Director of Development, Student Life and Athletics

Job DescriptionTITLE Director of Development, Student Life and Athletics JOB SUMMARY The Director of Development, Student Life and Athletics is a member of the University Advancement team and a frontline fundraiser for Student Life centers, programs, and activities. As the development strategist and fundraiser, the Director identifies, cultivates, and solicits individual prospects and leadership donors through individual outreach with a special focus on securing multi-year, leadership gifts of $25,000 a year and above. He or she is responsible for the creation and implementation of fundraising strategies, proposals and associated activities for Student Life. This position reports to the Vice President of University Advancement and the Vice President for Student Life. The Director will be fully engaged with University Advancement's overall fundraising strategy, goals, initiatives, and events. He or she will assist the Vice President of Student Life in building successful annual and major gift programs, expand the donor base, and develop a strong alumni community for the Division of Student Life. He or she has responsibility for planning, designing, and implementing programs and projects, and achieving fundraising goals. The Director will have demonstrated success in crafting strategy, cultivating, and soliciting prospects, closing asks and stewarding donors. The Director must have experience working closely with senior leadership and effectively managing and engaging volunteers. The Director will assist the Vice President of University Advancement and Vice President of Student Life in executing a major comprehensive campaign that is integrated within a university-wide campaign initiative grounded in the TWU Strategic Plan. Work is performed independently under limited supervision and performance evaluation is based upon the results obtained. The performance evaluation is conducted through the performance evaluation system and in accordance with the University Policies & Procedures. ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS Reports to: Vice President, University Advancement Supervises: Assistant Director, Associate Director, Support Staff and Student Assistants ESSENTIAL DUTIES -May include, but not limited to the following: Cultivate, solicit, and close new and established leadership donors with the annual goal of 65-75 in-person or virtual meetings and raising at least $250,000 in the first year. Utilize primarily face to face contact but also telephone, videoconference, e-mail, and new media to cultivate, solicit, close, and steward new and established leadership donors. Manage a dynamic pool of annual and major gift prospects for Student Life. Participate in the development and submission of proposals to corporations and foundations interested in supporting priority initiatives for the division. Supports the growth of the division's prospects by annually identifying current donors who have the capacity and inclination to support Student Life at a greater level through major gifts or planned gifts. Stay continuously up to date on the divisions' strategic vision and opportunities for philanthropic support. Communicate philanthropic support priorities to donors. Attend and participate in Student Life and University Advancement events and activities. Creates Actions and utilizes university-wide prospect tracking systems (Blackbaud's Raiser's Edge NXT) to ensure efficient and well-coordinated fundraising efforts. Writes reports and creates actions on prospect activity for the Vice President of University Advancement and the Vice President of Student Life. Responsible for establishing job standards for subordinate staff and effectively evaluating staff under charge. The performance evaluation is conducted through the performance evaluation system and in accordance with the University Policies & Procedures. ADDITIONAL DUTIES Performs other duties as requested. Attends weekend and evening activities as necessary. EDUCATION Bachelor's degree in a related field is required. Master's degree is strongly preferred. EXPERIENCE Five (5) years of experience in higher education fundraising or successful progressively responsible experience in business, sales and non-profit fundraising. REQUIREMENT Regular and reliable attendance at the University during regular scheduled days and work hours is an essential function of this position. All employees share the responsibility of maintaining information security and privacy requirements within the university by adhering to Federal and State regulations, and TWU Policies & Procedures. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES - The following are essential: • Demonstrated success in a sales, or non-profit environment. Fundraising knowledge for student life programs is preferred. • Strong interpersonal skills, oral and written communication skills are required. • Demonstrated ability to cultivate and steward relationships benefitting a division of the university. • Ability to develop and implement effective and efficient donor stewardship practices. • Ability to analyze data, monitor budgets and develop successful plans necessary. • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and handle multiple projects simultaneously, attention to detail, and deadlines. • Excellent technology skills, specifically with MS Office suite of products, CRM tools, and databases such as Blackbaud's Raiser's Edge. • Ability to use a personal computer and other office equipment, including related university software and email. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described in the Essential Duties and below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties. The employee may be required to travel. WORK ENVIRONMENT All employees are responsible for maintaining an environment that is free from discrimination, intimidation, harassment, including sexual harassment. Work is normally performed in a typical interior work environment. SAFETY TWU promotes a safe working environment. Employees are responsible for completing assigned tasks safely and efficiently, and supervisors are responsible for creating and maintaining a safe work environment. Employees must report any unsafe work conditions or practices, as well as any near-miss incidents, to their supervisor and Risk Management. Supervisors and employees should ensure that injury/accident reports are submitted to the Office of Human Resources and Risk Management within 24 hours of the incident. The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change. Texas Woman's University, an AA/EEO employer, provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected category, class or characteristic. All offers of employment will be contingent on the candidate's ability to provide documents which establish proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Positions at Texas Woman's University deemed security-sensitive require background checks and verification of all academic credentials. If you are a male between the age of 18 and 25, federal law requires that you must be registered with the U.S. Selective Service System, unless you meet certain exemptions under Selective Service law. Under HB 558, enacted by the 76th Texas State Legislature, if you are currently of the age and gender requiring registration with Selective Service, but knowingly and willfully fail to do so, you are ineligible for employment with an agency in any branch of Texas state government. For additional information regarding registration or status, you can contact the Selective Service System at 847-688-6888 or www.sss.gov.About Us TWU is the nation's largest university system focused on women and a federally recognized Hispanic-Serving Institution. TWU is situated approximately 30 miles north of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and is home to approximately 16,433 graduate and undergraduate students across three campuses; Denton, Dallas, and Houston respectively. This diverse academic student community is guided by faculty committed to excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. TWU is ranked among the nation's top ethnically diverse institutions according to U.S. News & World Report (2022). Additional information about the University is available at