Director of Development, Athletics

University of South Florida

$90K — $120K *
Tampa, FL 33647In-Person
Education, Government & Non-Profit
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree required with 5 years of development experience or equivalent work experience
  • Proven success in securing major gifts or comparable fundraising outcomes
  • Strong communication and strategic thinking abilities
  • Organizational skills essential for managing multiple donor interactions
  • Familiarity with CRM and data analytics tools preferred

Responsibilities

  • Manage and advance major gift prospects throughout the donor lifecycle
  • Conduct 10-14 donor meetings and 20-25 meaningful donor interactions monthly
  • Develop and close 8-15 major gift proposals annually
  • Partner with Athletics and campus for enhanced donor impact
  • Utilize AI and data to inform fundraising strategies and decision-making
  • Build and maintain a robust donor pipeline tracking performance against goals
  • Support team strategies through collaboration on proposals

Benefits

  • Opportunity to drive impactful philanthropic efforts
  • Engagement with high-capacity donors and major gift cultivation
  • Use of innovative tools and analytics to enhance performance
  • Collaboration opportunity across Athletics and campus initiatives
  • Contribution to strategic fundraising goals and community impact
Full Job Description
Job Description

The Director of Development is a key driver for the philanthropic efforts for USF Athletics by managing a portfolio of high-capacity donors and securing major and leadership gifts ($25,000+).

This role is responsible for driving revenue, advancing strategic donor relationships, and leveraging data and AI to enhance fundraising performance and decision-making.

Performance Metrics
  • Donor engagement (meetings and interactions)
  • Pipeline growth and movement
  • Proposal volume and quality
  • Effective use of data and AI tools
  • Achievement of annual fundraising goal


Responsibilities

Portfolio Management & Engagement
  • Manage and advance major gift prospects through all stages of the donor lifecycle
  • Conduct 10 - 14 donor meetings and 20 - 25 meaningful interactions monthly
  • Complete 3 - 5 qualification meetings per month to grow the pipeline

Fundraising & Proposal Strategy
  • Develop and close 8-15 major gift proposals annually
  • Structure multi-year and leadership-level gifts aligned with Athletics priorities
  • Achieve an assigned annual fundraising goal

Strategic Collaboration
  • Partner across Athletics and campus to maximize donor impact
  • Lead and contribute to 3 - 4 collaborative proposals annually
  • Support team strategy

AI, Data & Innovation
  • Utilize CRM, analytics, and AI tools to identify prospects and guide strategy
  • Apply data-driven insights to improve targeting, forecasting, and donor engagement
  • Embrace innovative approaches to enhance efficiency and personalization

Pipeline & Performance Management
  • Build and manage a strong, forward-looking donor pipeline
  • Maintain accurate CRM activity, strategy, and reporting
  • Track performance against activity, proposal, and revenue goals


Qualifications

This position requires Bachelor's degree and 5 years of experience related to development or other appropriate professional experience.

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Proven success securing major gifts or comparable outcomes
  • Strong communication, strategic thinking, and organizational skills


  • Degree Equivalency Clause: Four years of direct experience for a bachelor's degree.
    • Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.
    • SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements
    • A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed:
    • (a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;
    • (b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor's degree;
    • (c) Six years of direct experience for a master's degree;
    • (d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or
    • (e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree
    • Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment.
    • Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310.

Core Competencies
  • Strategic, results-driven, and accountable
  • Exceptional relationship builder
  • Data-informed and forward-thinking
  • Collaborative and team-oriented


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