Most Important Skills for an Assistant Athletic Director Annual Giving at Nebraska Athletics
Mattie, an Assistant Athletic Director, emphasizes authenticity and relationship-building as crucial, stating that "it takes time. It takes trust," to cultivate donor and partner relationships. The role also demands flexibility, problem-solving creativity, and hyper-organization to navigate the dynamic college athletic landscape and prioritize strategic planning amidst numerous immediate demands.
Communication, Relationship Building, Problem-Solving, Flexibility, Organization
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Mattie Fowler Burkhardt
Assistant Athletic Director - Annual Giving
University of Nebraska Athletic Department
University of Nebraska, 2015
MBA, University of Nebraska
Finance
Education, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking, Sports & Fitness
Sales and Client Management
Scholarship Recipient, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Authenticity and relationship-building skills are crucial for creating trust with donors and partners.
2. Adaptability and flexibility are essential in a dynamic environment with unpredictable factors like game outcomes and weather.
3. Strong problem-solving, creative thinking, and hyper-organization skills are necessary for strategic planning and effective time management in a fast-paced setting with many demands and priorities.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
The most important skills are being personable and curious about people, because it has to be authentic. If it's not coming off as genuine, people can sense that right away. You have to enjoy conversation and building relationships.
It's not something that happens overnight when trying to build a strong relationship with a donor or a corporate partner. That takes time and trust, so that's number one.
Number two is being flexible. It's a rapidly changing environment, and you can't control so much with the outcome of games or the elements. You just really have to be flexible.
I think you have to be a problem solver because it's not a job description that's very firm. It's reacting in the moment and being creative for each situation. So, how can we create more revenue around events that are already happening? How can I take this donor to the next level? What is that going to take?
So, being a creative thinker and being hyper-organized is important. There's so much noise around what we do, and I could get stuck in the ins and outs of helping people figure out their mobile tickets and answer questions to get their customers to the game.
If I do that, I don't prioritize time for strategic thinking and strategic planning for what we need to take our team to the next level. You have to be hyper-organized and able to figure out how to prioritize what's most important in the moment and also in the future.
That's a unique skill set that I'm always working on because there is just so much that goes on in this college athletic space. It is rapidly changing.