Campaign Director

Lafayette College•Easton, PA

About The Position

The Campaign Director is a senior advancement professional responsible for the strategic planning, execution, and management of Lafayette College’s comprehensive capital campaign. The role focuses on campaign systems, timelines, volunteer coordination, operational strategy, and support for frontline principal gift fundraising. Reporting to the Vice President for Advancement, the Director works closely with the College President, Board of Trustees, Provost, senior development staff, and consultants to keep the campaign on schedule, aligned with institutional priorities, and on track to achieve its financial goals.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
7–10+ years of progressive fundraising experience, specifically in a higher education advancement setting.
Proven experience managing cross-functional teams, supervising professional staff, or leading large-scale project management initiatives.
Deep knowledge of advancement CRM networks and campaign analytics tools.
Exceptional writing and speech communication skills.
Ability to interact professionally with high-profile stakeholders, trustees, and executives.
Strong discretion in handling confidential donor information.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or professional fundraising credentials.
Direct experience playing a lead or major supporting role in a comprehensive capital campaign.

Responsibilities

Design and execute the multi-year campaign plan, including high-level timelines, operational benchmarks, performance milestones, and deliverables.
Partner with senior leaders and academic stakeholders to draft the overarching case for support and campaign messaging frameworks.
Work with advancement operations and information strategy teams to use fundraising data, modeling, and analytics for prospect tracking and pipeline management.
Synthesize fundraising metrics into actionable progress reports for the President, Vice President, and Board of Trustees.
Serve as the primary staff liaison for the College’s campaign steering committee and volunteer subcommittees.
Prepare annotated agendas, strategy briefings, and supporting materials for trustees and key external volunteers engaged in fundraising outreach.
Coordinate major gifts, annual giving, alumni relations, corporate relations, and donor stewardship functions to ensure a unified campaign approach.
Collaborate with College Communications and Advancement Marketing teams on donor collateral, campaign web platforms, and public launch events.
If applicable, manage a small portfolio of high-net-worth individuals and direct the cultivation, strategy, and solicitation of major gifts of $100,000 or more and principal gifts of $1 million or more.
Accompany the Vice President on donor visits and provide strategic briefing materials in advance.