Director of Development & Strategic Alumni Engagement

University of Florida•Gainesville, FL

4d•$90,000 - $105,000

About The Position

The Director of Development & Strategic Alumni Engagement manages and strategically grows a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors rated at $100,000 and above. The role identifies and builds prospect relationships through face-to-face visits, creates individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies aligned with college funding priorities, and partners with faculty and college leadership to connect donor interests with institutional initiatives. It also develops relationships with private, family, and corporate foundations and coordinates strategy, proposals, cultivation, stewardship, and reporting with college leadership and UF Advancement. The Director develops and executes engagement and programming across the College’s six stakeholder audiences: alumni, donors, students, parents and families, faculty and staff, and corporate and community partners. The position works with corporate relations leadership to identify and prioritize aligned corporations and corporate foundations, manages the Dean’s Circle of Excellence, coordinates major gift outreach and stewardship, maintains donor activity and pipeline records in the Advance database, analyzes giving trends, and identifies new major gift and planned giving prospects. For alumni affairs, the Director develops and evaluates new approaches to alumni engagement and donor experience using constituent insights and data; establishes programs connecting alumni with faculty and students; tracks and reports engagement activities; coordinates alumni communications with communications staff; plans selected alumni events; and works with UF Alumni Relations. The role supports donor recognition and stewardship events, including the annual Donor Recognition Event and leadership award programs. Responsibilities include helping identify award recipients, preparing event scripts and presentations with the Senior Director, serving as a host and advancement representative, overseeing donor follow-up, collaborating on event and stewardship materials, and connecting events to broader advancement objectives. The Director also ensures sound office systems and recordkeeping, effective use of prospect-management tools and the Advance database, and responsible budget planning and monitoring for fundraising and related activities.

Requirements

Master’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization and three years of appropriate experience in Development or a related field; or a bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization and five years of experience in Development or a related field.
Valid driver’s license.
Ability and willingness to travel.
Good driving record.

Nice To Haves

Three to five years of major gift fundraising experience, with proven success soliciting gifts of $25,000 and above.
Related experience working with volunteers and/or in a similar organization.
Enthusiasm for fundraising in a comprehensive research university and desire to work collegially within a goal-oriented fundraising organization.
Knowledge of fundraising principles, methods, and standards.
Expertise in developing solicitation strategies.
Ability to work strategically, develop and implement constituency programs and activities, and motivate volunteers.
Ability to work collaboratively and as a team player.
Competency in problem solving.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, strong interpersonal abilities, and ability to engage effectively and collaboratively with a wide range of individuals.
Commitment to a respectful and collaborative work environment that values integrity, professionalism, and mutual respect.
Demonstrated success collaborating with stakeholders.
Strong project management skills and experience in a data-driven environment.
Excellent organizational abilities and capacity to lead, influence, and inspire others.
Proficiency with Windows operating systems, Microsoft Word, Excel, and Access, internet browsers, and email platforms.
Familiarity with donor databases, contact management systems, and tracking systems.

Responsibilities

Manage and strategically grow a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors rated at $100,000 and above.
Identify and build prospect relationships through face-to-face visits and develop cultivation strategies.
Develop and execute individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies aligned with college funding priorities.
Partner with faculty and college leadership to align donor interests with institutional initiatives.
Identify and develop relationships with private, family, and corporate foundations aligned with college initiatives; coordinate strategy, proposal development, cultivation, stewardship, and reporting with college leadership and UF Advancement.
Develop and execute engagement and programming strategies for alumni, donors, students, parents and families, faculty and staff, and corporate and community partners.
Partner with corporate relations leadership to identify, research, qualify, and prioritize corporations and corporate foundations aligned with the College of Nursing.
Manage the Dean’s Circle of Excellence, including member solicitation and stewardship.
Coordinate major gift outreach activities, including stewardship.
Record and manage donor activity in the Advance database and ensure accurate prospect tracking and pipeline management.
Analyze giving trends and prepare strategic reports and presentations for leadership.
Identify new major gift and planned giving prospects through research and strategic engagement.
Identify, develop, pilot, and evaluate new approaches to alumni engagement and donor experience using constituent insights and data.
Establish programs that engage alumni with faculty and students.
Track, measure, and report alumni engagement activities.
Partner with communications staff to oversee alumni-facing website, social media, newsletter, email, and video content.
Plan and produce selected alumni engagement events and coordinate alumni affairs with UF Alumni Relations staff.
Assist in identifying award recipients for the annual donor recognition event and Dorothy M. Smith Leadership Awards.
Work with the Senior Director on the script and presentation for the Donor Recognition Event.
Support planning and execution of donor recognition and stewardship events, including the annual Donor Recognition Event and leadership award programs.
Serve as a host and advancement representative at college and university events.
Oversee pre- and post-event donor engagement and follow-up communications.
Collaborate on event collateral, pledge materials, and stewardship communications.
Participate in university events and serve on volunteer committees as needed.
Work with the Development Coordinator on donor thank-you notes for scholarships.
Connect alumni, cultivation, recognition, and stewardship events to advancement objectives through defined audiences, relationship goals, pre-event strategy, follow-up, and measures of success.
Ensure best practices in office systems, files, and recordkeeping.
Ensure effective use of contact reports, prospect management, research and analysis, and the Advance database.
Plan and monitor the budget, using resources effectively for fundraising and planning activities involving volunteers, prospects, faculty, and administration.