Director, Development

Lindenwood; Saint Charles (MO); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits plan

Paid holidays

Free lunch Fridays

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Lindenwood University in Missouri seeks a Director of Development to secure private philanthropic support by aligning donor interests with institutional priorities. This role manages a portfolio of major donor prospects and travels regionally to cultivate gifts.

The successful candidate will articulate compelling proposals, collaborate with academic leaders, and use Raiser's Edge to track activity while mentoring staff and advancing fundraising campaigns.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred.
• Minimum of three years soliciting major donors and gifts.
• Experience in higher education fundraising and campaigns is desirable.
• Experience with donor proposals and gift agreements.
• Strong ability to build relationships with diverse internal and external audiences.
• Familiarity with Raiser's Edge or similar donor CRMs.

Responsibilities

• Manages a portfolio of major donor prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000 or more, with a focus on qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and gift closure.
• Coordinates with leadership to develop strategies to meet annual and campaign fundraising goals.
• Meets with donors and prospect volunteers 25%–50% of the time through travel, on-campus visits, phone calls, and video conferences.
• Prepares donor proposals, reports, draft agreements, and communications tailored to donor interests.
• Develops and executes strategies for units that support philanthropic priorities and increase major-gift support.
• Maintains close collaboration with units to identify opportunities for private support.
• Keeps up-to-date with major-gift best practices and giving vehicles; translates insights into engagement strategies.
• Collaborates with stewardship to develop engagement plans for alumni and donors.
• Uses Raiser's Edge to document activities and interactions.

Skills

Donor cultivation

Proposal writing

Relationship building

Storytelling

Pipeline analysis

Team collaboration

Fundraising strategy

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Raiser’s Edge

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Welcome to Career Opportunities at Lindenwood University.PLEASE READ: For all applications, please include your resume and cover letter. You may skip the “ Quick Apply ” page by simply clicking “ Next ” at the bottom of the page. When you arrive at the “ Experience ” page, you may upload all desired documents using the upload box labeled “ Resume/CV. ” This is the appropriate box to upload all documents.Benefits of Being a Lindenwood Employee:Upon hire, employer-paid tuition benefits for bachelor’s (employee, spouse, and dependent) and master’s degree programs (employee and spouse only).Tuition discounts for doctoral programs (employee only).Comprehensive benefits plan: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability insurance, and retirement options.Paid holidays: MLK Jr. day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving break (Wednesday – Friday), and winter break (Dec. 23 – Jan. 1).Free lunch Fridays: LU employees are eligible for a free meal on Fridays at the Evans Commons Dining Hall or Spellman Dining Hall; Chick-fil-A and Qdoba included.Professional development opportunities through the Lindenwood Learning Academy .JOB TITLE SUMMARYJob Title: Director, DevelopmentDivision: University AdvancementEvaluation Group: StaffFLSA Status: ExemptReports To: Assistant Vice President, DevelopmentPositions Supervised: N/AJob SummaryThe director, development secures private philanthropic support by aligning donor interests with institutional priorities. This position identifies, qualifies, cultivates, and solicits donor prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000 or more, with an emphasis on gifts of $100,000 or more. The successful candidate will be a collaborative and innovative team member who, through strategic work and relationship-building, will help Lindenwood grow its donor pipeline and expand its philanthropic reach. Development officers travel throughout their assigned regions while also serving as liaisons to designated colleges and units across campus.Essential Job Functions and Performance IndicatorsThe intent of this job description is to provide a representation of the types of duties and level of responsibility that will be required of positions given this title. This job description shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.Job Responsibilities and ExecutionManages a portfolio of major donor prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000 or more, with a focus on qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and gift closureCoordinates with the assistant vice president, development, development colleagues, and prospect researcher to develop and implement strategies to meet annual and campaign fundraising goalsMeets with donors and donor prospects 25%–50% of the time through travel, on-campus visits, phone calls, and video conferences, including some evenings and weekendsPrepares donor proposals, reports, draft agreements, and communications tailored to donor interestsDevelops and executes strategies for assigned units that support philanthropic priorities and successfully increase major-gift support in partnership with Advancement and Academic leadership and other advancement colleaguesDevelops and maintains close, collaborative partnerships with assigned units to gain a strong understanding of their programs and initiatives and identify opportunities for private supportMaintains expertise in major-gift best practices, contemporary philanthropic trends, and evolving giving vehicles, translating industry insights into innovative strategies for prospect engagement and complex gift structuringCollaborates with stewardship and engagement colleagues to develop strategic engagement plans for key alumni and donorsUtilizes Raiser’s Edge to document all activities, interactions, and other relevant dataParticipates in advancement meetings and events, assists colleagues, and supports ongoing programs and operations as needed to help meet institutional engagement and fundraising goalsService ExcellenceSupports the mission of the University and serves as an ambassador of the Q2 culture of service excellenceModels, supports, and holds others accountable to the University’s valuesConducts meaningful and authentic donor acknowledgment and stewardship activitiesCultivates strong relationships with individual donors, alumni, and friends of the UniversityCommunication, Teamwork, and CollaborationAdvises division leaders on internal and external constituency relationsProvides leadership to campus constituents regarding current and effective fundraising techniquesMentors other members of the advancement team in industry best practicesJob may require other duties as assigned.Required Qualifications – An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience will be considered. Additional requirements may be designated by position.Bachelor’s degreeMaster’s degree preferredMinimum of three years of experience soliciting major donors and giftsExperience in a higher education environment, ideally including participation in a comprehensive campaign, capital campaign, or fundraising initiative for capital projectsExperience with Raiser’s Edge preferredKnowledge, Skills, and Abilities – May be representative, but not all inclusive, of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform this job competently.Demonstrated ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse communities and culturesDeep understanding of the principles that drive fundraising success, including prospect discovery, donor lifecycle, storytelling, and pipeline segmentation and analysisExperience in writing proposals and gift agreementsDemonstrated ability to effectively build relationships and alliances with internal and external audiencesProficient in Microsoft Office SuiteKnowledge of the field’s best and current concepts, practices, and proceduresProven track record of securing major gifts of $25,000 and above OR comparable results within a business-to-business (B2B) or inside sales settingKnowledge of planned giving techniques and vehiclesSkilled in providing attention to detailEmpathetic listener with corresponding excellence in verbal and written communicationAbility to maintain accuracy under time pressure with multiple priorities and deadlinesAbility to provide discretion with confidential informationWork Environment – Environmental or atmospheric conditions commonly associated with the performance of this job’s functions. Please click here to view Lindenwood University’s flexible work designation descriptions.Flexible work environment consisting of regular in-office and remote workdays as assigned by supervisorOccasional night and weekend workServes as regional representative for Lindenwood Advancement; regular travel to assigned region to conduct donor visits and alumni engagement eventsStandard FlexPhysical Abilities – The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform this job’s essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.Ability to work effectively at a computer for up to eight hours dailyAbility to sit and stand for extended periods of timeAbility to lift/carry items commonly found in an office setting including, but not limited to, documents, laptops, etc.Adequately mobile to attend events on- and off-campusRegular attendance is a necessary and essential functionEqual Opportunity EmployerLindenwood University is an Equal Opportunity employer. The University complies with appropriate federal, state, and local laws and provides equal employment opportunities and access to educational programs without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other protected status to all qualified applicants and employees. Lindenwood University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and dedicated to providing a positive discrimination-free educational work environment.