Director of Development, Spears School of Business

Director of Development, Spears School of Business

Job Category
:
Spears School of Business

Requisition Number
: DIREC
001745

• Posted :
  August 4, 2026
• Full-Time
• On-site

Showing 1 location

VISION: Transform the university through the power of generosity.

MISSION: Unite donor passions with university priorities to elevate the impact of Oklahoma State University.

DEPARTMENT

PURPOSE:

The Spears School of Business contributes to the mission by securing philanthropic support for Oklahoma State University through meaningful donor engagement and strategic fundraising partnerships.

PRIMARY

PURPOSE:

Build long-term philanthropic partnerships that advance the mission and strategic initiatives of OSU and the Spears School of Business by securing major gifts through personalized donor engagement and fundraising strategies.

• Solicit and secure major gifts to OSUF with a focus on gifts of $50,000+ with a particular focus on qualifying and disqualifying prospects.
• Manage a portfolio of 60+ major gift prospects with giving capability for major gifts to OSU Foundation.
• Conduct a minimum of 150 personal visits with donors and prospective donors annually, with a focus on qualifying new major gift prospects.
• Complete 15+ major gift solicitations annually (closing a minimum of 60% of solicitations at major gift level of $50,000+).
• Responsible for annual production goal of $1M+.
• Report and track fundraising progress through the use of contact reports, prospect management and other communication tools to ensure efficient and effective communication.
  
  Maintain accurate donor records and uphold data best practices in ascend.

• Serve as a liaison to assigned department heads, center directors, faculty, staff, and campus leadership, collaborating on fundraising initiatives, donor engagement strategies, and program priorities while providing relevant updates to OSU Foundation team members.

• Provide strategic leadership and support for Spears School of Business donor stewardship initiatives and key constituent engagement events.
• Develop and execute established donor engagement strategies in partnership with OSUF stewardship managers for portfolio.

• Advance OSU priorities by partnering across colleges, units, and development teams to identify and maximize philanthropic opportunities, contributing to cross-functional initiatives as needed, and fostering a welcoming culture through mentorship and onboarding support for new employees.

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing and communications, nonprofit management, humanities, or relatedfieldsrequired.

• Minimum of5-7years in fundraising, development,major gifts,or relevant professional experience required.
• Experience in a higher education setting preferred.
• Fundraising and donor management software experience desired.
• Proven sense of humor and ability to have fun!
• Effective Communication: Listens well and diffuses conflict before it starts; highly persuasive in communications; presents ideas in a manner which actively engages people; takes action to reduce communication barriers and ensure arrangements are in place for effective communication across and within the organization; successfully carries out crucial conversations and encourages and coaches others to have crucial conversations to resolve conflict.
• Execution & Initiative: Holds staff accountable for achieving standards of excellence and results for the organization; seeks out understanding of both donor needs and internal processes; continuously pursues improvement of the organization’s performance by enhancing business processes, systems, teams, facilities or equipment; takes charge in a crisis and effectively maneuvers through complex situations and makes tough decisions in a timely manner.
• Teamwork/Interpersonal
  
  Skills:
  
  Demonstrates commitment to employee engagement and leverages programs and tools to build business plans and monitor progress; utilizes employee…