Senior Director, Development & Major Gifts Strategy

Kentucky-Wesleyan-College; Owensboro (KY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Kentucky Wesleyan College seeks a collaborative, strategic fundraising professional to serve as Senior Director of Development. This leadership role expands philanthropic support through major and planned gifts and oversees a portfolio of 100–150 prospects, partnering with campus leadership to advance institutional priorities and student success.

The successful candidate combines relationship-building with data-informed planning, contributing to a culture of philanthropy and measurable

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; minimum two years in major gift fundraising.
• Proven ability to identify, cultivate, and solicit major gifts.
• Experience working in higher education or nonprofit fundraising preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major and planned gift prospects.
• Manage a portfolio of approximately 100–150 major gift prospects and donors.
• Conduct regular discovery, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship visits with alumni, friends, parents, and community partners.
• Develop individualized donor engagement strategies aligning donor interests with priorities.
• Build and maintain a healthy major gift pipeline through research, qualification, and forecasting.

Skills

Moves management

Donor engagement

Relationship building

Communication

Travel

Donor events

Independent work

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge

Microsoft Office

Job description

Kentucky Wesleyan College seeks a collaborative, strategic fundraising professional to serve as Senior Director of Development. This leadership role expands philanthropic support through major and planned gifts and oversees a portfolio of 100–150 prospects, partnering with campus leadership to advance institutional priorities and student success.

The successful candidate combines relationship-building with data-informed planning, contributing to a culture of philanthropy and measurable