Associate Director, Strategic Donor and Board Relations (7547U), Haas School of Business - #80115

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty and staff.

As a world-leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice. Since our founding in 1868, we have driven innovation, creating global intellectual, economic and social value.

We are looking for applicants who reflect California's diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity-focused community that views education as a matter of social justice. Please consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles, Principles of Community, and Strategic Plan.

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups (staff organizations). Our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. Find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley.

Departmental Overview

UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business offers a unique opportunity to champion new ideas, collaborate across boundaries, and continually learn in a workplace committed to creating a welcoming environment for all. Our distinctive culture is captured within our four Defining Leadership Principles: Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself. These principles distinguish Berkeley Haas as a unique environment, conducive to teamwork, collaboration, and career growth.

For more information about the Haas School of Business visit: https://haas.berkeley.edu/about/

The Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) team at Berkeley Haas engages and cultivates alumni, parents, friends, corporations and foundations to advance the vision and mission of the school, inviting these key constituencies to provide volunteer leadership and make philanthropic investments in support of the school's students, faculty, and programs. The Development team cultivates prospective donors, both nationally and internationally, to inspire gifts in support of Berkeley Haas and provides staff support for high-level volunteer groups, such as the Berkeley Haas Advisory Board. With over 45,000 living alumni, the Alumni Relations team develops and builds greater awareness for career services, lifelong learning, and networking resources to support the engagement, learning, and connectedness of Berkeley Haas alumni.

The Haas School of Business embraces flexible working arrangements for its employees. Exact arrangements are determined in partnership with your supervisor to meet role responsibilities and department needs, and are subject to change.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: 08/20/2025.

Responsibilities

The Associate Director, Strategic Donor & Board Relations advances Haas' mission by supporting board operations, coordinating principal donor cultivation strategies, and liaising with alumni leaders for VIP engagement. Reporting to the Senior Director of Development Initiatives, the role ensures strategic and relational excellence across board and high-level donor engagement efforts to drive impactful philanthropic contributions.

Board Management

• Provide operational and strategic support for the Chief Development Officer and Dean's vision for engaging the Haas Advisory Board.
• Coordinate board-related activities, including engagement tracking, communications, and logistical execution for meetings and events.
• Partner with the Senior Director to ensure board members are actively engaged and prepared to contribute to Haas' philanthropic goals.
• Create and provide high-level briefing materials and reports on board engagement metrics to inform planning and strategy.
• Facilitate strong communication between the Dean's office, development leadership, and Board leadership to align on Board priorities.

Principal Prospects Strategy & Engagement

• Collaborate with the Deputy Chief Development Officer and frontline fundraisers to execute principal donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
• Collaborate with frontline team on principal gifts proposals and bespoke written materials.
• Conduct research, draft briefings, and manage tracking tools to support cultivation efforts for top-tier prospects.
• Coordinate strategic principal prospect engagement and source campus opportunities aligned to donor interests.
• Maintain and monitor principal donor pipelines, identifying opportunities to deepen engagement with high-capacity prospects.
• Assist in developing impactful donor engagement experiences that align with organizational priorities and philanthropic goals.
• Responsible for raising a minimum of $500,000 annually.

Alumni Relations Team Liaison

• Serve as the alumni team's strategic liaison for key VIP alumni stakeholders, ensuring alignment with broader engagement and cultivation efforts.
• Support and coordinate the involvement of key VIP alumni leaders in development programs, including events, campaigns, awards, and donor strategies.
• Assist in planning and executing tailored experiences for key VIP alumni to build connection, loyalty, and philanthropic support for the school.

Professional Learning and Growth

• Actively contributes to a team environment that fosters and promotes a culture of belonging for all, within the unit and at Haas. Exemplifies Haas' four Defining Leadership Principles: (1) Question the status quo; (2) Confidence without attitude; (3) Students always; and (4) Beyond yourself.
• Completes required training on time and engages in opportunities for learning pertinent to the position or at the suggestion of the supervisor.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of board operations, governance best practices, and engagement strategies to support high-level advisory boards.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills to coordinate logistics for board meetings, donor events, communications, and strategic initiatives.
• Ability to prepare and deliver high-impact briefing materials, progress reports, and engagement metrics for internal and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency with donor and board engagement tools, such as CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce).
• Strategic thinking and analytics skills to identify opportunities for deeper stakeholder engagement and to align efforts with organizational philanthropic goals.
• Knowledge of fundraising practices and donor/alumni relations in higher education or similarly complex environments.
• Ability to collaborate across teams and align shared objectives.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft clear, compelling, and professional correspondence, briefings, and presentations.
• Strong interpersonal skills with cultural competency, ensuring inclusive and relationship- driven engagement with stakeholders.
• Research and information synthesis skills to gather, analyze, and present data about potential high-capacity donors or engagement opportunities.
• Adaptability and problem-solving skills to perform in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment while balancing multiple priorities.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, demonstrating a desire to establish and maintain positive & professional working relationships with colleagues, students and team members.
• Exemplifies Haas' four Defining Leadership Principles: (1) Question the status quo; (2) Confidence without attitude; (3) Students always; and (4) Beyond yourself.

Education/Training:

• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of or can quickly learn about UC Berkeley's and the Haas School's vision, mission, goals, objectives, achievements and infrastructure.
• Event coordination skills, including the planning and execution of tailored engagement experiences.

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted annual salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $88,900.00 - $126,400.00.

• This is a full-time (40 hours/week), career position that is eligible for UC Benefits.
• This is an exempt monthly-paid position.

How to Apply

• To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

• This is not a visa opportunity.

Conviction History Background

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Misconduct

SB 791 and AB 810 Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy

UC Anti-Discrimination Policy

Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.