Assistant Director of Donor Relations, Social Sciences Division

Assistant Director of Development, Social Sciences Division (7547U) #89571

At the University of California, Berkeley , we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging makes it a special place for students, faculty, and staff, who are among the most talented and accomplished anywhere, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and Mac Arthur Fellows. Since our founding in 1868, we have been an engine for innovation - driving intellectual, economic, and social progress that benefits California, the U.S., and beyond.

Together, we change the world.

At Berkeley, the best careers are built on a foundation of continuous learning and growth . We actively support professional development by providing all full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours of paid time per year and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups.

The Division of Social Sciences in the College of Letters & Science is the largest academic division on campus, with an annual budget of approximately $160M, 276 permanent faculty FTE, and undergraduate enrollment averaging approximately 30,000 per semester. It is also among Berkeley's most diverse academic divisions, with faculty studying every dimension of the human experience.

Its academic departments include African American Studies, Anthropology, Demography, Economics, Ethnic Studies, Geography, Gender and Women's Studies, History, Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. The division is also home to the Interdisciplinary Social Science Programs, including Political Economy, Global Studies, and Cognitive Science, as well as Social Science Matrix, D-Lab, and several related research units.

The Assistant Director of Development serves as a frontline fundraising professional responsible for identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding leadership-level prospects within the Division of Social Sciences. This position independently manages a fundraising portfolio of approximately $500,000-$1,000,000 and works with Prospect Research, development colleagues, and current donors to identify and develop new prospects through the Division's pipeline program, the Dean's Circle, and leadership-giving opportunities.

The Assistant Director of Development focuses on increasing annual and special gift support, with particular emphasis on unrestricted giving.

The First Review Date for this job is November 2, 2026. For full consideration, please apply by the first review date.

• Independently manages a dynamic fundraising portfolio of approximately $500,000 - $1,000,000 , consisting of 120-200 leadership giving prospects.
• Conducts approximately 120 substantive donor contacts annually through in-person meetings, Zoom, and telephone engagement.
• Identifies, qualifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards prospects and donors to increase annual and special gift support.
• Partners with the Director of Annual Programs and Assistant Dean of Development to expand membership in the Deans Circle and 1903 Society and supports key fundraising initiatives, including Big Give, through solicitation of challenge gifts and donor participation.
• Collaborates with Major Gift Officers, Annual Giving Officers, Gift Administration, Stewardship, Institutes/Centers, University Relations, and campus development colleagues to ensure prospects are appropriately engaged, solicited, and stewarded.
• Directly or indirectly secures $500,000 - $1,000,000 in unrestricted support annually and increases giving among personally and jointly managed prospects by 10-30%.
• Supports annual and long-term strategies to increase the number of donors at leadership giving levels.
• Uses knowledge of the donor and prospect base to inform outreach, appeals, and department-specific fundraising messaging.
• Participates in short- and long-range strategic planning to achieve fundraising goals and align philanthropic opportunities with donor interests.

• Coordinates donor stewardship efforts, including donor meetings, ongoing engagement, and written and verbal communications.
• Develops and contributes to persuasive fundraising and stewardship materials communicating the strengths and priorities of Leadership Giving programs, including the Deans Circle and 1903 Society.
• Engages donors as appropriate for profiles and other communications and…