Executive Director of Development

University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Pennsylvania seeks an Executive Director of Development to provide strategic leadership for fundraising and engagement across Penn Athletics and the broader university. This role directs a frontline major gifts team and collaborates with senior athletic administration to advance annual funds, endowment, capital projects, and planned gift initiatives.

Reporting to the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development & Alumni Relations, the Executive Director will manage a broad

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required (B.S. or B.A.) with 7–10 years of experience in development fundraising.
• Preferred experience with Athletics fundraising within higher education.
• Experience leading frontline fundraising teams and major gifts programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a frontline major gift team to achieve fundraising goals.
• Oversee fundraising, alumni engagement and volunteer strategies across multiple varsity sports.
• Manage a portfolio of 100+ major gift prospects and coordinate cultivation and stewardship efforts.

Skills

Leadership

Fundraising

Team management

Strategic planning

Data analysis

Communication

Education

Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Arts

Tools

CRM systems

Portfolio management software

Job description

Executive Director of Development

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Executive Director of Development

Job Profile Title

Director C, Development, Fundraising

Job Description Summary

Reporting to the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development & Alumni Relations (DAR), the Executive Director of Development provides strategic leadership for fundraising and engagement efforts. This role leads a frontline major gift team of three major gift officers and the Director of Development, who oversees three Assistant Directors of Development.

This position will manage a portfolio of major gift prospects capable of contributing $100,000+, but with a focus on gifts of $250,000 or more, to Penn Athletics and will oversee day-to-day fundraising and alumni relations activities for multiple varsity sports. In collaboration with an Assistant Director of Development, this includes managing multiple "sports boards" of 20+ volunteers that meet quarterly and that have a primary focus to support teams in achieving their fundraising goals across annual funds, endowment support, capital projects and planned gifts.

The position also plays an important lead role in working with the Athletics Director and the Senior Associate Athletic Director for DAR in planning high-level strategy and initiatives as well as helping to support and manage the unit's interface and coordination with Penn's Central overarching Office of Development and Alumni Relations.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of major gift officers, setting clear goals, evaluating performance, and supporting professional development to drive strong results across key fundraising metrics. Manage the Director of Development and co-create the strategic direction for the Assistant Director of Development team (3).
• Oversee all aspects of fundraising, alumni engagement and volunteer strategy for multiple varsity sports within the Penn Athletics sport portfolio, including enacting strategies to reach all fundraising goals
• Manage a personal portfolio of 100+ major and leadership gift prospects and develop and execute cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies to secure support for the Center's strategic priorities.
• Identify and develop a pipeline of high-level gift prospects for immediate and long-term cultivation with a goal of growing the pool of top prospects who can provide significant philanthropic support for Penn Athletics.
• Work with the Central DAR data alignment team to analyze data, create portfolio strategies and develop a data driven program to maximize the engagement of the DRIA community.
• Work closely with the Sr. Associate Athletic Director, Development and Alumni Relations to develop annual goals, plans, and budgets for a comprehensive, strategy-driven fundraising program and participate in the development and execution of a comprehensive plan to maximize the success of DRIA's fundraising efforts. This would include the strategic design and implementation of a comprehensive fundraising strategy for any future Penn Athletics-specific or University-wide fundraising campaign.
• Partner with the Athletics Director, Sr. Associate AD, major gift officers, coaches, lead volunteers and other athletic administrators across the Division and University to maximize philanthropic support for Penn Athletics.
• Collaborate with Sr. Associate AD to develop comprehensive engagement and solicitation strategy for Penn Athletics Board of Advisors; and dotted-line oversight structure of the Assistant Director of Stewardship & Administration as it relates to management of Board of Advisors, including all BOA communications and planning of annual meetings.
• Articulate and communicate DRIA's strategic priorities, aspirations, and values to alumni, parents and friends through informal and formal communications, including written proposals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and 7 to 10 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Preferred experience with Athletics fundraising within a higher education environment