Director of Annual Giving

McDaniel College; Westminster (CO); On-site; USD 60,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition remission

403B retirement accounts

Paid time off

Medical insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Life insurance

Parental leave

Job summary

McDaniel College in Westminster, Colorado, invites applications for the Director of Annual Giving. The role leads the design and execution of the college's annual giving program to raise at least $2 million from alumni and friends, and manages a three-person team.

The Director cultivates donors, opens 6–12 proposals and closes 5–10 annually, travels to meet prospects, and collaborates with Alumni Engagement and Advancement Services to leverage technology and social media.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 5–7 years of annual giving experience, preferably in a higher education setting.
• Proven success in cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of annual giving donors.
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team to achieve institutional goals.
• Strong analytical and independent decision-making capability.
• Demonstrated supervisory and budgetary experience.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills.
• Strong project management and organizational planning skills.
• Ability to recruit, motivate, and direct alumni and parent volunteers.
• Proficiency in CRM database systems; Slate and/or Blackbaud Raiser's Edge/NXT preferred.
• Experience with GiveCampus or similar online giving platforms.
• Willingness to travel and attend evening/weekend events.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the annual fundraising efforts, managing a team and a multi-channel program to raise $2 million annually.
• Cultivate and solicit donors through personalized campaigns, reunion giving, athletic fundraising, and college-wide giving days.
• Maintain a portfolio of 75–125 prospects and conduct at least 100 donor visits per year; identify and secure major gift opportunities.
• Collaborate with Alumni Engagement and Advancement Services to leverage technology, social media, and research to boost giving across levels as part of the campaign.
• Open 6–12 new proposals and close 5–10 proposals annually, targeting $10,000+ gifts.
• Serve on the Institutional Advancement leadership team.
• Travel and accommodate evening or weekend engagement activities; supervise two annual giving staff.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Analytical skills

Communication

Team leadership

Budget management

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Slate

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge/NXT

GiveCampus

Job description

McDaniel College is a four-year, independent college of the liberal arts and sciences offering over 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. One of the original "Colleges That Change Lives," McDaniel emphasizes experiential learning and student-faculty collaboration to develop the unique potential in every student. Represented by the Green Terror, over 20 athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference. A student-centered community of 1,600 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students offers access to both Baltimore and Washington, D.C., plus a European campus in Budapest, Hungary.

This position has a budgeted hiring rate of $90,000. The position is classified as an A5. The A5 salary band for all full-time, 12-month positions at the college with this classification have a minimum rate of $60,000 and a maximum rate of $135,000. The actual schedule for exempt positions may vary based on the workload and responsibilities assigned.

At McDaniel College we value our employees by offering our full-time employees tuition remission, 403B retirement accounts, paid time off, medical insurance, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, and paid maternity and parental leave. For more information about the college's benefits, please click here to review the 2026 benefits guidebook and click here to view 2026 premium rates .
Click here to see how McDaniel College employees impact the lives of students.

Job Description:

Reporting to the Vice President for Institutional Advancement, the Director of Annual Giving oversees the design and execution of McDaniel College's annual giving program to raise at least $2 million in annual gifts from its more than 23,000 alumni and friends. The Director leads a three-person team to cultivate, solicit, and steward annual giving donors ($1 - $24,999). The Director works closely with the Alumni Engagement and Advancement Services teams in using technology, social media, and research to design and implement strategies to increase giving at all levels as part of the college's public phase of the Reaching New Heights campaign.

The Director of Annual Giving will carry a portfolio of 75-125 prospects. The position is expected to personally raise $200,000-$400,000 in new cash and pledges annually through annual and major gifts. The Director of Annual Giving will open 6-12 new proposals ($10,000 or more) and close 5-10 proposals ($10,000 or more) per year. To accomplish these metrics, the position will make at least 100 visits with donors and prospects each year. The Director serves on the Institutional Advancement leadership team.

Key Responsibilities

The Director of Annual Giving provides strategic leadership for McDaniel College's annual fundraising efforts, managing a team of two staff members and overseeing a comprehensive, multi-channel annual giving program designed to raise $2 million annually. The role is responsible for cultivating and soliciting donors through personalized campaigns, reunion giving programs, athletic fundraising initiatives, and college-wide giving days, while creating engagement opportunities tied to alumni and donor affiliations. The Director maintains a portfolio of 75-125 prospects, conducts at least 100 donor visits each year, and partners closely with development officers to identify, cultivate, and secure major gift opportunities.

Additional responsibilities include analyzing fundraising performance data, developing dashboards and projections, managing departmental budgets, collaborating with Communications and Marketing to ensure brand consistency, supporting divisional events and initiatives, supervising for two annual giving positions, serving on the Institutional Advancement leadership team, and maintaining flexibility for travel and evening or weekend engagement activities.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Five to seven years of demonstrated annual giving experience and success at a non-profit organization, preferably in a higher education setting, required.
• Demonstrated success in the personal cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of annual giving donors required.
• Ability to work independently as well as within a team environment to achieve institutional goals.
• Strong analytical and independent decision-making capability required.
• Demonstrated supervisory and budgetary experience required.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills required.
• Strong project management, leadership, organizational planning skills with the ability to set priorities and balance concurrent tasks.
• The ability to recruit, motivate, and direct alumni and parent volunteers.
• Proficiency in customer relations management database systems; preferably Slate and/or Blackbaud Raiser's Edge/NXT.
• Proficiency in online giving platforms such as GiveCampus or Slate preferred.
• Experience with the use of texting, social media, online giving platforms, and crowdfunding in annual giving solicitations required.
• Flexible and available for evening, weekend, or early morning events and meetings.
• Ability to travel as needed to manage a prospect portfolio.
• Must possess a valid driver's license with two or less points.

Additional Information:

McDaniel College, in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate in the recruitment, admission, and employment of students, faculty, and staff in the operation of any of its educational programs and activities. McDaniel College will not tolerate any discrimination or harassment on the basis of any protected status including protective hairstyle, race, religion, color, ancestry or national origin, disability, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, military status, genetic information, marital status, veteran's status, or any other actual or perceived legally protected characteristics.