Director of Development

Job Description

USF Advancement connects the university with donors who want to make a difference by providing philanthropic support to promote student success, research, academic excellence and other strategic priorities. With an endowment that now exceeds $700 million in value, our dedicated team of approximately 200 professionals, including 60 fundraisers, encompasses alumni, development and foundation operations. The team is responsible for raising more than $150 million annually and has broken records year after year with more than $184 million raised in fiscal year 2025.

USF Advancement connects the university with donors who want to make a difference by providing philanthropic support to promote student success, research, academic excellence and other strategic priorities. With an endowment that now exceeds $700 million in value, our dedicated team of approximately 200 professionals, including 60 fundraisers, encompasses alumni, development and foundation operations. The team is responsible for raising more than $150 million annually and has broken records year after year with more than $184 million raised in fiscal year 2025.

The Director of Development is a fundraising professional responsible for securing philanthropic support for Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP) and strategic priorities across the University of South Florida.

Reporting directly to the Assistant Vice President for Affinity Programs and Executive Director of Women in Leadership & Philanthropy, this position is dedicated exclusively to development activities and serves as a key member of the USF Advancement team.

The Director of Development identifies, qualifies, cultivates, solicits, and closes major gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The successful candidate will manage a portfolio of prospects and donors, develop meaningful relationships that advance donor engagement, and partner with university leadership to align philanthropic investments with institutional priorities.

Employees of USF Advancement live out the values of responsibility, innovation, service, and excellence in each of its highly collaborative departments. We use trusted data and ethical AI to enhance decision‑making, strengthen engagement, and enable our teams to focus on what matters most: relationships and impact.

This position is primarily onsite and requires flexibility to meet with donors and prospects throughout the Tampa Bay region and beyond.

• Identify, cultivate, solicit and manage a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors ($50,000+) with a focus on securing significant philanthropic support for Women in Leadership & Philanthropy and the University of South Florida.
• Identify and qualify new prospects through research, referrals, volunteer engagement, and personal outreach.
• Conduct discovery, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship meetings with prospects and donors.
• Develop and implement individualized strategies to move prospects through the donor pipeline from identification to gift commitment.
• Collaborate with advancement colleagues and university stakeholders to identify philanthropic opportunities and align donor interests with institutional needs.
• Prepare proposals, gift agreements and other donor communications that support fundraising objectives.
• Maintain accurate records of prospect activity, strategy, and outcomes within university systems.
• Meet established activity and fundraising goals, including visits, solicitations, proposal submissions, and gift commitments.
• Represent the University of South Florida and Women in Leadership & Philanthropy at donor meetings, events, and community engagements as appropriate.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

This position requires Bachelor's degree and 5 years of experience related to development or other appropriate professional experience. Five to seven years demonstrated experience identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and closing major ($50,000+) philanthropic gifts is preferred.

With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area.…