Associate Director of Development, Athletics

Job Summary

The Buff Club at the University of Colorado Boulder encourages applications for two Associate Directors of Development to join our team! The Buff Club is a team of 17 members within the Office of Advancement dedicated to providing development and engagement support for CU Athletics. The primary function of this role is to increase philanthropic engagement and secure major gifts of $25,000+ on behalf of CU Athletics.

This includes identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of donors. This position will require travel on a regular basis to meet with current and prospective donors to build relationships and advance gift conversations.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

CU Boulder Advancement is committed to a culture of joy, motivated by collaboration, passionate about excellence and driven by impact. These four values define the culture and drive engagement and fundraising success.

We are committed to fostering an environment where everyone matters and all can thrive. This dedication is rooted in our core values and our mission to drive impactful fundraising and engagement. Our team actively engages in learning, reflection, and the transformation of systems, policies, and practices that perpetuate oppressive ideologies—including racism, sexism, ableism, and heterosexism. We recognize our responsibility to lead by example, building a supportive and inclusive culture for both internal colleagues and external partners.

We hold ourselves accountable through individual and divisional goals that continuously assess our progress, growth, and outcomes—ensuring alignment with our mission and values every step of the way.

• Develop and manage a portfolio of individual prospects capable of making gift commitments of $25K+.
• In partnership with the Senior Director of Development, develop annual goals around development work (face to face meetings, proposals, dollars raised, and collaborative solicitations).
• Collaborate with the Senior Director of Development to develop a strategic plan for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding each donor as appropriate, collaborating with the system’s gift planning team, colleagues and academic partners when appropriate.
• Conduct regular travel to visit with donors in pursuit of achieving established goals and metrics.
• Leverage all available University and Athletic Department resources and assets (i.e., tickets, premium seating, parking event attendance, etc.) to identify, cultivate, and solicit fundraising support.
• Document prospect strategies and contact reports, evaluate new prospects and generate stewardship reports, and general correspondence to cultivate major gift prospects.

• Serve as a fundraising liaison to an assigned sport.
• Grow philanthropic totals by deepening collaboration with advancement and other campus colleagues for enhanced donor engagement. This involves participating in regular internal meetings and engagement opportunities (task forces, frontline fundraiser meetings, etc.).
• Champion a self‑learner/self‑starter approach and continuously look for opportunities to match donor interests with leadership initiatives in pursuit of meeting established goals and objectives.
• Facilitate productive relationships daily between donors and CU administrators, faculty and staff to ensure effectiveness of programs.
• Proactively represent CU Athletics at external events to identify prospects and grow network of support.
• Other duties as assigned.

• This position is working on-site.
• This position will require local, regional, and out-of-state travel to meet with donors.
• This position will be required to work evenings and weekends.

The salary range for this position is $80,000–$90,000 annually. Relocation…