North Carolina State University

Director of Philanthropic Strategy & Prospect Management

North Carolina State University$95K — $115K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Post-baccalaureate degree (or equivalent experience) with 3-5 years in a relevant role.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Organizational and multi-tasking capabilities.
  • Ability to collaborate with diverse teams and stakeholders.
  • Passion for fundraising in a public university context.

Responsibilities

  • Advise on fundraising strategy and campaign readiness for the College of Engineering.
  • Optimize prospect portfolios and manage assignment strategies efficiently.
  • Facilitate meetings with frontline fundraisers to develop prospect strategies.
  • Identify major gift opportunities and assess risks within the fundraising pipeline.
  • Support the planning and development of principal gift initiatives.
  • Lead the implementation and management of Salesforce CRM for the College.

Benefits

  • Engagement in strategic fundraising efforts that can influence educational advancement.
  • Collaboration with experienced fundraising leadership and frontline staff.
  • Opportunity to utilize advanced analytics and CRM tools in a meaningful context.
  • Potential for career advancement within a dynamic university setting.
Full Job Description
Posting Details

Posting Information

Posting Number
PG194851EP

Internal Recruitment
No

Working Title
Director of Philanthropic Strategy & Prospect Management

Anticipated Hiring Range
Commensurate with experience and education

Work Schedule
8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Job Location
Raleigh, NC

Department
Engineering Advancement

About the Department

Essential Job Duties

The Director of Philanthropic Strategy & Prospect Management serves as the College of Engineering's strategic advisor on fundraising performance, portfolio optimization, campaign readiness, and prospect strategy. This position partners closely with the Assistant Dean for Philanthropy and frontline fundraisers to maximize philanthropic results through data-informed decision making, fundraising analytics, CRM leadership, and strategic portfolio management.

Rather than serving solely as a prospect manager, this role functions as a strategic partner to fundraising leadership by helping ensure gift officers are focused on the highest-impact opportunities and equipped with the information, systems, and strategy necessary to maximize fundraising success.

Core Responsibilities

1. Philanthropic Strategy

Provide strategic guidance that strengthens fundraising performance across the College.

Key Responsibilities

  • Serve as strategic advisor to the Assistant Dean and Executive Director on fundraising priorities and campaign readiness.
  • Lead portfolio optimization and prospect assignment strategies.
  • Facilitate prospect strategy meetings with frontline fundraisers.
  • Identify opportunities, risks, and trends within all levels of the major gift fundraising pipeline - focusing on the continuum from major gift discovery to major gifts to principal giving.
  • Develop recommendations to maximize fundraising productivity and philanthropic outcomes.
  • Support campaign planning and principal gift pipeline development.


2. Prospect Management

Lead the strategic management of prospect portfolios to maximize fundraiser effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

  • Oversee portfolio management and assignment processes.
  • Monitor prospect movement through the donor pipeline.
  • Ensure portfolio health and accountability.
  • Conduct regular portfolio reviews with gift officers.
  • Coordinate closely with University Advancement Prospect Development on prospect management and research, working closely with analysts on research projects to fill fundraiser portfolios & gaps.
  • Develop recommendations for prospect assignment and portfolio balancing.


3. CRM Strategy & Salesforce (Lobo) Leadership

Serve as the College's functional expert for Salesforce (Lobo), ensuring the CRM effectively supports fundraising strategy and frontline success.

Key Responsibilities

  • Serve as the College of Engineering's primary functional lead for Salesforce (Lobo).
  • Partner with University Advancement on CRM implementation, enhancements, testing, and user adoption.
  • Develop best practices, workflows, and business processes within Salesforce.
  • Train and support frontline fundraisers in the effective use of the CRM.
  • Ensure data quality and consistency across fundraising operations.
  • Translate fundraising needs into CRM solutions that improve efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Identify opportunities to leverage Salesforce to improve fundraising performance and reporting.


4. Fundraising Analytics & Performance

Provide meaningful data and analysis that informs leadership decisions and drives fundraising success.

Key Responsibilities

  • Develop executive dashboards and performance reports in Salesforce that track activity, strategy and pipeline health.
  • Monitor fundraising KPIs and portfolio metrics.
  • Analyze pipeline health and fundraising trends.
  • Forecast fundraising performance and campaign progress.
  • Track proposal activity and donor movement.
  • Produce regular reports that support strategic decision making by the Assistant Dean and fundraising leadership.


Other Responsibilities
  • Other duties as assigned.


Qualifications

Minimum Education and Experience
  • Requires a relevant post-baccalaureate degree with a minimum of three (3) years or greater of related professional experience, or a relevant undergraduate degree and a minimum of five (5) years or greater of relevant experience may be substituted for the advanced degree.


Other Required Qualifications
  • Strong communication (written and verbal) and organizational skills.
  • Enthusiasm for fund-raising in a public university.
  • Effective ability to multi-task.
  • Ability to work with multiple and varied constituencies.
  • Collegiality; ability to work as part of a team in a goal-oriented environment.


Preferred Qualifications
  • Ability to learn database applications.


Required License(s) or Certification(s)
  • Driver's license required to make visits and attend events.


Valid NC Driver's License required
Yes

Commercial Driver's License required
No

Recruitment Dates and Special Instructions

Job Open Date
09/03/2026

Anticipated Close Date
Open until filled

Special Instructions to Applicants

Please include as attachments a resume, cover letter, and contact information for at least 3 professional references.

Position Details

Position Number
00103158

Position Type
EPS/SAAO

Full Time Equivalent (FTE) (1.0 = 40 hours/week)
1.00

Appointment
12 Month Recurring

Mandatory Designation - Adverse Weather
Non Mandatory - Adverse Weather

Mandatory Designation - Emergency Events
Non Mandatory - Emergency Event

Department ID
143801 - Engineering Advancement

About North Carolina State University

North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land-, sea-, and space-grant institution. The university forms one of the corners of the Research Triangle together with Duke University in Durham and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Enrollment is over 36,000 students. NC State was founded in 1887 as a land-grant institution.
Learn more about North Carolina State University

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