Director, Development Athletics

*
* Job Title:

** Director, Development Athletics
** Division:
** University Advancement
** Evaluation Group:
** Staff
* * FLSA Status:
** Exempt  
*
* Reports To:

** Assistant Vice President, Development
** Positions Supervised:
** Assistant Development Officer, Athletics  
** Job Summary
** The director, development athletics secures private philanthropic support, aligning donor interests with athletics institutional priorities. This position will identify, qualify, cultivate, and solicit donor prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000 or more, with an emphasis on donors of $100,000+.  Constituents served include individual donors, alumni, foundations, corporations, fans, and friends of the university. The successful candidate will be collaborative and innovative team member who, through strategic work and relationship building, will help Lindenwood to grow our donor pipelines and philanthropic landscape.

** Essential Job Functions and Performance Indicators
** The intent of this job description is to provide a representation of the types of duties and level of responsibility that will be required of positions given this title. This job description shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

* Job Responsibilities and Execution
** Manages a portfolio of major donor prospects capable of making gifts of $25,000 or more, with a focus on qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and gift closure
* Coordinates with Assistant Vice President of Development, the Vice President for Athletics, development colleagues, and prospect researcher to develop and implement strategies to meet annual and campaign fundraising goals
* Meets with donors and donor prospects 25-50% time via travel, on-campus visits, phone, and video conferencing, including some evenings and weekends
* Prepares donor proposals, reports, draft agreements, and donor communications tailored to donor interests
* Develops and executes strategies for assigned unit(s) that will support unit philanthropic priorities and successfully increase major gift support, in partnership with advancement and athletics leadership and advancement colleagues
* Develops and maintains close collaborative partnerships with athletics leadership and staff to gain a strong understanding of programs and initiatives to identify and define opportunities for private support
* Maintains expertise in major gift best practices, contemporary philanthropic trends, and evolving giving vehicles, translating industry insights into innovative strategies for prospect engagement and complex gift structuring
* Collaborates with advancement stewardship and engagement colleagues on developing strategic engagement plans for key alumni and donors
* Supervises the work of the assistant development officer, athletics advancement, which includes donation-based giving societies, alumni groups, donor suites, and fundraising events like the annual Black and Gold Benefit
* Utilizes Raiser’s Edge to document all activities, interactions and other relevant data.
* Participates in advancement meetings and events, assisting colleagues and providing support for all ongoing programs and operations as needed to help meet institutional engagement and fundraising goals  
* Service Excellence
** Supports the mission of the University and serves as an ambassador of the Q2 culture of service excellence
* Models, supports, and holds others accountable to the University’s values
* Conducts meaningful and authentic donor acknowledgement and stewardship activities
* Cultivates strong relationships with individual donors, alumni,…