Executive Director of Development, College of Agricultural Sciences

Description

The Executive Director of Development (EDoD) is responsible for leading a comprehensive, team-oriented college development and alumni relations program designed to increase financial support from alumni, friends, parents, foundations, and corporations in support of the Colorado State University College of Agricultural Sciences.

This position is a key advancement leadership role, working in close strategic partnership with the dean of the College and engaging college faculty and staff in the process. Fundraising initiatives range from capitol investments and creation of world class agriculture research facilities to a focus on advancing student success initiatives. This position supervises a team of three development officers and a development coordinator, communicating vision and goals aligned with CSU Foundation and University priorities.

• Position Title: Executive Director of Development
• Organization Name: Colorado State University Foundation
• Reports To: Associate Vice President of College Philanthropy
• Employment Type: Full-time
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Location: Fort Collins
• Salary Range: $135,000 - $195,000 annually
• Priority Consideration Date: October 25, 2026

Located in the beautiful town of Fort Collins, Colorado State University is a premier land-grant university with world-class programs in education, outreach, and research. CSU has a student body of over 34,000 students, 271,911 living alumni, and annual research expenditures exceeding $613 million.

One of eight academic colleges at CSU, the College of Agricultural Sciences supports five departments which meet global challenges in food safety, food security, wellness and economic prosperity through the sustainable use of natural resources. The College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS) sits at the heart of Colorado State University’s identity as a national modern land-grant institution. Please see our College of Agricultural Sciences Strategic Roadmap for more detailed information.

The Colorado State University Foundation (CSUF) was founded in 1970 and is the official non-profit perpetuity partner for Colorado State University. The CSU Foundation is in the midst of exciting growth as the University Advancement division of CSU recently transitioned to the Foundation, growing the organization to 170 employees. This merger has allowed us to more effectively serve our donors, alumni, and stakeholders with a unified structure, strengthen accountability, and build the capacity to scale our fundraising enterprise.

With one of the leading development teams in the country, we most recently achieved our highest fundraising year to date at $231 million.

• Lead major-gift fundraising and overall development efforts throughout the College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS) to achieve annual goals set by the CSU Foundation.
• Carry a portfolio of 75-100 prospects capable of $50,000 and above gifts utilizing the tenets of moves management
• Hire, train, set goals, evaluate progress, and manage performance of the CAS development team. Monitor the quality of work, motivate, support, and ensure accuracy of project responsibilities
• Responsible for the strategic visioning and ongoing development, management, coordination and administration of an effective college-wide fundraising program
• Allocate, track, manage and deploy an operating budget
• Disseminate accurate donor information by identifying university-wide areas for donor engagement that align with the University fundraising priorities and goals
• Solve donor related issues quickly and effectively, understanding when to bring any given situation to leadership
• Develop data-driven fundraising strategy specific to the…