • Strategically leverage academic leadership, faculty, and other members of the Holy Cross community leading to successful solicitation and closure of six- and seven-figure gifts; • Foster relationships between prospective donors and academic leadership, faculty, and other members of the Holy Cross community to deepen prospect engagement; • Secure anchor visits for leadership and construct meetings that effectively leverage each leader’s time to advance prospect strategies; and.