Managing Director, Individual Giving Strategy

Boston University•Boston, MA

11d•$188,025 - $263,275

About The Position

Boston University Advancement is at a pivotal moment, guided by new leadership and a clear strategic framework for growth and impact. Our work is organized around three core priorities: securing $500 million in philanthropy annually; deepening relationships with a strategically defined segment of alumni and donors; and strengthening the organizational foundation while launching focused priority areas across the University. Advancement is evolving into a highly collaborative, matrixed model that integrates new University leadership, regional engagement, and the distinctive strengths of BU’s schools and colleges. With more than 250 advancement professionals, the organization is building the capacity, partnerships, and culture required to deliver sustained philanthropic momentum and institutional impact. The Managing Director, Individual Giving Strategy, is a pivotal leadership role within Boston University Advancement, responsible for the strategic oversight, operational management, and coordination of individual giving programs across Principal Gifts, International Advancement, Parent and Family Advancement, Major Gifts, and Schools and Center Advancement teams. Reporting to the Vice President of Principal Giving, International Advancement, and Foundation Relations (PIF), this position partners closely with Advancement leadership, Vice Presidents, fundraisers across teams, Business Intelligence and Prospect Strategies (BIPS), and other key partners to strengthen development strategy, enhance productivity, and advance the University’s philanthropic priorities. The Managing Director provides strategic direction and supports fundraisers in identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and closing major and principal gift opportunities and helps establish consistent practices, processes, and tools that enable effective portfolio management and donor engagement. A key responsibility of this position is fostering a collaborative, data-informed, and results-oriented culture across individual giving. The Managing Director will use fundraising data, performance metrics, and portfolio insights to identify opportunities, assess progress, inform decision-making, and support continuous improvement across teams. A successful candidate brings significant experience in advancement or fundraising strategy, with a demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives, build strong partnerships across an organization, use data and systems to drive fundraising effectiveness, and translate institutional priorities into coordinated individual giving strategies.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, advancement, development strategy, or a related field, including significant experience leading individual giving programs.
Significant experience in higher education advancement, preferably within a complex, decentralized institution.
Minimum of 7 years of experience supervising, developing, and leading professional staff, with demonstrated success managing teams and fostering a collaborative, high-performing environment.
Demonstrated expertise in individual giving, including prospect identification, qualification, portfolio development and management, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and pipeline development.
Demonstrated experience developing and implementing strategic plans, operating plans, processes, and performance measures that support fundraising goals.
Demonstrated ability to lead and influence across complex, matrixed organizations and build effective partnerships with senior leaders, frontline fundraisers, and cross-functional teams.
Strong understanding of prospect management practices and experience leveraging CRM systems, fundraising data, and analytics to inform strategy, monitor performance, and improve fundraising effectiveness.
Experience managing complex, high-level donor and prospect strategies, including opportunities involving multiple University or organizational units.
Excellent written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with audiences ranging from frontline staff to senior institutional leaders and external stakeholders.
Strong strategic thinking, judgment, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to translate broad institutional priorities into actionable strategies and processes.
Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, initiatives, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated discretion and sound judgment in handling confidential donor, prospect, and organizational information.
Ability and willingness to travel as required.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in a relevant field such as business, nonprofit management, higher education administration, organizational leadership, or a related discipline.
Experience with principal gifts and/or international fundraising, including international prospect identification, pipeline development, and fundraising strategy.
Experience working in a comprehensive campaign environment, including campaign planning, execution, prospect strategy, and performance management.
Experience coordinating fundraising strategies across multiple schools, colleges, centers, programs, or other organizational units.
Experience partnering with senior institutional leaders, including presidents, provosts, trustees, and/or other high-level volunteers, to advance philanthropic opportunities.
Experience designing or optimizing fundraising processes, systems, and infrastructure to improve fundraiser productivity and donor engagement.
Experience with forecasting, pipeline analytics, and performance reporting to support fundraising planning and decision-making.
Proficiency with CRM systems and data visualization, reporting, and business intelligence tools.
Experience leading cross-functional teams or enterprise-wide initiatives in a higher education or nonprofit environment.
Experience developing standardized policies, procedures, tools, and training programs that support consistent fundraising practices across teams.
Experience fostering a data-informed culture and using analytics to identify opportunities, evaluate performance, and drive continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Partner with Advancement Vice Presidents and senior leadership to develop, implement, and monitor a multi-year operating plan for Individual Giving that aligns with Advancement's strategic priorities and annual philanthropic goals.
Provide strategic oversight and coordination across Principal Gifts, International Advancement, Parent and Family Advancement, Major Gifts, and Schools and Centers Advancement to strengthen fundraising performance and ensure alignment of individual giving strategies across teams.
Oversee the development and implementation of processes that ensure the timely identification, assignment, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individual giving prospects and donors.
Establish and maintain standardized practices for portfolio management, prospect movement, proposal development, approvals, stewardship, and donor engagement.
Develop, document, and oversee adherence to policies, procedures, and protocols that support effective prospect management, data integrity, proposal approvals, and fundraising operations.
Partner with Advancement colleagues to develop and deliver ongoing education and resources that ensure fundraisers understand and effectively utilize Individual Giving policies, processes, systems, and tools.
Facilitate regular progress reviews, reporting, and strategic updates for Advancement leadership and key stakeholders.
Partner with senior leadership to design and oversee streamlined processes for leadership engagement in fundraising activities, ensuring appropriate coordination, follow-through, and accountability.
Lead initiatives that strengthen donor retention, stewardship, and movement through the individual giving pipeline.
Build and maintain strong, transparent, and collaborative relationships across Advancement, including Alumni Relations, Communications and Engagement, Prospect Management, BIPS, Operations, and other partners.
Partner with Leadership Annual Giving to establish portfolio management practices and systematize the transition of individual donors to Individual Giving based on defined criteria.
Partner with Engagement teams to establish portfolio management practices and systematize the identification and transition of event attendees and donors to Individual Giving based on established criteria.
Partner with Prospect Management to advance a culture of effective CRM utilization, ensuring fundraisers consistently use systems and tools for moves management, prospect tracking, portfolio management, and reporting.
Partner with Advancement Vice Presidents to facilitate prospect strategy meetings that establish clear objectives, responsibilities, next steps, and accountability for individual prospects, particularly those involving multiple University units.
Coordinate across fundraising teams to ensure alignment on donor strategies, communications, events, proposals, solicitations, and stewardship activities.
Partner with BIPS and Advancement Operations to identify, define, and prioritize systems, tools, data, and infrastructure that support fundraising effectiveness and individual giving productivity.
Collaborate with Advancement leadership and cross-functional partners to identify opportunities to streamline processes, eliminate duplication, and improve the experience of fundraisers and donors.
Serves as a central point of coordination for prospects referred to Advancement by the President, Provost, Trustees, and other key volunteers, ensuring that referrals are appropriately captured, entered into the Advancement process, assigned for follow-up, and advanced through clearly defined next steps. Ensures timely communication and appropriate reporting back to the referring partner regarding progress and outcomes.
Lead, mentor, and coordinate cross-functional teams and initiatives to strengthen prospect management, fundraising productivity, and execution across Individual Giving.
Supervise, mentor, and develop a team of three, including the Director of Strategic Program Development and their team.
Lead the team in developing, implementing, and maintaining standardized processes, tools, and practices across Individual Giving.
Foster a collaborative, accountable, and service-oriented team culture that supports frontline fundraisers and Advancement leadership.
Implement and continuously assess best practices designed to streamline operations and strengthen fundraising effectiveness across Principal Gifts and Individual Giving.