Director II, Development

College-of-Southern-Marylan; Jennie Run Estates (MD); On-site; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

State retirement pension

Wellness programs

Early closure Fridays (Code Green)

College holiday breaks

Job summary

The College of Southern Maryland seeks a Director of Development to lead alumni relations, annual giving, and scholarship programs for the CSM Foundation. The role reports to the Executive Director and focuses on expanding donor relations, stewardship, and campaign support while ensuring timely communications.

You will collaborate with the Foundation Board and college leadership, manage communications and data, and drive engagement across donors and alumni to advance the college’s mission.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management or related field.
• 5+ years of progressive fundraising experience in higher education or nonprofit sectors.
• 3+ years of donor relations management and stewardship experience.
• Experience leading annual giving, major gifts, and capital campaigns.
• Proficiency with Raiser's Edge or similar donor databases.

Responsibilities

• Lead all scholarship program operations, including awards, MOUs, and donor reporting.
• Oversee annual giving strategy and Hawk Fund with budget accountability.
• Manage alumni relations programs and engagement events with internal stakeholders.
• Supervise donor communications, newsletters, and foundation newsletters.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to align fundraising goals with college priorities.
• Develop and implement donor stewardship plans to cultivate ongoing support.

Skills

Donor relations

Fundraising strategy

Alumni engagement

Communication skills

Project management

Nonprofit software knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management or related field

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Raiser’s Edge NXT

Colleague

Donor Search

Double the Donation

Microsoft Office

Job description

Located 45 minutes from the Nation’s Capital, nestled in a history-rich community of southern Maryland, The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) is a two-time Aspen Award-winning institution (top 15% of Community Colleges) with academic programs in over 100 disciplines. CSM is among America’s top 100 producers of Minority Associate Degrees in twenty categories, according to Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

• CSM offers excellent health insurance benefits;
• State Retirement Pension plan;
• wellness programs;
• Code Green early closure Fridays in the summer;
• college closure for spring break and several major holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year;
• and for several days in March for Spring Break.

We are an innovative institution committed to student success and well known for our flexibility to meet student and community needs.

The Director of Development is responsible for planning and coordinating the alumni, annual giving, and scholarship programming and operations for the CSM Foundation. Under the direction of the Executive Director, the Director of Development helps drive strategic influence over advancement efforts, continuously evaluates these programs, identifying opportunities for growth, while elevating the donor experience in accordance with the department’s donor relations and strategic plans. The Director of Development functions as the primary liaison for Development Program donors and prospects, focusing on opportunities to enhance and increase donor and prospect cultivation, stewardship, and retention. This role shall provide strong support for major and capital campaigns, and Gift Planning programs as they are planned. The Director collaborates closely with the Development team to identify and develop strategic activities that build and strengthen relationships with current and prospective alumni donors, and scholarship and annual giving donors to maximize interest and engagement with the College. Additionally, the Director serves as the editorial content developer for internal and external communications.

The Director collaborates closely with the Executive Director of the Foundation and interfaces with college leadership, the Foundation Board of Directors and the CSM Board of Trustees to help advance the foundations’ mission and support the college’s goals.

Reports to

Executive Director of the CSM Foundation

The hiring salary for this position will be from the min to mid-point of the salary range advertised.

This position is open until filled.

50% Scholarship Administration and Stewardship

• Serve as the process owner of Foundation scholarship cycle operations, executing the program application process, timeline, and coordination.
• In collaboration with the Executive Director, serve as the primary driver of donor relations and stewardship of annual and restricted scholarship donors both individually and collectively.
• Collaborate with donors to establish and execute new annual and endowed scholarships including criteria, scope, funding structure, and production of MOU’s.
• Oversee internal and external application review processes, including service as primary liaison for donor-led scholarship reviews.
• Facilitates donor/student related issues and triages to achieve prompt resolution.
• Build and maintain relationships with existing scholarship donors through regular communication and engagement as outlined in the donor relations and strategic plan.
• Prepare and distribute scholarship donor reports and communications, including personalized impact reports to qualifying donors at least annually demonstrating the scholarship impact, market values, distributions, and student thank you letters.
• Seek and act on stewardship opportunities to cultivate lapsed donors, strengthen relationships with existing donors, and engage them in appropriate institutional events.
• Provide donor-centered vision for all scholarship-related events, collaborating with Executive Director and Manager of Foundation Events and Engagement to achieve event goals.
• Collaborate closely with the Manager of Development Operations and Financial Aid to track awards and outcomes, and ensure the timely availability of scholarships, year-round.

20% Annual Giving Management and Strategy

• Oversee Annual Giving program and meet budgeted financial goals.
• Manage all components of the Hawk Fund and restricted annual gifts and provide lead support to the Executive Director for major gifts, planned giving, and capital campaigns.
• Identify and cultivate relationships with prospective annual donors, including individuals, corporations, and foundations for unrestricted and restricted gifts.
• Create and cultivate relationships within the CSM community and engage them in effective fundraising activities throughout the year, in alignment with the Annual Giving and strategic plans.
• Comprehensively execute annual Giving Tuesday online fundraiser, meeting budgeted financial goals and leading strong logistical support from the development team.
• Collaborate with the Manager of Fundraising Events and Engagement to promote transactional fundraising from CSM Brick and Theatre Chair recognition gifts.
• Serves as editorial point of contact and producer of CSM Foundation digital newsletter.

20% Alumni Relations Management

• Implement a comprehensive Alumni Relations program that effectively engages and cultivates relationships with alumni.
• Collaborate with Manager, Foundation Events and Engagement to plan cultivation and stewardship events and activities to foster connections among alumni and between alumni and the college.
• Collaborate with other departments to integrate alumni engagement initiatives into broader institutional goals and campaigns.
• Collaborate with the Manager, Development Operations to maintain accurate and up-to-date alumni information in the donor database, ensuring that contact information, employment details, and other relevant data are properly recorded.
• Create and distribute regular communications such as newsletters and email updates to keep alumni informed about news, events, and opportunities.
• Serve as the staff liaison for the Board’s Alumni and Community Engagement committee to lead the members in developing and implementing strategies to solicit alumni support, including volunteering, mentoring, opportunities for philanthropic support, and oversight of the Distinguished Alumni Award program.
• Distribute content and carry out marketing plan for the Alumni and Friends Connection social media platforms and alumni website.

5% Database and Record Management

• Works collaboratively with Manager, Development Operations to maintain accurate and up-to-date donor records in the Foundation’s database.
• Track and document donor interactions and opportunities in Raisers Edge and be knowledgeable and current in relation to scholarships and annual gifts and pledges.
• Utilize portfolio features within RE-NXT to maximize cultivation and stewardship efforts.
• Generate reports and analyze data to inform the team and Board Members of fundraising strategies within alumni, annual giving, and scholarship programs.
• Works directly with donor databases, scholarship databases, the Colleague system, and other department integration systems.

5% Event Planning, Collaboration and Communication

• Collaborate closely with the Executive Director and college leadership to ensure alignment of Foundation programming efforts with the college’s strategic priorities.
• Collaborate with the Manager of Fundraising Events and Engagement to carry out vision for scholarship, annual giving, and alumni events.
• Collaborate with faculty and staff to identify and support funding needs and opportunities and promote CSM Foundation scholarships to current and prospective students.
• Communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders about the foundation’s activities and impact.
• Support the Development team with recruitment of CSM community volunteers for the Golf Classic, Giving Tuesday, and other events as needed.

Additional Duties:

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, supporting a strong foundation in nonprofit development work.
• 5+ years of experience with progressively responsible roles in advancement and nonprofit fundraising. Experience should demonstrate alumni engagement or related constituent work - involvement with alumni, donors, or community partners.
• Proven success leading annual fund strategies, cultivating major gifts, and supporting capital campaign initiatives.
• 3+ years of donor relations experience managing donor portfolios, stewarding supporters, and driving philanthropic engagement.
• Scholarship program experience overseeing donor-funded awards, ensuring compliance, impact and stewardship.
• 3+ years of hands‑on use of Raiser’s Edge or comparable donor databases, including reporting and data integrity.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication supporting alumni and donor engagement and institutional collaboration.
• Strong project management, analytical thinking, and ability to coordinate complex fundraising initiatives.
• Advanced capability with fundraising software integrations and the Microsoft Office Suite.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience

• Master's degree.
• Seven (7) or more years of progressively responsible advancement experience, with 2+ of those years in a manager or director role.
• Experience within higher education or educational foundations.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams.
• Experience supporting comprehensive fundraising campaigns.
• Experience with Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT, Academic Works, Colleague, Double the Donation, and Donor Search.
• CFRE certification.

Licenses, Certifications, or Additional Requirements:

• Financial disclosure is required for this position

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Leadership: Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate colleagues, students and volunteers. High level of integrity, accountability, and professionalism.
• Communication: Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to make compelling presentations and write persuasive proposals. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Relationship Building: Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including donors, alumni, board members, and community leaders.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to think strategically and develop long-term plans to advance the college’s development goals.
• Project Management: Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Financial Acumen: Knowledge of budgeting, fiscal management, and the principles of accounting as they relate to nonprofit organizations.
• Technology: Proficiency with fundraising software and databases, as well as general office software such as Microsoft Office Suite.
• Collaboration: Skilled in collaborating with internal and external audiences, and ability to function efficiently and effectively within a small department.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The work is sedentary work which requires exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Primarily office-based with frequent travel for donor meetings and events.
• Occasional evening and weekend work required for events and meetings.
• Must be able to represent the foundation and college at various functions and in the community.

General Employment Information

The College of Southern Maryland is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Background Checks

The College of Southern Maryland conducts background checks in order to ensure the safety and well-being of the College's staff and students. The final candidate for this position will be subject to the following background checks: Criminal History Check and Sex Offender Registry Check.

Conflict of Interest policy

No College of Southern Maryland employee shall engage in or have a financial interest, directly or indirectly, in any activity that conflicts or raises a reasonable question of conflict with his or her duties and responsibilities. CSM Employees shall not at any time engage in any outside employment or independent consulting that would adversely affect their employment status or performance as employees at the college, create a conflict of interest, and, with the exception of constitutionally protected activities, would compromise or embarrass the college, or adversely affect professional standing. Any full-time college employee who also holds a full-time position or its equivalent in consulting elsewhere (whether permanent or seasonal) will be deemed to have a conflict of interest and will be asked to resign from one of the full-time positions. Full-time employees must promptly disclose in writing, on a form available from the Human Resources Office to the college all other full-time employment or its equivalent in independent consulting.

Employment Frequently Asked Questions

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