Senior Associate Athletic Director of Development

Department Overview

The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at George Mason University proudly supports more than 500 student‑athletes across 22 NCAA Division I programs. As a distinguished member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, our teams have earned 17 conference championships, captured NCAA titles in Women’s Soccer and Men’s Indoor Track, and achieved national recognition with a Men’s Basketball Final Four appearance. We also celebrate more than 30 individual national champions who exemplify excellence in competition.

Educate:
Prioritize academic achievement and recruit student‑athletes who can be successful academically, strengthen ICA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, and provide consistent education for coaches and sports administrators. 

Compete:
Position teams to consistently compete for conference success and recruit student‑athletes who possess the ability to excel athletically from a conference and national perspective. 

Engage:
Prioritize the experience and personal well‑being of student‑athletes, develop and renovate athletics facilities in accordance with University and ICA objectives and priorities, generate resources necessary to support the student‑athlete experience, competitiveness, and infrastructure, and foster and inspire partnerships within the department, University, the surrounding community, and the corporate community.

The Senior Associate Athletic Director of Development is the lead fundraising officer for Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA). The role is responsible for all development‑focused programs, initiatives, and strategies designed to increase philanthropic support aligned with ICA and University goals. It serves as a member of the ICA senior leadership team and partners with Central Advancement and Alumni Relations, advancement colleagues, and ICA colleagues to advance philanthropic giving to key priorities through annual fundraising, alumni engagement, corporate and foundation relations, and major, principal, and planned giving.

The position manages all development activity for ICA, including the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of prospects with the potential for major gifts (at least $25,000) and principal gifts (at least $1 million). It also oversees the annual fund (Patriot Club) fundraising efforts and staff, the school's capital campaign activities, and future comprehensive campaigns. This role is heavily focused on networking, building relationships, and tracking metrics to build a pipeline of donors supporting the department’s priorities.

• Identify, qualify, steward, and solicit a portfolio of 75–90 major‑gift prospects and donors, emphasizing new gifts and pledges of $25,000 and above totaling upwards of $1–$2 million annually;
• Actively engage each prospect to ensure prospect movement and portfolio penetration annually;
• Meet or exceed all metrics and expectations set by Central Advancement;
• Support successful execution of a comprehensive fundraising program that leverages resources from the central advancement team;
• Gather data, assess prospects, and develop strategies to realize individual prospects’ current and lifetime giving potential;
• Develop and implement major and principal gift strategies for corporate prospects in concert with the central Advancement Corporate & Foundations team;
• When appropriate, personally solicit gifts and prepare the Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics, Head Coaches, and other ICA fundraising team members to make solicitations;
• Coordinate fundraising assistance, track contacts, asks, and funds raised, draft proposals and pledge agreements, and coordinate cultivation and stewardship activities;
• Maintain consistent contact with prospects, facilitate or make solicitations, and ensure effective stewardship;
• Complete contact reports for ICA’s database and Central Development’s contact reporting system;
• Assist in overseeing ICA’s donor portfolio, maximizing unit revenue from philanthropic giving through team management;
• Attend campus meetings surrounding major gifts and central development functions and oversee all annual fundraising efforts, including the…