Director, Development Athletics

The Rome Group; Missouri; On-site; USD 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Lindenwood University seeks a Director of Development Athletics to secure private philanthropic support aligned with athletics priorities. The role targets donors capable of $25,000+ gifts, including $100,000+ prospects, serving individuals, alumni, foundations, corporations, fans, and friends of the university.

The position is collaborative, driving strategic donor engagement and cultivating pipelines to grow philanthropy across athletics and university initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience soliciting major gifts; preferably in athletics or related program.
• Experience with fundraising campaigns and capital campaigns is valued.
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of major donor prospects capable of gifts of $25,000 or more.
• Develop and implement strategies to meet annual and campaign fundraising goals in coordination with leadership.
• Meet with donors via travel, on-campus visits, calls, and virtual meetings; some evenings/weekends.
• Prepare donor proposals, reports, and donor communications tailored to interests.
• Develop strategies to increase major gifts and collaborate with athletics leadership and advancement colleagues.
• Maintain strong partnerships with athletics leadership to identify private support opportunities.
• Stay current on major gifts best practices and philanthropic trends to inform engagement strategies.
• Collaborate on engagement plans for key alumni and donors with stewardship teams.
• Supervise the Assistant Development Officer, Athletics Advancement, and related donor programs.

Skills

Donor engagement

Prospect research

Relationship building

Communication

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Raiser’s Edge

Microsoft Office

Job description

Director, Development Athletics

Division

University Advancement

Evaluation Group

Staff

FLSA Status

Exempt

Reports To

Assistant Vice President, Development

Positions Supervised

Assistant Development Officer, Athletics

Job Summary

The director, development athletics secures private philanthropic support, aligning donor interests with athletics institutional priorities. This position will identify, qualify, cultivate, and solicit donor prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000 or more, with an emphasis on donors of $100,000+. Constituents served include individual donors, alumni, foundations, corporations, fans, and friends of the university. The successful candidate will be collaborative and innovative team member who, through strategic work and relationship building, will help Lindenwood to grow our donor pipelines and philanthropic landscape.

Essential Job Functions and Performance Indicators

The 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 Execution

• 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 Assistant Vice President of Development, the Vice President for Athletics, development colleagues, and prospect researcher to develop and implement strategies to meet annual and campaign fundraising goals
• Meets with donors and donor prospects 25-50% time via travel, on-campus visits, phone, and video conferencing, including some evenings and weekends
• Prepares donor proposals, reports, draft agreements, and donor communications tailored to donor interests
• Develops and executes strategies for assigned unit(s) that will support unit philanthropic priorities and successfully increase major gift support, in partnership with advancement and athletics leadership and advancement colleagues
• Develops and maintains close collaborative partnerships with athletics leadership and staff to gain a strong understanding of programs and initiatives to identify and define opportunities for private support
• Maintains 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 structuring
• Collaborates with advancement stewardship and engagement colleagues on developing strategic engagement plans for key alumni and donors
• Supervises the work of the assistant development officer, athletics advancement, which includes donation-based giving societies, alumni groups, donor suites, and fundraising events like the annual Black and Gold Benefit
• Utilizes Raiser’s Edge to document all activities, interactions and other relevant data.
• Participates in advancement meetings and events, assisting colleagues and providing support for all ongoing programs and operations as needed to help meet institutional engagement and fundraising goals

Service Excellence

• Supports the mission of the University and serves as an ambassador of the Q2 culture of service excellence
• Models, supports, and holds others accountable to the University’s values
• Conducts meaningful and authentic donor acknowledgement and stewardship activities
• Cultivates strong relationships with individual donors, alumni, and friends of the University

Communication, Teamwork, and Collaboration

• Advises advancement and athletics leaders on internal and external constituency relations
• Provides leadership to campus colleagues on current, effective fundraising techniques
• Mentors other members of the advancement team in industry best practices

Job 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 degree
• Master’s degree preferred
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in soliciting major donors and gifts, preferably for an intercollegiate or intermural athletics program
• Working knowledge of the best practices and trends associated with intercollegiate athletics
• Experience in a higher education environment, ideally having participated in a comprehensive campaign, capital campaign, or fundraising for capital projects
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge preferred

Knowledge, 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 cultures
• Deep understanding of the principles that drive fundraising success, including prospect discovery, donor lifecycle, storytelling, and pipeline segmentation and analysis
• Experience in writing proposals and gift agreements
• Demonstrated ability to effectively build relationships and alliances with internal and external audiences
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
• Knowledge of the field’s best and current concepts, practices, and procedures
• Proven track record of securing major gifts of $25,000 and above OR comparable results within a business-to-business (B2B) or inside sales setting
• Knowledge of planned giving techniques and vehicles
  Skilled in providing attention to detail
• Empathetic listener with corresponding excellence in verbal and written communication
• Ability to maintain accuracy under time pressure with multiple priorities and deadlines
• Ability to provide discretion with confidential information

Work 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 supervisor
• Occasional night and weekend work
• Serves as regional representative for Lindenwood Advancement; regular travel to assigned region to conduct donor visits and alumni engagement events
• Standard Flex

Physical 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 daily
• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time
• Ability 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-campus
• Regular attendance is a necessary and essential function