Most Important Skills For An Assistant Director Of Development At University Of California Davis
For an Assistant Director of Development role at UC Davis, project management is critical, especially given the diverse functions involved. Communication skills are also key, requiring the ability to work with various stakeholders, including alumni, faculty, and team members, while understanding donor needs and interpreting "subtext or other cues" to facilitate fundraising.
Project Management, Communication, Relationship Building, Fundraising, Interpersonal Skills
Advizer Information
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Ryan Advincula
Assistant Director of Development
University of California, Davis
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis: MBA
Entertainment, Music & Arts, Political Science, American Studies
Education, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Sales and Client Management
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Project management is critical for roles with diverse functions.
2. Communication is key when working with various stakeholders like alumni and faculty.
3. Advanced research and interpreting subtext are crucial for understanding donors' needs in fundraising.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
The most important skills would be project management. I think that's critical in almost every role that has diverse and varied functions.
On top of that, communication is key. Working with so many different stakeholders, obviously working with alumni, developing that relationship takes a lot of soft skills.
This involves determining somebody's affinity to give and their capacity to give. It also means communicating effectively with faculty members who may have priorities different from the college or university. Communicating with team members in charge of gift agreements, contracts, or policy is also really important.
I think in a way, my job is to be the middleman between a bunch of different varied interests. Being able to really scope that out and be keen to help people, especially donors, is crucial.
Donors aren't always able to freely speak about their situations when money is a sensitive subject. If you can do advanced research and glean that from subtext or other cues, that is the strongest skill required for somebody interested in fundraising.