Assistant Athletic Director, Donor Engagement Intercollegiate Athletics

Assistant Athletic Director, Donor Engagement

University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA

The Cal Athletics Fund has a staff of approximately 25 individuals and is responsible for raising more than $75M annually in support of Cal's 30 sports programs and 800+ student-athletes. The Donor Engagement and Alumni Relations team executes more than 100 donor and alumni events annually that range from small dinners to large gala events with several hundred attendees. The Cal Athletics Fund is also charged with donor stewardship efforts for more than 6,000 donors every year.

The Assistant Athletic Director, Donor Engagement oversees the external engagement that happens on behalf of the Cal Athletics Fund, this includes all events, stewardship, alumni relations, marketing and communications efforts, benefit fulfillment, and donor outreach related to renewing gifts. The role also oversees the day to day operations of the Cal Athletics Fund, including budget management.

Application Review Date The First Review Date for this job is:
August 20, 2026. For full consideration, please apply on or before the first review date.

Responsibilities Supervision and Leadership (55%) Leads, mentors and supervises staff responsible for supporting critical fundraising activities (stewardship, marketing/communications, events, database management, benefit fulfillment, et cetera). Manages staff areas of stewardship, events, communications, alumni relations and development operations.

• Selects, trains, evaluates and as required, takes corrective action, with staff.
• Oversight and final decision maker to allocate resources and budget to differing event priorities in order to build out an annual event plan. Ensures that decisions are in line with unit wide priorities.
• Oversees the execution of all donor benefit programs; ensures fulfillment, accurate tracking, and manages questions/concerns regarding recognition/benefits.

Marketing & Communications Strategy Administrative Oversight and Strategy (30%)

• Manages all marketing and communications for the development office on all platforms (web, email, direct mail, social, digital ads etc.); maintaining a comprehensive communications calendar for the development office; ownership of branding and design for all development marketing material. Determines and oversees annual communication plans to market philanthropy for athletics through traditional channels such as print collateral as well as web and social along with keeping a library of documents and proposals to assist frontline fundraisers with solicitation.
• Develops stewardship strategies. Oversees turnkey gift acknowledgement program as well as creative opportunities to thank leadership level donors. Supports capital recognition projects.

Engagement Strategy (15%)

• Supports event and alumni relations staff in working with Head Coaches to determine year long engagement strategies.
• Plans and executes select high level events throughout the year, primarily for football and basketball programs.
• Supports IA and campus leadership attendance at events - managing briefings, remarks, scheduling, and logistics as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of higher education development with demonstrated success designing, implementing, and evaluating donor stewardship, alumni engagement, events and hospitality, cultivation, and external relations programs that strengthen philanthropic relationships.
• Demonstrated leadership and supervisory experience, including at least three years supervising three or more full-time staff, with the ability to recruit, mentor, motivate, evaluate, and develop high-performing teams.
• Experience planning and managing donor cultivation events, alumni programs, game-day hospitality, and other special events that enhance engagement. Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including political acumen and the ability to develop compelling donor- and alumni-focused communications and storytelling.
• Experience developing and executing integrated marketing and communications strategies across email, social media, websites, digital advertising, direct mail, and other channels.
• Understanding of university policies, development operations, gift acceptance guidelines, fundraising best practices, donor lifecycle management, and prospect management.
• Strong organizational, strategic planning, and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, budgets, and events simultaneously.
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage and collaborate effectively with donors, alumni, volunteers, coaches, campus leadership, and external partners.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, analyze, and resolve problems while exercising sound judgment, discretion, and maintaining confidentiality.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, Canva, and constituent relationship management (CRM) systems and donor databases (e.g., Blackbaud CRM, Salesforce,…