Director of Development I, Scholarships and University Initiatives

Oregon State University Foundation; Corvallis (OR); Hybrid; USD 79,000 - 97,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

PTO

Retirement plan with 17% employer

Employee discounts

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

Oregon State University Foundation in Corvallis seeks a Director of Development I to lead major gift fundraising for scholarships and student success.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Development, Scholarships and University Initiatives, you will design donor engagement strategies, manage a portfolio of 100–125 donors, and partner with college teams to advance priority scholarships across the university.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required and five years of progressive development experience working primarily with major gift donors.
• Travel frequently, including evenings and weekends to support foundation events and donor activities.
• Proven track record in major gift cultivation and solicitation.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with colleagues and donors.

Responsibilities

• Raise $1M-$2.5M per year, including 12–16 gifts at $50,000 and above.
• Open 20–40 new proposals per year at $50,000 or above.
• Manage a portfolio of 100–125 relationships rated at $50,000 and above.
• Conduct 120–160 visits per year.
• Lead donor engagement strategies that advance student success priorities.
• Provide leadership across the organization through development meetings and events.

Skills

Major gift cultivation

Oral communication

Written communication

Interpersonal skills

Listening to donors

Strategic thinking

Entrepreneurial thinking

Integrity

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Senior Director of Development, Scholarships and University Initiatives, the Director ofDevelopmentI, serves as a frontline gift officer for scholarship and student success fundraising. This position works closely with university leadership, as assigned, and the OSU Foundation’s Scholarships and University Initiatives team to raise funds, design donor engagement strategies, and strengthen scholarship and student success programs across the university. This role also partners with college-based development teams to support college-specific scholarship priorities and provides guidance to university units without assigned development staff. Serving a geographically dispersed portfolio of prospects and donors, the selected candidate will travel as needed to build and sustain meaningful donor relationships.

The successful candidate will devote approximately 80% of their time to fundraising activities and 20% to administrative responsibilities.

Measures of Success:

• Raise $1M -$2.5 per year, including 12-16 gifts at $50,000 and above


• Open 20-40 new proposals per year at $50,000or above


• Conduct 120-160 visits per year

Major Gift Fundraising

• Serve as a development officer within the division of Scholarships & University Initiatives and work closely with the senior director of development, and university leadership to advance the philanthropic priorities of the division and to create an articulate and compelling case for support for the programs within it.


• Lead efforts to expand scholarship fundraising, with primary emphasis on new endowed scholarships ($50,000+), while also supporting select leadership ($1- $4.99M or principal gift ($5 million and above) opportunities as they arise in collaboration with the Senior Director of Development.

Potential Donor Discovery

• Actively pursue highly rated potential major gift donors.

Engagement

• Engage your portfolio in the life of the university

Leadership

• Provide visible leadership across the entire organization by engaging in organization-wide activities such as development management meetings, all-staff meetings, and staff events.


• Lead donor engagement strategies that advance the university's student success priorities and strengthen support from a geographically diverse donor base.

Position Accountabilities

• Raise $1M - $2.5M per year, including 12-16 gifts at $50,000 and above


• Open 20-40 new proposals per year at $50,000 or above


• Manage a portfolio of 100-125 relationships rated at $50,000 and above


• Conduct 120-160 visits per year


• Travel five to seven days per month making three to five visits per travel day


• Perform related administrative duties for the assigned areas including writing contact reports, budget management, case statement development, and events development


• Assist in increasing the overall productivity and efficiency of the division’s development staff in terms of numbers of potential donors visited, proposals opened, and major gifts closed


• Develop and support clearly defined and strategic fundraising priorities and articulate compelling cases for support going forward to advance them


• Bring the foundation’s organizational values to life by always modeling them


• Other duties as assigned

Knowledge/Skills:

• Proven track record of successful major gift cultivation and solicitation


• Strong oral and written communication skills; ability to articulate a strong and compelling case for support


• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to create strong professional relationships with colleagues at the Foundation and university


• Ability to listen to donors and determine best engagement plan to support intersection of donor’s interests and university’s priorities


• Strategic, hardworking, and able to work with a high degree of flexibility in a highly-collaborative, fast-paced, goal-oriented environment


• Ability to apply creative and entrepreneurial thinking, while applying sound judgment and conducting oneself with integrity

Education/Experience:

Bachelor’s degree required and five years of progressive development experience working primarily with major gift donors. That said, experience equivalencies will be considered. This position requires the ability to travel frequently, at times requiring overnight stays, and by various modes of transportation.

Important Organizational Notes:

The candidate must possess a valid driver’s license and be prepared to work on a flexible schedule that may include evenings and weekends to support foundation events and donor-related activities. Adherence to a professional code of conduct is always essential, ensuring the highest standards of integrity, respect, and ethical behavior in all interactions and responsibilities. Adherence to the Core Values is vital to success.

Classification: Exempt

Oregon State University Foundation Core Values

• Collaborative: We convene our partners to achieve solutions.


• Productive: We get the right things done.


• Respectful: We treat one another with dignity and civility.


• Bold: We aspire to transform.


• Inclusive: We nurture a culture of belonging.


• Creative: We color outside the lines.

What We Offer:

Compensation: Annual salary starting at $88,000

Comprehensive Benefits:a comprehensive total compensation package, which includes:

• A monthly employer contribution towards benefits


• A monthly employer match for a health savings account


• An impressive 17% employer contribution to retirement plan (based on qualified earnings)


• A generous Paid Time Off (PTO) program


• Two exceptional employee discount programs

Professional Growth: At OSU Foundation, we believe in investing in our employees' development. We provide ongoing training and opportunities for advancement.

Innovative Work Environment: Join a team of talented professionals in a stimulating and collaborative work atmosphere

Work Location

The work location for this position is the OSU Foundation’s Corvallis, Oregon, office.

The Foundation offersaprogram called CoreWork Days, ahybrid approachcombiningremote andin-office work days.Foundation employeesarein office on Tuesday,Wednesdayand Thursday, and work remotely, if preferred, on Monday and Friday.