Executive Director, Principal Gift Officer

About Worcester State University:

WORCESTER STATE UNIVERSITY is a liberal arts and sciences university with a long tradition of academic excellence dating backto 1874, as well as an Aff Our workforce is dedicated to academic quality, student-centered programming, engaged citizenship, open exchanges of ideas, diversity and inclusiveness, and civility and integrity. We are looking for job applicants who share these values and commitment to our students.

Worcester State is centrally located in Massachusetts, about an hour's drive from Boston, Springfield, and Providence, Rhode Island. Our 58-acre campus is nestled in the residential northwest side of Worcester--the second largest city in New England and home to 37,000 college students at more than a dozen colleges and universities. Over 6,000 of those students attend Worcester State--approximately 5,300 are undergraduates and 1,000 are graduate students.

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Job Description:

OFFICIAL

TITLE:

Executive Director, Principal Gift Officer-Capital Campaign

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:
Vice President for University Advancement

General Statement of Duties:
The Executive Director, Principal Gift Officer (PGO) for the capital campaign serves as a senior frontline fundraiser responsible for driving the strategy, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of Worcester State University's highest-capacity prospects. The role is sharply focused on moving elite prospects toward transformative commitments in support of the University's comprehensive capital campaign and strategic priorities.

Reporting directly to the Vice President for University Advancement (VPUA), with dotted line supervisory responsibilities to the Director, Capital Campaign. The PGO operates with a dual primary mandate:

• Supporting the VPUA and the President on the institution's top, high-level institutional donor relationships.
• Directly managing a highly focused, elite portfolio of top-capacity prospects capable of making significant $1M+ principal gifts.

The PGO helps build and sustain a robust, top-tier pipeline of leadership-level philanthropic support while driving sophisticated, donor-centered campaign success. This is a full-time, exempt, fully benefited professional position funded by the University's three-year Capital Campaign. Continued funding for the position is contingent upon the availability of campaign funding.

Core Responsibilities and Essential Duties (E):

1. Principal Gift Strategy & Portfolio Management(60%)

• (E) Elite Portfolio Management:
  Manage a narrowly defined,highly focused portfolio of top-capacity prospects and donors(including high-net-worth alumni, friends, and key leadership figures) capable of making transformative major gifts.
• (E) High-Value Pipeline Acceleration:
  Drive the identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship continuum specifically for individuals capable of six-, seven-, and eight-figure philanthropic commitments.
• (E) Customized Solicitation Plans:
  Build and execute sophisticated, tailored donor engagement plans, complex multi-year commitments, blended gifts, and high-level naming opportunities aligned with core institutional priorities.
• (E) Targeted Deliverables:
  Personally develop and maintain specific, critical deliverables, including:

• (E) Performance Metrics:
  Meet or exceed individualized annual fundraising, strategic proposal submission, face-to-face visit, and revenue goals established by Advancement leadership.

2. Institutional Leadership & Strategic Support(30%)

• (E) Presidential & VPUA Briefings:
  Partner directly with the President, VPUA, and senior leadership to co-strategize and manage the university's top institutional relationships.
• (E) Executive Preparation:
  Prepare high-level prospect briefings, strategic donor correspondence, and presentation materials for leadership ahead of pivotal engagements.
• (E) Academic & Leadership Alignment:
  Partner with the Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Deans, and faculty to identify critical institutional funding priorities and convert them into compelling, high-level philanthropic investment concepts.
• (E) Strategic Coordination:
  Lead and debrief high-level campus visits, presidential engagements, and targeted cultivation activities for top-tier prospects.

3. Strategic Stewardship & Administrative Integrity(10%)

(These are supporting functions focused strictly on the principal/major gift level; routine execution, event logistics, and broad reporting are handled by supporting staff).

• (E) Principal Stewardship Strategy:
  Design overarching, customized stewardship plans for principal and major gift donors to ensure exceptional, high-touch experiences and compliance with donor intent.
• (E) Data Integrity:
  Maintain precise, timely records of principal gift…