Assistant Director of Development

Assistant Director of Development

Job : 293872
Location: Statesboro, Georgia;

Georgia Southern - Savannah
Full/Part Time: Full Time
Regular/Temporary: Regular

About Us

Georgia Southern University is the state's largest and most comprehensive center of higher education south of Atlanta. With nearly 150 degree programs at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels, Georgia Southern has been designated a Carnegie Doctoral/R2 "high research" university and serves more than 29,500 students from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico as well as 106 nations.

With three vibrant campuses - the Statesboro Campus, the Armstrong Campus in Savannah and the Liberty Campus in Hinesville - Georgia Southern offers a dynamic environment which encourages learning, discovery and personal growth. The University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and has earned special accreditation from professional and academic associations that set standards in their fields.

Georgia Southern is an influencer and intellectual catalyst in southeast Georgia, a rapidly expanding region that is home to international companies such as Hyundai, Gulfstream and JCB, as well as the Port of Savannah and Georgia Ports Authority. With a focus on hands-on learning, Georgia Southern is supporting the demand for highly skilled workers by providing academic excellence and creative innovation in a supportive student-centered environment that empowers the next generation of leaders to succeed.

Beyond an ideal location, there is a place for you to work in an exciting environment abounding with opportunities for personal and professional growth. Named one of the Best U.S. Colleges by The Wall Street Journal, Georgia Southern is nationally ranked for the caliber of its programs and services. Georgia Southern University has been recognized by Forbes as one of "America's Best-In-State Employers" for 2025.

Location

Statesboro Campus - Statesboro, GA

OR

Armstrong Campus - Savannah, GA

Department Information

University Advancement

Job Summary

This position plays a critical role in strengthening Georgia Southern's philanthropic pipeline by generating high-volume, high-quality donor qualification. The Assistant Director focuses on rapid discovery, disciplined documentation, timely handoffs, and coordinated movement across Annual Giving and Major Gifts. Success in this role is measured by activity cadence, qualification outcomes, and the acceleration of prospects through the early stages of the development cycle.

Responsibilities

• Supports pipeline development efforts by surfacing new major gift leads, identifying emerging donor trends, and contributing to strategy discussions that enhance prospect movement
• Develops and maintains strong prospect insights, capturing interests, readiness indicators, and recommended next steps to inform individualized cultivation strategies and portfolio decisions
• Works collaboratively with the Office of Annual Giving to ensure alignment across outreach efforts and shared donor engagement strategies, strengthening the broader donor pipeline
• Partners with development leadership to establish annual goals and expectations, recognizing that performance will be evaluated on metrics such as number of qualified prospects, meaningful visits, delivered proposals, and overall pipeline growth-tailored each year
• Identify, engage, and qualify new prospects through digital outreach, phone calls, virtual meetings, and in-person visits to determine philanthropic interests, affinity, and capacity for Leadership Annual Giving or Major Gift opportunities
• Serves as the primary entry point for new prospects, assessing fit for either the Leadership Annual Giving (under $25,000) or Major Gift ($25,000+) pipelines and documenting interactions, qualification outcomes, and opportunity movement in the CRM system
• Advance cultivation and solicitation conversations for prospects qualified at the Leadership Annual Giving level, managing a focused portfolio of LAG-appropriate donors to strengthen the overall pipeline
• Acts as a bidirectional referral partner, receiving LAG-appropriate leads from MGOs, Alumni Relations, and Annual Giving, and routing higher-capacity prospects to collegiate gift officers
• Collaborates closely with Major Gift Officers when prospects demonstrate capacity or readiness for commitments at the major gift level, supporting coordinated cultivation and facilitating seamless handoff when appropriate
• Conducts meaningful qualification visits-using a blend of digital outreach, virtual meetings, and targeted face-to-face engagements-to accelerate movement through the discovery cycle

• Bachelor's Degree

• Two (2) or more years of development, product/personal sales or related work experience

• Knowledge and familiarity with Georgia Southern University

• Experience in cold-calling, negotiating and closing…